The board was in a suboptimal state. 'Odds of personal victory are approaching negligible.' Was the return from her processors. CZ surveyed the board again, looking for something she may have missed and finding nothing.
'Inoperable with my current hand.' Entoma's move had thoroughly upended her strategy. CZ adjusted posture to express displeasure, before discarding her hand, the best of bad options, and redrawing to a full, setting aside a process to generate a new strategy with the new hand and board-state. "I skip. Your turn Yuri-nee."
Yuri too seemed to have had her plan ruined by Entoma's move if posture was any indication of tone. She drew at the beginning of turn and sighed, discarding like CZ had. "I think you may have won with that Entoma, I have no possible moves."
"I will unseat Ainz as undefeated champion!"
The odds of that were low, 'in similar situations Ainz has pulled out a victory in seven of nine rounds. The other two ending in draws.'
"Ahh," the Overlord himself said, having just drawn, and now playing. "It seems I have the perfect counter. The game isn't over yet."
'This game is only about a third strategy based, Ainz's plans are truly amazing with such bad odds.'
Entoma made an exaggerated sound of dismay, CZ threw her a green biscuit. "We will win eventually, 'Toma."
"Not against Ainz." Yuri disagreed, "but you were saying Shizu, about Neia?"
"Uwaa." She played a card. "After the coffee house, we went to inspect a carnival." 'She was insistent we try everything.'
"Oh, and was it all up to code?" Yuri asked her playfully.
"Audience responses were overwhelmingly favourable to performances. Carnival games were faulty." 'Neia did not seem to mind the rigged games for undetermined reasons.'
"Faulty?" Ainz asked, playing a card which would work well with CZ's plans.
"Neia was unable to acquire a prize despite being significantly less unskilled than the average carnival participant. Faulty."
Yuri reached out and patted her shoulder while Entoma mumbled at the cards in her hand. "Was it still fun, Shizu?"
Visible signs of excitement in Neia had been elevated throughout the duration. "I retrieved a prize from the faulty games to give to Neia. For the honour of Nazarick."
Yuri and Ainz adopted a similar posture, Yuri cooed a little. Entoma, meanwhile, let out a noise of triumph and played a pair of cards.
'Within tolerance for current strategy.' She reoptimized and took her turn.
"Neia declared the day a success. Carnival passed inspection."
"Ahh I'm glad to hear it." Ainz mused, "this new world could do with more festivals and the like."
CZ made a note of that, a part of Lord Ainz's master plan. 'Perhaps we use the faulty games somehow to manipulate the humans?' It had sure seemed to have worked when mere mortals tried, the lines were long.
"What's your friend like anyway 'Zu?" Entoma asked, setting her cards face down. 'The likelihood of her having a real strategy now is high.' CZ devoted some processors to predictive analytics, this round having gone on long enough that only a limited set of options remained available.
Yuri had told her not to 'count cards' so CZ used a less efficient alphabetic system rather than numeric to do so, which had annoyingly decreased processing efficiency.
"Her eyes are special not-cute cute and Neia knows the right words of respect for Lord Ainz," she began. "She likes holding hands and pulling me to places, very warm." CZ played and nodded to Yuri to signify her turn, who was grinning.
"The environment is more pleasing when Neia is near, she raises the value of places within the Holy Kingdom significantly." Yuri's smile continued to widen and Ainz had sat back in a relaxed, - fond? - posture. She matched their tone, leaning forward and placing hands underneath her chin with fingers resting on her cheekbones.
"Neia-human is very excited with me near as well, different from reports. Her work is helpful and she has hugs of the first tier." She finished her report as Yuri played her turn.
"She sounds tasty, I want to eat that." Entoma sounded hungry, CZ gave her another biscuit.
"Hmm. Perhaps we shouldn't eat your sister's friend, Entoma, however tasty sounding." Ainz interjected distractedly, looking at his cards.
CZ considered, and set to processing. Output, 'Neia is loyal to Nazarick, she understands her place and is devout. She would not mind.'
"Neia would be happy to be food for the good of Nazarick."
Entoma perked up and Yuri tapped her head lightly with a baton pulled from her sleeve. "No eating Shizu's friends."
Entoma clutched the top of her head in an overly dramatic pout. "Yes, Yuri-nee."
'Cute.' CZ took her booklet from inventory and put a 1-yen sticker on Entoma, who then swiftly recovered from the blow.
"Ah! I do have a move." Ainz looked up from his cards and played, "though it does lead to a draw again."
'Incredible strategy. Ainz can even overcome probability itself.'
"Uwa." She output thought to speech. "Amazing, let's try again."
The others agreed.
'This is fun.'
