Daily Life of A Caretaker

Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.

Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.

The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

Arc 5: Break - Chapter 8

It's a brand-new day—or at least, based on my many guesses. The morning had arrived, and almost everyone seemed to have gotten a good night's sleep.

"I demand a separate bedroom!" Aqua shouted at the top of her lungs, her glare sharp enough to pierce steel.

"Well, you could if you had formed a contract with someone other than Jin to get a separate bedroom." Octavia replied dully, lounging in the Supreme Relaxing Chair like it was her personal throne.

"Silence, demon, or I shall smite you!" Aqua retorted, her voice filled with self-righteous fury as she pointed at Octavia with dramatic flair.

"Rude." Octavia muttered, her eyes slowly blinking, unbothered.

"I think she's just mad she didn't get enough sleep." Ruby giggled, unable to suppress her amusement.

"Eight hours of sleep isn't enough for her?" Weiss huffed, one hand placed on her hip as she rolled her eyes.

"I could barely sleep at all with you three going at it like crazy rabbits in heat!" Aqua snapped, jabbing an accusing finger at Ruby, Weiss, and me. "Can't you three do that somewhere more private?!"

"This place is private." I said to Aqua, meeting her scowl with a calm expression.

"Besides, you don't see Octavia here complaining." Weiss added, gesturing toward the unbothered figure lounging in the Supreme Relaxing Chair.

"That's because she's a demon! Demons love sex and all kinds of shameful things!" Aqua argued loudly, her voice rising with indignation.

"No. It's because of this chair." Octavia replied, her tone flat and unimpressed. "Thank you for lending it to me, Jin. Also, for setting up a soundless barrier around me. So, no, I didn't have any problem whatsoever. I can just move it to face the corner of the wall, which is very simple."

To prove her point, Octavia spun the chair around smoothly, showing everyone how it now faced an empty corner, utterly isolating her from the surroundings.

"I still demand a separate bedroom for myself! As a goddess, it's my right to have my own private room!" Aqua declared, puffing out her chest, raising her chin, and placing her hands on her hips as she looked at everyone like a rebellious teen.

"Why don't you complain to a high school staff member?" Ruby grinned mischievously. "I bet you could argue your case with them instead of trying to argue with us when we have no power whatsoever over whether we share a bedroom or not."

"Fine! I'll do exactly that!" Aqua shot back, sticking her tongue out at Ruby, who merely blinked in response.

"Why did she stick her tongue out?" Weiss frowned, tilting her head in genuine confusion. "Is... is that supposed to mean something?" She turned to me, her eyes narrowing as if I held all the answers. "Does... does she want someone to give her a kiss, or does she intend to lick someone?"

"I think I read about this in one of the guidebooks Jin gave us." Ruby stepping closer to tap my shadow lightly with her left foot as she turned her curious gaze toward me.

"It generally means they're being playful, teasing, mocking, or showing a form of disrespect depending on the context and the relationship." Octavia interjected, her voice calm and explanatory as she spun her chair back around to face the group. "It can also be interpreted as a sign of rudeness, disgust, or even flirtation depending on the situation and cultural background."

"What's the cultural background of the Heaven pantheon? If we were to talk about the Eldritch pantheon, at least Ruby and I would know roughly what to do." Weiss' voice dripped with disdain as she cast Aqua a disgusted look. "Also, whether she's secretly flirting with us or not, I'd rather maim her than let her touch me."

"As if I want to flirt with you people!" Aqua shouted, her face flushing with anger. She raised a fist, glaring at Weiss like she was moments away from swinging it.

"Not a lot of people could claim to know the cultural background of all pantheons, let alone a big one like the Heaven pantheon." Octavia said, her tone even and unbothered as she completely ignored Aqua's outburst. "All I know from hearing the words of others is that the Heaven pantheon is well-known for spreading the faith in the greater good. And." She added casually. "Causing accidental insanity among their faithful worshippers."

"Wait, accidental insanity?" I turned to Octavia in disbelief.

"Yup." Octavia replied. "Somehow, one thing leads to another, and worshippers end up taking things to extremes, causing more harm than good to those around them. Some use the faith in the greater good as an excuse to escape the bad things they've done or experienced. Like that human saying... ah, yes. Turning over a new leaf. Is one of the perfect examples of accidental insanity."

"That's accidental insanity? Turning over a new leaf?" I raised an eyebrow, my skepticism evident.

"Well, yes." Octavia said, her gaze steady. "Think about it—can you honestly believe how strange it is for someone who has been doing something evil for years to suddenly change their ways completely? The Hell pantheon certainly noticed, and they've even weaponized it. Take, for example, the well-known skill: Silver Tongue." She let out a slight yawn. "By the way, when can we go eat breakfast?"

"That's a lie! Don't believe this demon! The Heaven pantheon would never drive their faithful worshippers insane!" Aqua snarled, scowling at Octavia. Her right hand began to glow with a bright bluish-white light. "Take that back, demon, or face the wrath of a goddess!"

As the chaos with Aqua raged on, my attention shifted when a letter suddenly appeared on the bed.

Featherine?!

