Chapter 140 - Smooth Liar

"I guess this is goodbye," Monica said and hugged Petunia for the last time.

"So, when are you going to tell them about it?" Petunia chose to stand proud and went straight to the point with Monica instead of feeling sad about parting ways with her at the moment.

"Just let me cry first, you dummy," Monica said and even hit her playfully in the shoulders while wiping her tears with her free hand.

"Tell us what?" Fily suddenly said after hearing what Petunia said from standing too close to them.

"That I-"

"That I asked Petunia to buy something from a secret shop!" Monica suddenly interrupted Petunia's words but Petunia did not mind.

"A secret shop? Where?" Fily asked with furrowed eyebrows, she knew of a few secret shops in this country but they rarely set their shops in the trading area to avoid government officials shutting their business down. And the place where they're headed was known to be a hotspot of illegal trades from other countries whose products were banned in Clandamascarene for promoting their "support for the locals" movement. The invisible sense-defying room that the Crones used for example.

"It's hidden in the snow so not everyone knows about this place yet but I assure you it's safe. You just really need to find this store to see the formula that I really want to give you, Petunia! Although I can't go there myself, I hope you can help Petunia find this store and finally use this coupon I got from that shop to get that super expensive secret formula for her!" Monica pleaded with a very convincing face.

'She's such a smooth liar,' Petunia commended Monica in her mind.

"Uhh, sure… I'll help her find this secret store," Fily said reluctantly while taking the 'coupon' that Monica was handing to her with a ninety-degree bow.

"As expected from our genius Fily." Monica smiled from ear to ear and gave Fily a hug, knowing that she had the one and only Fily deceived by her confident lies.

"Nice work!" Petunia mouthed to her after transferring to Fily's shoulders after their hug.

'Can't you just ask me to do something else? I really don't want to send my best friend to death's door like this,' Monica wanted to say to Petunia but only ended up using her eyes to deliver the message when she felt her heart drop for having to give Petunia up.

She hasn't even known Petunia for more than a day yet but she was already sure that they have a strong connection with each other as if they were long-lost sisters.

And knowing that Petunia was one of the main reasons along with Levithan who saved her life and gave her more years to spend time with her loved ones, Monica did not want to harm Petunia's life further by putting her in another risk. But because that was the only thing that Petunia ever asked from her, she also had no other choice but to give her what she wanted.

"Goodbye, Monica." Petunia smiled at her one last time.

"Stay alive," Monica whispered to her with a heavy heart, "Promise me that."

"I will," Petunia said and finally departed with Venedette, Gem, and Fily to the Levi-yacht.

"How about us? You're not going to thank us?" Von said while glancing at Monica from his peripheral view.

"H-Huh? Oh, yes. Sorry- ah! I mean thank you!" Monica bowed ninety degrees and immediately fled the scene with a flustered face.

"Did she get intimidated by my handsome face?" Von assumed while saying his thoughts out loud.

"I believe she was looking at me," Lei said from behind which made Von jump.

"Yo! Bro! Why are you sneaking at me like that!?" Von complained which Lei only laughed at.

"See? I can even make your heart flutter," Lei said as a joke and even offered his hands tauntingly to Von like what he usually does with girls on a ball.

"Seriously? Aren't you just a creep who likes giving people heart attacks?" Von said and laughed while going along with Lei's trip by taking his hand and fixing his stance for a launch.

"Hold tight!" Von shouted before launching himself to the air with Lei who was only holding his left hand.

***

"So, who wants to join this mini treasure hunt?" Fily immediately said after hearing Von and Lei arrive back to the Levi-yacht.

"A what?!" Von said while enthusiastically jumping around, happy that he made Lei sick from that very uncomfortable flight, especially for no-flight people like Lei.

"Imma just use the restroom real quick," Lei said while almost tripping from not being able to walk properly and even holding his stomach and mouth for wanting to vomit from that VERY extreme ride that Von made sure to make ten times more extreme than those lousy roller coasters rides just to prove a point.

"We're going on a treasure hunt to find this secret store with a super special and expensive secret formula that Monica wanted to give Petunia as a gift. And since Monica is not allowed to go out of their house, Petunia here wanted to find the gift instead and claim it using the coupon that Monica gave us," Fily said and raised the coupon that she was talking about.

"So what does it say?" Von asked Fily while looking at the coupon between her fist.

"That's irrelevant," Petunia immediately stepped up to cover up for Monica's mistake.

"This coupon is, of course, not going to reveal any details about that secret shop, you dumbass." 

"Oh, then I'm not joining. Good luck finding your formula or whatever it is," Von dismissed them without even batting an eye to them only until he remembered a question he needed to ask them, "Where's Gem? Is she also coming?"

"She will." Petunia stood up and answered with full confidence as if telling Von, 'That's right, Gem is not as cowardly as you.'

"Why would she join you guys in that stupid treasure hunt?" Von expressed his displeasure with furrowed eyebrows and called for his playmate, "Gem! Gem!! Where are you!? Where is she?" he turned to the two and asked with a normal voice.

"She's probably in her room, taking a rest," Fily answered with a concerned voice.

"She's tired and yet you want her to join in your another tiring little treasure hunt?" 

"For all I know, you just want to play with her with your little game so what's the difference between us? Gem will decide for herself so step out of it!" Petunia exclaimed with an annoyed face and jumped down from the table to the floor to make her escape from this upsetting conversation.

'If they don't want to help then I'll just do it myself,' Petunia thought bitterly while making her way to her laboratory room.

"What was it you guys wanted to say?" Lei suddenly appeared beside Fily who was freaked out by his sudden presence.

"Gosh! Please stop doing that!" Fily said and hit Lei's shoulders with all of her strength which only made Lei laugh.

"Is that a punch? I thought that was just your fist touching me!" Lei mocked Fily even more which was really out of character for him.

"Did that trip also affected your brain and attitude? What's with the sudden naughtiness!?" Fily complained even though she was smiling.

"Nothing, I just wanted to loosen up more. Since I'm not Von's guard anymore, I thought I should also enjoy life while I'm at it."

"That's a good point." Fily shrugged in approval, "Well anyway, let's go back to the topic. Do you want to join Petunia and I on a treasure hunt?"

"What do I get from it?"

"I don't know. I just know this 'treasure' will cheer Petunia up like what Monica said. Petunia likes formulas and what more when this formula could actually be the answer to her problems? That's what Monica said, although I don't believe her as much. I just want to cheer Petunia up," Fily explained with more persuasive details this time.

"That's true. After sacrificing her everything for Monica, I'm sure Monica would want to do the same to her. But because of her restrictions, she wouldn't be able to do anything for Petunia yet," Lei voiced out his perception of the situation.

"So are you going to join us?" Fily asked with hopeful eyes.

"Mmmm, since I don't have anything to do anyway and I also want to help Petunia recover her losses,"

"So that's an okay? You're going to join us? Okay, yay!!" Fily celebrated and even raised her hands with her signature bright smile that was undeniable contagious for it also made Lei smile with her.

"Von's the only one who's not going."

"I'm sure he'll come," Lei said confidently while paying attention to the plan that Fily decided to make now while they're still on their way to the north.

"He better do, or else I won't consider him as a friend anymore," Fily said with a smile and a cutesy voice, opposite to the message she was intending to perceive.