"It sounded so romantic! Dancing in the sky on a platform of fireflies!" Enri was clutching Nfirea's hand tight enough to cause him pain. Lupusregina noted in the back of her mind that he was ignoring that pain in favour of being enthralled by the bouncing gesticulations of Enri.
The front of her mind was simply an incoherent joyful-bewildered almost disbelieving scream.
It did sound very romantic.
"Nabe and Momon are just so cute!" Was Enri's continued declaration. "
It was also impossible, 'surely this is an exaggeration?'
"I wish I had something like that…" Enri was wistful and Nfirea started to splutter, declaring it his sworn duty to learn… well 'Faerie Fire' and 'Fly' probably, by the description, though he seemed to think more complex spells were involved.
'Rumours always have some truth. Dancing in starlight is very romantic but also probably not exactly accurate. Surveying the landscape maybe, but then why be glowing to draw attention? Plus it is a debuff. They could have been trying to lure something out but what? The dragon was dead by then.'
Lupusregina realised she had been lost in thought and the humans had sorted themselves back out and were now staring at her.
"What do I think?" She asked, that having been the question they were waiting for her answer.
"Well neither of those spells are hard, you probably could do it, but it would take away from your alchemy time."
Nfirea spluttered again. "Ahh I couldn't take time away! I'm so close to getting Lord Ainz's potion recreated perfectly."
'The lowest tear of healing potion, worthless except academically.' Enri slouched with a downturned lip and sideways glance, clearly sad that Nfirea's dedication to her having a romantic starlit dance was so easily pushed aside. 'Heartbreak! Adorable!'
'Actually…' she thought. Ainz had recommended some reading on human psychology from Ashurbanipal, so she could better manipulate the creatures into the farthest falls of despair that brought her such joy. 'I can use this for a few things.'
"Aww don't cry Enri!" She said, leaping forward to grab her prey by the other hand, "I can cast those spells, I'll give you your storybook romance!"
Enri face, which had not actually been in danger of tears rose, while Nfirea's fell in realisation of how his words could be perceived.
'The closer I am to them, the worse the betrayal later. This will be amazing!"
"But!" She declared, "First tell me about that rumour again, exactly like you heard it, so I can get this perfect for you." 'And so I can get the exact story.'
Enri bounced up to hug her, radiating joy and beginning her account again. Nfirea, his hand having been dropped, had stilled, very slightly tense and smelling of worry. 'He's jealous! That's even better!'
More amazing, the rumours of Momon and Nabe's post dragonslaying celebration sounded even more possibly-actually romantic the second time.
Though the tale also put more emphasis on facial expressions and longing looks than any mortal human could have hoped to see on a metal helmet or Narberal's poker face. So, indeterminate.
Lupusregina dove into the room and bodily tackled Solution to the floor, the chair and nearly the table suffering a similar fate.
Yuri managed to save the teapot, but not Solution's cup.
Fortunately the scaling liquid was unable to actually harm either of them.
"Hello Lupusregina." She said as Solution shrieked. "You aren't even late this time." A furry eared head popped up from below as Lupusregina went to speak, eyes shining in mischief, but was silenced as Solution flipped them both back to the ground in revenge.
Yuri sighed. 'Every time.'
She kept ahold of the pot and surviving teacups as the pair rolled again, nearly upending the breakfast table a second time.
"The tea is only so hot, remember."
It wasn't an especially useful reminder. They were both heathens who would be fine with just reheating steeped tea. Yuri settled down to wait out the bout of roughhousing.
Eventually they did settle, Lupusregina sheepishly repairing the cup via spell as they sat down again.
"What's got you so excited?" She asked.
"There was an adorable rumour about how Momon and Nabe had a romantic dance among the stars." Lupusregina turned to their blond sister, "Sol, you were at the debrief, I need to know if that was real!"
That hadn't been in Narberal's story, Yuri leaned forward. 'Surely she would mention something like that.'
Solution froze under their staring.
'On the other hand, maybe not.'
Lupusregina cheered and nearly tackled Solution to the floor again, would have if Yuri hadn't grabbed her by the collar.
"I…" Solution began, "promised not to say anything about…"
Yuri blinked. 'Oh my.' She leaned forward further, still holding on to Lupusregina, who did the same.
"The glowing-flying did happen, it might have been dancing, I didn't ask." Solution continued, "but yes, Ainz and Narberal were being odd so… well Narberal didn't say exactly but there was definitely something going on."
"Tell me everything!" She demanded, Lupusregina nodding fervently in support of Yuri's demand.
Solution looked torn between the promise and the demand but gave in to gossip eventually, after extracting a promise that this would go no further than the Pleiades.
