"Alright, that's it for the current agenda, everyone is free to do whatever until evening," Draco said, putting ao the brief familia meeting.

  Just as everyone was about to disband, Draco stopped them iracks.

  "Actually, I have a task that I need assistah. I'm willing to pay up to ten thousand Valis for anyone who's ied," Draco revealed, capturing the attention of his familia members.

  Draco had a specific goal in mind – he wao go shopping for new clothes with Bahamut.

  However, there was still the daunting task of ing up the slimy mess that had bee in Bahamut's room.

  He didn't want to dirty his only usable pair of clothing, as that would leave him with nothing to wear for the shopping trip.

  Draeeded someone else to take on the unpleasant ing duties.

  Michalis, being an eager beaver, jumped at the opportunity, his hand shooting up enthusiastically.

  "Me, me, me! I do it!" he yelled, desperate to get Draco's attention, and secure the lucrative task.

  The others, however, hesitated, their expressions filled with a mixture of suspi and apprehension.

  Draco was known for being quite frugal with his money, so the fact that he was willing to such a substantial amount made them quite wary, with Michalis being the only oblivious one.

  However they also couldn't help but wonder what exactly the task entailed.

  Draco observed the hesitation among his familia members and decided to probe further.

  "So, no one else is ied?" Draco asked, hoping to find at least one more volunteer.

  Nikoos, deg to be practical, spoke up, "You haven't told us the task yet. We'd like to know what we're getting ourselves into before itting." he said.

  Draco's lips curled into a slight smile as he replied, "Oh, it will be easier to show you." With that, he led the group towards Bahamut's room.

  ‘Hmm, Bahamut’s ihroom. Guess I will have to wait a while’ Draco thought as they walked passed a bathroom.

  Dimitra, who had bee when Draade the mess, immediately reized what the task entailed, and decided to quit quickly.

  "I'm out." she decred, retreating towards the kit to focus on preparations for lunch.

  However her swift retreat only served to heighten the wariness of the others, especially Eleni, Cir, and Vasiliki, though they still followed, curiosity fuelling their i.

  As they approached the door to Bahamut's room, the pu smell suddenly hit their senses, causing them to cover their noses in disgust.

  "What is that smell?" Vasileios asked, his face sched up in distaste.

  "It's not that bad," Drauttered, seemingly ued by the stench that had overwhelmed the others.

  "I have no idea why it smells like that, but this is the job," Draco said, opening the door to reveal the aftermath of his rebirth.

  Eleni's eyes widened as she spotted the slimy, red mixture on the floor.

  "Ehat is that?" she excimed, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

  Nikoos, oher hand, seemed fasated by the rge shell pieces resting in a bed of pillows.

  "Whoa, you really hatched from an egg. How cool it must have been!" he marvelled, his curiosity piqued.

  Eleni's i iqued as well, as she noticed the shell pieces.

  " I use the shell fragments? They may be useful for alchemy," she inquired.

  Cir, oher hand, couldn't stomach the se any longer, quickly she covered her mouth and dashed towards the house exit.

  "I'm out too," she decred from the distance.

  Draco sighed, realizing that he was quickly losing potential helpers.

  "Okay, one more out. So, who's ied in the job?" he asked again, hoping someone would step forward.

  Michalis, uerred by the unpleasant task, raised his hand and said, "I he money. I still do it." He had his eye on a fancy item he wao buy for Cir, but his pocket money wasn't quite enough.

  The others exged uain gorween the prospect of earning a substantial sum and the daunting nature of the ing job.

  "Okay, anyone else? I least two people," Draco asked, his gaze sweeping across the group.

  Nikoos shook his head, his expression apprehensive.

  "I 't do it," he muttered, his voice ced with repulsion.

  Draodded, uanding his brother’s hesitation, even he didn’t want to do the job.

  He then turned his attention to Eleni, her closely.

  'Eleni seems like she is very ied, just needs a little push to do it. She also seems ied in my egg shells,' Draused.

  Eleni had always expressed her i in alchemy, but there was no equipment for her to work with.

  As he sed the rest of the group, Draco's eyes met Vasiliki's, and she gave him a knowing smile.

  She had also been the others, quickly assessing their reas.

  Vasiliki wao help, but she didn't feel fortable dealing with slime, so she decided to focus on persuading the most likely didate – Eleni.

  Leaning in, Vasiliki whispered in Eleni's ear, "Think of all the sweets and treats you buy with ten thousand Valis." she said.

