The Simulacrum ~Chapter 18~ Part 3

"I'm not going to lie," I struck up a conversation as we were walking towards our neighborhood, "that last dress was unexpected, but not in a bad way."

The impromptu fashion show lasted well after dark and it was a little after eight by the ti we waved our goodbyes at the mansion gates. Judy lowered her face at my words and muttered, "Please refrain from ntioning it again. Ever."

I chuckled mirthfully as I recalled the borderline stripperific dress Judy wore for last. It was just like the red ‘gown' I thought only double-sided tape held onto the wearer, except sohow even less covering. Heck, on second thought, it might've been slightly transparent as well. I couldn't take a good look, but I swear I clearly saw the outlines of her underwear.

Recalling that image might have put a peculiar expression on my face, because Judy quickly averted her face again and muttered, "I'm never going to live this one down."

"Oh co on, Dormouse!" I encouraged her with a pat on the shoulder. "You were just caught up in the heat of the mont. And it was only the three of us. Not to ntion, even though I only saw it for a few seconds before you ran away, it looked great on you."

"You just say that because you are trying to be nice."

"No, I'm not. I am nice. Jokes aside, it really looked good on you. You should have more confidence in your figure."

"It's hard to do with this competition." I looked at her questioningly, at which point she casually cupped her own breasts and pushed them up a little so that a bit of her cleavage showed through the neckline of her sweater. "Mother nature has betrayed ."

I would have chuckled, but at the sa ti her words piqued my interest, so I stifled it and instead I asked, "Wait, girls actually do compare each other like that? I thought that was a stereotype."

"It's hard not to do that when you are changing in the sa room. I was under the impression boys were doing the sa with..." In a rare (and surprisingly adorable) show of embarrassnt, she averted her eyes and finished in a mumble with the words, "... other parts of their anatomy."

"I think that's a stereotype too. At least I've never done that." She nodded, but still seed awkward, (not to ntion she still had her hands cupped over her chest, which was distracting), so I began looking for alternative topics that did not involve secondary sexual characteristics. It didn't take long to find one. "By the way, I have a new source of data."

"You do?" She faced again, finally lowering her hands. "I presu that was the reason behind your long absence."

"It wasn't that long, but yes. I was having a long talk with the butler."

"That sounds very uncharacteristic for you. Are you ill by any chance?"

"Ha. Ha. You are very funny."

"Thank you, I'm trying."

"You sure do. Anyways, I traded so intel and if everything works out well, we should get access to the Dracis family's records."

"I presu that is good news."

"Hey, having more sources is always good. Although, it's apparently a library, so accessing it would take more effort than the Celestial Hub. On the other hand, it might have different and older texts that could help us in unexpected ways."

"It's a library?" My assistant squinted at suspiciously. "That ans you would have an excuse to spend ti at Eleanor's mansion."

I gave her a flat look in return and shook my head.

"That is a very peculiar way to say it. Do you think I want to hang out there that much?"

"I don't know. Do you?"

I stifled a groan and told her, "If you are so worried about that, why don't you do it?"

Judy paused for a mont and then gave a huge nod.

"Challenge accepted. You already have your hands full with the website, I should pull my weight as well."

"Are you sure? I don't even know how much data we are talking about. It might take a while to comb through all of it."

"Don't worry about chief. It would be better this way. You are good at deductions, but you are horrible at organizing data. Let's work with our strong suits and share the work."

I really couldn't object to that, and even if I could, I had no ti as we were almost in front of Judy's ho.

"All right then. We will discuss the details once the old guy tells his answer. Until then, let's focus on the Celestial Hub and whip it into a semblance of efficiency."

She shook her head with a difficult-to-read expression and abruptly sighed.

"... Why do you have to bring our work to our dates?"

The question took by surprise and I cocked my head to the side in reaction.

"Outings, and are you saying this was still part of it?"

"Of course. A date doesn't end until the goodbye kiss. Speaking of which..." Before I could react she stood on her tiptoes and gave a peck on my cheek. "I know this date was for your sake, but I still had fun. Thanks."

"You are welc— wait, what?" The question broke through my reflexive words, but by then my assistant was already at her door. She gave one last glance, which may or may not have been very bashful and incredibly cute, and then closed the door behind her. For a mont I couldn't decide whether I should've been pleased or irritated over the latest blow on my anti-romance armor, but I decided that I might as well let the day end on a positive note and I headed howards with a little smile.

There might have even been a slight spring in my steps, which sadly didn't last long, as after rounding the corner I suddenly noticed a slight movent in the darkness stretching beyond the light of the street lamps. I stopped and strained my eyes, and in a second I was able to make out a familiar silhouette.

I was ready to bolt at a mont's notice, but the longer I looked, the less afraid I beca. The Faun, still as large and imposing as before, was standing still in what I presud to be a relaxed stance. After a few more seconds I beca able to make out so of his features.

He had a wide, flat nose that didn't seem to have any nostrils, a pair of thick, pointy ears, and large eyes that looked incredibly dark on his spotty white face. I couldn't have ti to figure out why his eyes felt strange, as my attention was drawn to his mouth when his lips parted in a surprisingly harmless smile. It was still looking weird on his large, flat face, but it didn't unnerve . Then the Faun locked eyes with again and I could once again see flashes of orange lights swirling around his form as a single feeling hit : curiosity. It only lasted for a mont, but when I blinked the emotion was gone alongside the Faun himself.

I wondered if it was because of my eyes adjusting slowly after the sudden light or if it was so sort of magic. I still knew so little about Fauns that both seed like a distinct possibility. Either way, whatever that Faun was here for, it wasn't to paint the neighborhood red with my blood. I was both relieved and slightly puzzled by that, so I shelved it in my ‘things to worry about later' folder, which was admittedly about to burst at this point. What can I say? It wasn't my fault the world kept throwing flies into my salad every five minutes.

That said, after I was sure he was really gone, I continued on my way with considerably less spring in my steps. This ti I didn't bother to raid the kitchen once I got ho, as I have already eaten enough tea-biscuits to last a lifeti, and instead I headed for my room. I fired up my PC, logged into the Celestial Hub, and cracked my fingers before I simply wrote in:

"Admin: Guys, I have a request for you."