The evidence was… 'well not damning at all actually.' There was an inside joke that Solution and Pandora's Actor thought was a kindled romance but neither had actually verified. 'Still if it is… this bears investigating.'
Yuri brought the gossiping pair to attention with a smack of baton on table. "We need to find out for sure. This is what we will do-"
She outlined her plans, three pairs of eyes twinkling in mischief.
The rest of her sisters had inherited Solution's strange behaviour. Narberal watched as Shizu waved a string of Entoma's torch bugs, all trying and failing to fly away in different directions, leading to a multicoloured light show.
Lupusregina had gotten herself trapped in the strings between the bugs and was writhing to get away from the insects unsuccessfully as Shizu's waving got her increasingly tied up.
'Strange.'
"Are you alright Lupu?" She asked from next to Ainz and Demiurge, with whom she had been discussing the grand plan.
Unlike Ainz, she could get away with asking for clarification on various points.
Entoma and Yuri dropped down from the ceiling and dragged the other two away. 'The ceiling? Why we're they up there?'
In a louder than normal voice Yuri asked Entoma if she knew how to dance. Her words filtering through the closed door. Equally loudly Entoma bemoaned that she did not, and wished someone with recent experience could show her.
Albedo turned a questioning glance to Narberal who shrugged. "They've been acting weird all morning."
Aura commented that she also wouldn't mind learning, quieter, Mare concurred.
Lupusregina appeared from nowhere and grabbed her by the shoulders. 'Why were you invisible?'
She didn't say anything so Narberal just stared at her. After a moment Yuri also appeared and chopped Lupusregina on top of the head, then dragged her away, whispering something about subtlety.
"Subtle about what?" She asked an equally confused Ainz. He shrugged and they went back to trying to decipher the report.
"Not about sneaking in here, that's for sure." Demiurge commented.
Solution brought an album filled with pictures of her, apparently taken from CZ's memory banks, and placed it down on the desk where she, Ainz, Demiurge, and Cocytus were about to start going over details of the lizard man village expansion project.
"Er…thank you?" Ainz said, Solution having presented it to him as a gift.
Narberal flipped a page. They were very flattering photos, clearly chosen with care. Little signed notes from all her sisters telling stories of each.
'I don't mind, but why is she giving Ainz a photo album of me?'
Shyly, which was strange for her, Shizu asked if one of them could help her with making a proper tempo for verbally performing the poem she had written.
Benevolently, Ainz agreed. He, Demiurge, and Albedo took turns reading the poem and debating timing and emphasis.
'But why did you write a poem about me at all?'
Near the end of the mortifying experience, Entoma fell from the ceiling, nearly landing on an amused Victim.
Entoma was telling Ainz about her bug collection, which wasn't unusual. What was unusual was how she kept equating how pretty their shells or wings or legs or antennae were, to Narberal's features. 'I only have one of those things?'
She exchanged glances with Pandora's Actor who unhelpfully turned into a bug, which Entoma used to further her analogy.
It was… nice? 'Weird, but nice.'
'What has gotten into them today?'
"If it is too much Narberal, we can ask your sisters to settle down." Ainz told her once the other's had left and the two demons had returned form collecting area-guardian reports.
"No it's… fine."
With a sound of displeasure Yuri's head flew into the room. Shalltear caught it on reflex.
Narberal, Shalltear, Demiurge, Albedo and Yuri blinked at one another for a moment. Presumably Ainz would have joined if he possessed eyelids.
"Like I was saying Lord Ainz, the-"
Shalltear continued her presentation, using Yuri's head as a sort of pointer.
With one especially drastic gesticulation of Shalltear's arm Yuri disappeared into a puddle of slime. Solution having retrieved the head.
'How did this even happen?'
Shizu glomped onto her back in the canteen "Uwa!" She said, "Yuri-nee said I went on a date with Neia. How was yours the other day?"
'My what?'
"I… don't know?"
Narberal felt Shizu nod against the top of her head. "Inconclusive. Let's get lunch."
Aureole sent her a message, asking if she and Lord Ainz would come to the flower blossom sanctuary for her report and updated teleportation gate scheme she had just made.
She relayed this to Albedo, Demiurge, and Ainz, who along with her, were finishing the last part of the thorough review of Nazarick's internal systems they had abandoned for lunch earlier.
"Ah, ahead of schedule like always, we were just about to begin that." Ainz said, correct only by happenstance and the process of elimination. "Let's make our way down then."
They did. Aureole's plan was very detailed, the demons seemed to approve, and Ainz was his usual default-to-unreadable. 'Seems fine, but how did you know and why message me?'
