Chapter 101: The Plan

The training session had ended, but nobody had left the training wing yet.

The family stayed gathered at the edge of the arena while the last training constructs dissolved into harmless Mana.

The floor still bore the scorch marks from Lily’s final attack, and Maki was already crouched over one of the seals she’d placed mid-fight, inspecting it like it had personally wronged her.

Reinhard stood with his arms folded, surveying the damage. "That went better than I expected. The formation still needs work, though."

Lily raised her hand immediately. "I think the formation was perfect."

"You ran ahead twice."

"Strategic advancement."

"You ignored Maki’s instructions once."

"Strategic independence."

Maki adjusted her glasses without looking up. "You also nearly destroyed the training construct before I finished placing the seal."

Lily pointed at her, triumphant. "And yet, did I destroy it?"

Maki paused. "...No."

"Exactly."

Reinhard laughed quietly while Emily shook her head at both of them.

"We should repeat this regularly," Yuna said, looking over the wrecked floor. "If we keep fighting together, our coordination will improve."

"Agreed," Maki said. "The first attempt was rough, but the second proved we adapt fast once we understand each other’s habits."

"Then we keep using the array," Reinhard said. "We can expand the environments too, once we’ve tested the current settings. No reason to limit ourselves to simple constructs. We can recreate places we’ve visited, adjust the terrain, build out more complicated scenarios."

Lily’s eyes lit up. "Can we make a giant monster?"

"We can."

"Can we make it explode?"

"We probably shouldn’t."

"Then what’s the point?"

Reinhard just smiled and didn’t answer that one.

"Compromise," Lily tried. "Small explosion."

"No explosion."

"Medium explosion."

"Lily."

"Fine." She crossed her arms like she was conceding a war instead of a negotiation. "But when I build my own monster, it’s exploding."

"We’ll discuss that when you’ve paid for your own training wing."

"That’s not a no."

"It’s not a yes either."

Emily watched him for a moment before speaking. "Reinhard."

"Hm?"

"When’s your birthday?"

The question caught him off guard in a way almost nothing else managed to. "My birthday?"

"Yes."

He thought about it like it was a trivia question with a trick in it. "October 21st."

Silence. Maki’s hand froze on her seal. Yuna looked over sharply. Lily blinked like she’d been personally insulted by the calendar. Emily quietly counted the days in her head.

"That’s in two weeks," she said.

"Looks like it."

Lily stared at him. "How did I not know that?"

"You’ve never asked."

"That’s a problem."

"Why?"

"Because now I know." Lily smiled the exact smile of someone filing a piece of information away for later use against him.

He gave her a suspicious look and got nothing back but innocence, which was somehow worse.

"Should I be concerned?" he asked the room in general.

"Yes," Maki said immediately.

Reinhard moved on like nothing had happened. "Actually, since we’re here, we should stock the vault. It’s still mostly empty, and there are a few relics I’d like to add before our next round of—"

"We can do that another time," Emily said.

He looked at her, then suddenly straightened. "Right. Eclipse. I forgot I haven’t been back in a month." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I’m honestly surprised Lucien hasn’t hunted me down yet."

"Maybe he’s saving it as blackmail," Lily said.

"Most likely." He sighed dramatically and headed for the door. "Well. Off to the chopping board."

"Try not to cause too much trouble," Emily called after him.

"No promises." He waved without turning around and disappeared through the doorway.

The second he was gone, the entire room’s energy changed.

Lily looked at Emily. Emily looked at Maki. Maki looked at Yuna. Yuna folded her arms.

"So," Lily said, "we’re doing it?"

"We’re doing it," Emily said.

Maki pushed her glasses up. "We should start with what we’re actually giving him."

"Not giving him," Emily corrected. "Doing for him."

Lily tilted her head. "What’s the difference?"

Emily glanced toward the doorway he’d just vanished through. "Because Reinhard already has almost everything money can buy. He buys us things before we even know we need them. He built this entire compound around what we each wanted to do. He thinks about our training, our equipment, our work, even the little things."

She looked around at the training wing he’d basically built as a gift nobody asked for. "And we do things for him too. I’m not saying we don’t. But most of the time, he’s still the one who thinks first."

Nobody argued with that. Maki looked toward the door he’d left through. "He rarely asks for anything."

"Exactly."

Lily crossed her arms. "Then let’s make him ask."

"No." Emily shook her head. "I think we make sure he never has to."

She looked around at each of them. "We know him. We know what he likes."

Lily grinned immediately. "He likes showing off."

"Yes."

"He likes expensive things."

"Yes."

"He likes being rich."

"Very much."

Yuna’s mouth curved slightly despite herself.

"Then let’s give him things he’ll actually enjoy," Emily said.

Maki was already thinking logistics. "I’ll handle the schedule and the guest list."

"Guests?"

"If we’re celebrating, there are people he’d want here. Lucien, obviously. Cassian too." She considered it a moment longer. "Possibly more. He’s met an alarming number of people lately."

Emily smiled. "He’ll enjoy having an audience."

"Exactly."

Yuna stayed quiet when the attention turned to her.

"What about you?" Emily asked.

"I’ll think of something." She didn’t elaborate, and Emily knew better than to push.

Then everyone turned to Lily.

"What?" Lily blinked.

"What are you going to do?" Maki asked.

Lily thought about it for exactly one second before grinning. "I know. I’m taking him to Marvello."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "For his birthday?"

"No." Lily’s grin widened. "I’m going to tell him I’m bored."

Emily understood instantly. "That’s perfect."

"He’ll come."

"He probably will."

"And then we’ll have fun."

Maki sighed. "I suspect ’fun’ is going to get expensive fast."

Lily looked genuinely offended. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you’re going with Reinhard," Yuna said.

Lily considered that for a second. "...Fair."

The group laughed quietly. For the first time, the plan actually had shape. Emily would run the celebration. Maki would run the guest list and the logistics. Yuna would handle something personal, whatever it turned out to be. Lily would simply distract him, which, with Lily, meant a city-wide shopping spree disguised as boredom.

None of them needed to start by asking who Reinhard was. They already knew him well enough to know where to begin. The real problem was that they’d all gotten used to him being the one who thought of everyone else first.

For once, they were going to beat him to it.

...

That afternoon, Maki sat down with her phone and got to work.

"I’ll start with Lucien," she said.

The call connected fast.

"Maki?"

"Reinhard’s birthday is October 21st. We’re celebrating here."

A pause. "I see." Another pause. "May I bring a few people?"

Maki glanced at Emily, who nodded. "Of course."

Lucien laughed softly. "I’m surprised he agreed to this."

"He doesn’t know."

That got a longer laugh. Maki’s expression never cracked. "He’ll enjoy having more people to show off to."

"You’re not wrong," Lucien said, still laughing. "He absolutely will."

She ended the call and immediately dialed Cassian.

"Interested in coming to Reinhard’s birthday?"

"Of course."

"Good. I’ll send details."

She set the device down and looked at the others. "Lucien and Cassian are in."

Lily grinned. "So we’re really doing this."

"We’re really doing this," Emily said.

They weren’t planning this because Reinhard had asked, or because something needed fixing, or because training demanded it. For once, they were simply planning something for him.

And they had two weeks to pull it off.