My heartbeat quickened as I stepped closer and picked it up. With cautious hands, I opened the envelope and scanned the contents. A wave of relief washed over me when I realized it wasn't written by her. But just as quickly, my relief turned into a choking cough that racked my chest, catching in my throat.

"You okay there, Jin?" Ruby asked in concern as she patted my back gently. Her curious eyes flicked to the paper in my hand. "Oh? There's a new letter?"

I blinked at the bold, uppercase words staring back at me:

WE WILL PAY YOU TO KEEP HER AWAY!

Beneath the declaration, it was signed by someone from the Heaven pantheon—a random member whose name I didn't recognize.

"Wow, even they don't like her..." Ruby whistled, leaning over my shoulder to read the letter.

"Yeah, but how much are they willing to pay to keep her here?" Weiss chimed in, crossing her arms.

"If it isn't enough, I don't think we should keep her around at all, if possible." Ruby said with a matter-of-fact tone. She cast a quick glance at Aqua, who had just been kicked in the face by Octavia—still lounging in her chair. "Pretty sure one of us might end up trying to kill her. And if it happens, I'd bet on Octavia doing the deed out of sheer spite."

I flipped the letter over to check if they had written how much they were willing to pay. The back revealed an even more surprising message:

WE WILL GIVE ONE FAVOR TO THE ELDRITCH PANTHEON!

"Oh wow, they really don't like her." Ruby said, her voice now filled with genuine shock.

"That also means she's an even bigger piece of work than we thought." Weiss muttered, crossing her arms. "If she does something stupid, I'm slapping her. That's an oath I'm making here and now. You all are my witnesses."

As if to mark her declaration, glowing golden text materialized at the bottom of the letter:

Weiss Schnee is the BEST GIRL!

Weiss stared at the message, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Should I be worried?" She leaned back a little.

"As long as you're not alone, no." I shrug, which seems to reassure Weiss. She sighed in relief, her posture relaxing.

"Should we do something about that?" Ruby asked, pointing to our right.

We turned to see Aqua furiously trying to attack Octavia. Her wild swings and reckless strikes all missed as Octavia calmly timed her spins in the Supreme Relaxing Chair to deflect every move. Occasionally, Octavia would push Aqua away with a well-placed kick, sending her stumbling back. But Aqua, very determined, kept charging forward, only to be thwarted repeatedly.

"I don't know." Weiss said, leaning slightly against me. "This is kind of odd. I half-expected Octavia to start throwing demonic magic by now. But I guess we're stuck with Aqua for the time being unless the Eldritch pantheon somehow turns down the favor from the Heaven pantheon, which seems pretty unlikely."

"I'm more concerned about whether Aqua knows anyone here in the high school—students or contractors." I said, my eyes still fixed on the bizarre battle.

"Why's that?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion. Weiss mirrored her curiosity, glancing up at me.

"If she's got any allies, we'd have to deal with people like her. And if they're even somewhat friendly toward Aqua, it could get messy fast." I rubbed my temples, feeling more worn out than I did when handling Nyarla, her sisters, and their mother.

We all flinched as Octavia finally picked up the Supreme Relaxing Chair and slammed it against Aqua, sending the self-proclaimed goddess flying into the wall with a loud crash. The impact left a noticeable dent, though Aqua still managed to stagger back to her feet, her determination seemingly unshaken.

Octavia, clearly reaching her limit, finally pinned Aqua to the ground with the Supreme Relaxing Chair, effortlessly silencing her pointless attempts.

"So, breakfast, everyone?" Octavia asked casually, now sitting atop the chair with Aqua still struggling beneath it. Her tone was calm, as though nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.

"Sure." Weiss said, brushing off her skirt. "But I vote we don't let Jin cook like he did with the sushi."

That statement caused all of us to nod in unison, myself included. I wasn't about to argue, not after that incident.

"Why is no one helping me defeat this demon?!" Aqua screamed from beneath the Supreme Relaxing Chair, her voice muffled but still carrying plenty of resentment.

"Because, one: She is a student here. Two: She isn't causing me problems. And three: I just don't feel like it." I said to Aqua, my tone firm. I leaned closer, meeting her eyes with a dead-serious look. "Now, if you behave, you can eat with us. Otherwise, I'll put you in the corner for bad behavior."

Aqua flinched under my gaze, her confidence evaporating. "Do you understand?" I crouched down, staring deeply into her eyes until she looked away, cold sweat forming on her forehead.

"Could I at least get some potato chips?" Aqua asked weakly, her voice small.

I had honestly expected her to ask for alcohol.

"Sure." I said, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yay!" Aqua shouted in pure joy, her earlier frustration forgotten. She didn't even seem to mind her current position under the Supreme Relaxing Chair. "I get to eat potato chips again after so long!"

"I don't know if I should pity her or wonder what kind of life she's been living that she'd be so happy just to eat potato chips." Octavia said dryly.

Both Ruby and Weiss slowly nodded in agreement.

"Seriously, what kind of goddess is this supposed to be?" Weiss muttered, crossing her arms.

"I'm not sure if this is funny or just sad." Ruby added, tilting her head as she watched Aqua squirm with excitement under the Supreme Relaxing Chair.