Aureole also kept glancing between the four of them and giggling. Occasionally squealing in delight whenever one of them moved towards another or reached for anything.
'What is so funny?'
"Did you dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?!" Lupusregina demanded, dramatically pointing a finger at her, having appeared suddenly once again
"Which devil?" She asked, dreading whatever this was.
Yuri appeared and once again dragged Lupusregina off, scolding her about subtlety.
Albedo started giggling, Demiurge cackling.
Ainz nodded his head sagely, clearly also confused.
Decrement, maid on duty, opened the door when it was knocked on. Foire and Etoile stepped in, both looking rather stressed.
"Is everything alright?" Ainz asked them, looking up from the stack of papers.
Narberal looked beyond the two into the hallway. Part of Yuri's head could be seen before an arm pulled her down beyond a corner.
"I… umm-" Etoile began.
Foire took over. "Lord Ainz, Lady Solution told us to look for any… sparks."
"Nothing is on fire here." Demiurge deadpanned, "I would know."
'He would.'
The maids nodded frantically. "We apologise for disturbing you!"
"Oh it's quite alright. I'm glad you're so diligent." Ainz soothed them as they left.
'Why would anything have been sparking in here, what does that mean?'
Albedo was staring at her now, contemplating something. Narberal tried to force a smile and Albedo laughed.
'Well at least somebody knows what's happening.'
Lupusregina was in Cocytus's arms when he walked into the office, updated manifesto on his plans for expansion of the Lizardman's sphere of influence. Ainz having suggested he make those plans on his own first.
'Which very handedly avoided us needing to figure out what Demiurge expected Ainz to think of what Cocytus thought that Demiurge thought that Ainz wanted Cocytus to say, in real time. By making it homework.'
Narberal would have felt bad about that, but this audit had been going on for nearly sixteen hours already and Cocytus had revealed himself a traitor - to her specifically - by bringing in more shenanigans.
Thankfully Lupusregina didn't say anything, just had a silent conversation of facial expressions with Albedo, then Demiurge, then Albedo again, and left when Cocytus did, winking at her.
'I hope that isn't somehow worse.'
Narberal did not look up from her notebook. Demiurge patted her consoling on the shoulder and left the room to see what the screaming was about.
Ainz sighed and Albedo shook her head in amusement.
"They're having fun today!" Aura exclaimed, which was unfortunately true. Mare, more sensitive to her plight, cast a zone of "Silence" like the hero he was.
Pandora's Actor showed up as Momon, for unspecified reasons. Admittedly that is what he was reporting about this time, 'so fair enough' she supposed.
Except Solution, holding Yuri's head, was hiding in his shadow, occasionally popping out to grin at her.
'Why is today the day that everybody has gone crazy?'
Yuri, Lupusregina, Solution, Entoma, and Shizu swarmed into the office when Sebas opened the door.
Narberal blinked at them. They looked…something, collectively. She threw her head down in exhaustion, landing her forehead on Albedo's shoulder, who had become increasingly amused by her sister's antics throughout the very long day and refused to say why.
The both of them were sitting on Ainz's desk as he went through the last of the 'audit,' Demiurge was to the side, looking through a ledger, having stopped speaking at the knock.
Narberal hid her head further into Albedo's shoulder, still able to see her sisters but dreading their newest shenanigans. Albedo patted the top of her head, which was nice.
This act caused Solution and Lupusregina to squeal and hug, Shizu to 'Uwa,' Entoma to clap and Yuri to pump her fist in the air.
Then they left. Without explanation.
'This is such a strange day.'
"What is happening?" She asked the world at large.
Albedo kept stroking her hair, Demiurge began laughing, and Ainz, unhelpfully, said "Ah, so it is that thing then. Wonderful."
'What. Thing.'
Narberal took solace in the fact that Ainz definitely also had no idea what was happening.
"So, Narberal, how are the Pleiades operations going? Seeing as your sisters have run off before reporting." Demiurge, a sadist, asked.
"Sebas is in charge." She declared, washing her hands of everything and pointing at the butler still in the room.
It was technically not true, being as they were in Seven Sisters formation, rather than Six Stars at present. But that would just put Aureole in charge instead, 'which is close enough.'
Fortunately, Sebas accepted the responsibility with grace and the rest of the day passed without incident.
Once that was finished, Narberal once again asked the universe what had gotten into everybody today. It responded in the form of Pandora's Actor sweeping into the room, looking chagrined. Ainz had called for him in response to her request of the world.
After his dramatic retelling of the entire day, with colour commentary, everything made both much more, and much less sense.
Albedo let her hide out away from her sister's recent collective insanity in her room that night, which was kind. 'Maybe it'll be more sensible tomorrow.'