Wake up the next morning.

After an early meal, you lay back on the couch with Niki, Amara, and Eva as you all continue to ponder over this strange quest given by Eva's father. You're not certain where the others are, but they're free to come and go anyway, not to mention the size of your home. They really could be anywhere. As you continue lounging about, Niki suddenly speaks up.

"How about that Fang girl?" she asks. "The one from that vigilante group. We've seen her a few times, and contrary to how she looks, she's not a criminal. She might actually want to help, just like you said with Rabbit's Foot."

"That could work. If it does, who will be the eighteenth?"

Snow appears out of seemingly nowhere, though that is her aesthetic after all. "Excuse me, Kyle. If you'd like, I can track down the people we've thought of so far and give them formal invitations."

"Would you like help writing them?" Amara asks.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you."

You give a thumbs-up. "Sounds good to me. Meanwhile, we'll keep brainstorming."

"What do you think we're supposed to do there?" Niki asks. "When we get to the shore, I mean."

"I guess we just lounge around until midnight and then slay a ghost?"

Time passes. Amara eventually returns to the room, while Snow heads off to quickly deliver the invitations. As time passes, you think even harder about all the girls you've met, from bartenders to random folk on the street you never asked the names of, but nothing else really comes to mind. You think to your time in the capital, but you didn't stay there long. You think to the Cackling Woods, but going and grabbing a pixie is a strange solution. It could work, however, if it comes to that. Worst case scenario, you find someone once you're there to fill the gap.

"Why wouldn't Jack just have seventeen maidens? He had far too many maidens," you mutter to yourself.

Niki is laying back on the floor. "No kidding. What kind of creep has that many girls around him? It's like a harem or something."

You slowly shift your eyes over to her nervously. "Y-Yeah."

Even more time passes. It starts moving into the afternoon when Snow comes back home, tired but content with her work. She smiles and bows as she approaches you doing absolutely nothing in the living room.

"Every person I visited agreed to come," she says as she wipes sweat from her brow. "My mistress was an easy one. I didn't even need to give her an invitation. I found Rabbit's Foot fighting a person robbing a general store and she was eager. Luna of the clothing shop seemed happy to accept as well. What surprised me most was that Lady Tesgella agreed. She will be coming alone, however. I don't know where the oni currently is. Fang was tricky to find, and when I did, she wasn't sure at first. Though after she thought about it for a moment, it looked like something clicked, because she went from uncertain to incredibly excited at a moment's notice. Though the hardest was this Linzeri lady. It's a miracle I found her, but it's even more of a miracle that she said yes."

"Great job, Snow. Thanks," you say.

She goes silent. Pink comes to her cheeks as she looks around bashfully, and fidgets her hands together.

You look to her with confusion. "Are you... all right?"

"Ah yes. Well, it's just that Mistress Dajy would do something for me when I went above and beyond with a job is all."

"Do something?"

"Y-Yes. She would pat me on the head."

You look to her for a moment, but she seems to be serious. You stand and wake up to her, and you watch as her tail wags back and forth, awaiting your hand. Then, you raise your hand and pat it up and down against her soft hair, between her twitching ears. Her eyes flutter closed as a smile draws across her face.

"Thank you," she whispers.