  Eleni's eyes wide the tantalizing prospebsp;

  'Hmm, I know I'm being maniputed, but the money is kind of tempting. I already spent most of my pocket money yesterday, so...' she thought, weighing her options.

  After a moment of hesitation, Eleni raised her hand.

  "I... I will do it," she said, her voicertain but resolute.

  "But, I get to keep the shells," she added, her iating skills on dispy.

  Draco gave a nod of agreement.

  He had already ied the shells and found nothing special about them, aside from the remnants of his own energy lingering in the pieces.

  "Thank you," Draco whispered to Vasiliki, grateful for her persuasive assistance.

  With the necessary partits secured, the rest of the group, aside from Michalis, Eleni, and Vasiliki, dispersed.

  Draco then gave Michalis and Eleni a brief rundown of what they o do before returning to the living room, Vasiliki trailing behind him.

  "Sigh, what is it, Vasiliki? Why are you following me?" Draco asked, initially ined to ignore her but uo overlook her persistent presence.

  "Nothing, am I not free to follow my charming older brother around?" Vasiliki replied, feigning innoce.

  "Let's not do this. We both know you want something, so out with it," Draco said, cutting straight to the point.

  "Tsk, you know me so well," Vasiliki muttered.

  "Wouldn't it be weirder if I didn't know what is going on in that weird head of yours?" Draco retorted, his exasperation evident.

  "That's not a very nient, but thanks for the pliment," Vasiliki replied, her tone pyful.

  "You... Sigh, just out with it," Draco said, his patience wearing thin.

  "Well, I just wao remind you about the promise you made," Vasiliki said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

  'Promise?' Draco repeated the word internally, rag his brain to recall any promises he had made.

  "Oh, are you referring to the meal? If I remember correctly, it e with honey and amon, then pancakes with berries, cream, chocote, and jam, right?" Draco asked, recalling the specific dishes he had promised to make for her trior.

  "I knew you would remember!" Vasiliki excimed, g her hands in delight. "So, when I expect it?" she asked.

  Draco sighed, resigning himself to the task.

  "Sigh, when do you want it?" he said.

  "Anytime you make them, no pressure," Vasiliki replied, her words tradig the eagerness in her gaze.

  'So she wants it soon,' Draco thought, readiween the lines.

  "Got it, I'll make it tomorrow," Draco said.

  "Yay, that's great! Thank you, Draii, I love you" Vasiliki said, her smile radiating genuine happiness.

  With Draco’s word secured, Vasiliki's mind wandered, her thoughts taking a mischievous turn.

  'Fufufu, I wonder how jealous Bahamut, Eleni, Cir, and Dimitra will be tomorrow. It's going to be some...'

  Thwack!

  Draco cut off Vasiliki's musing with a swift strike to the head, reizing the devious expression on her fad the sinister ughter bubbling up within her.

  Vasiliki gred at Draco, her brows furrowed as she silently questioned why she had been strubsp;

  "It looked like you were making silly pns in your head," Draco replied bluntly, his toter-of-fact.

  "But I haven't done anythi," Vasiliki muttered in protest, her voice ced with a hint of indignation.

  However, Draco ignored her, his attention drawn to the approag figure of Bahamut.

  "I saw Eleni and Michalis ing my room, and they said you had paid them to do so. Why is that?" Bahamut inquired curiously.

  Draco proceeded to provide a brief summary of his clothing situation, casually extending an invitation to Bahamut to apany him on a shopping excursion for new garments.

  Since Dimitra had taken charge of the midday meal, Bahamut found herself free for the afternoon and readily agreed to Draco's proposal.

  ‘Isn’t their outing basically a date.,' Vasiliki realized, her brow furrowing deeper.

  'I ’t let things progress too fast. There is o extend the lead of my rival,' she reasoned, determio i herself into the outing.

  " I e as well?" Vasiliki asked, her tone purposefully casual.

  Drapted the request, having initially po take only Bahamut with him.

  "Hmm," he mused, sidering how to reject her.

  ht saying ‘no’ could carry various meanings sidering the retionship between him and Bahamut.

  He had made rules regardiionships and didn’t io be the oo break them.

  "I think it would be best if Vasiliki joins us," Bahamut suggested, her tone calm and uanding.

  She could sense Vasiliki's iions, but did not mind; in fact, she found the girl's subtle maations rather endearing.

  "Well, I suppose you e along," Draco ceded.

  "Just give me a few mio grab my cloak and some money, and we'll be on our way." he added.

  Once Draco had made his preparations, the trio - Draco, Bahamut, and Vasiliki - departed the house, heading to their first destination: the clothing store.