Today at Granitz, a spring festival enlivened the town square. Tents filled with beer barrels and wine lined the area, alongside large grilled platters of sausages and other traditional Reichland cutlery. Beside the main tent, other stalls offered sweets, crafts, and handmade goods. The town square buzzed with townsfolk, NRE employees, and personnel. They gathered to enjoy a variety of food and drinks, particularly beer—the pride of Reichland. Beer mugs in hand were a common sight. However, many townsfolk noticed an increased presence of personnel and officers patrolling. Rumors suggested this was related to a missing cadet, prompting the island's admiral to tighten security.
Pierre, Elena, and Dora (or Susan) attended the grand spring event. Pierre wore casual clothes—a t-shirt and pants. Elena and Dora donned Dirndls, traditional Reichland costumes, for the occasion, tying their bows on the right side. They urged Pierre to wear the male version but failed. Pouches hung at their hips. The three strolled through the town, sampling food. Pierre noticed many eyes fixed on the two women, their outfits accentuating their figures -- cleavages, smooth firm skin -- everything that attracted men eyes. One man approached Dora but backed away after noticing her Dirndl's bow. As it was Dora's first spring festival, Elena wanted to show her around, and Pierre, unable to refuse Elena, was dragged along.
After Susan abandoned her agent role and became Dora Romanov, an NRE researcher, Pierre introduced her to Elena, revealing everything about her except her sister's story. That morning, Elena grew frustrated, worried about Pierre, only to discover he had spent the night with Dora. Pierre had to placate her all day until she calmed down. He recalled Elena's words: "I'm okay if you have other women, but please don't make me worry like a fool." She wasn't angry because he spent time with Dora; rather, it was because Pierre had left her anxious about his whereabouts.
"Shall we have Schweinshaxe?" Dora suggested for lunch, the charred scent and sizzling sound tantalizing her senses. She had never tried it before.
"That's a good idea, Dora, as we might need more energy soon," Elena agreed. Pierre also thought it was a perfect lunch for the three of them. Pierre went to the main tent and returned with two plates of Schweinshaxe—one for himself, while the women shared the other. Although the high-fat dish didn't concern the women's figures, Granitz's Schweinshaxe was too large for them to finish alone. Pierre carried the plates to where the two women sat on a long bench, sharing space with other festival goers. The rye beer glaze on the pork skin hit Dora's nose heavily, and she couldn't wait to try this traditional dish.
"That smell knocks me out," Dora said, holding a knife and fork ready to slice the piece.
"Guten Appetit," Elena and Pierre said, using a traditional Reichland phrase. The three began slicing the large chunk into bite-sized pieces. The fat content melted in Dora's mouth, filling her face with happiness.
"This is really good!" she exclaimed while chewing.
"The secret is the mixture of honey and beer that gives the crust its distinctive flavor," Pierre explained. The two women chewed while listening to Pierre's breakdown of the recipe.
After the three finished their portions, Elena went to buy drinks, leaving Pierre and Dora together. "About my sister—you didn't kill her, did you?" Dora glared at Pierre, awaiting a proper answer. Pierre replied softly, "She died because of me." His answer didn't satisfy Dora, who still sought honesty. With no other choice, Pierre exhaled once before replying, "She shielded me from gunfire. She died because of my arrogance." Dora was stunned for a moment, but relief also filled her. Taking a deep breath, she knew her sister so well; Natasha must have trusted this man deeply to risk her life protecting him. She gave him a smile. "Thank you for telling me the truth." Pierre observed Dora's expression, then returned a small smile, restraining his emotions.
Dora leaned closer to Pierre, who sat opposite her, whispering, "By the way, can I remove these things? It's hard to move with them inside me." Pierre understood her meaning. As Elena returned, holding three small mugs of apple juice, as none of them enjoyed alcohol.
"What are you two whispering about?" Upon Elena's arrival, Dora flinched and slowly turned to face her, as if afraid. Before Dora could respond, Pierre spoke up. "She wants to remove what you gave her." A sudden loud bang followed as Elena set the three mugs on the table. Dora trembled, losing all composure. "E…lena," she stammered, fearful of Elena.
"Dora, this is your punishment for staying up all night without me," Elena said. Then she turned to Pierre and gave him a nod. Pierre followed Elena's command. He moved his hand over his watch and pressed a panel.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound echoed through the air, followed by soft moans. "Mmmm…" Dora let out a small moan, accompanied by several clanking sounds and moans from elsewhere. Elena observed Dora's expression with satisfaction. Dora, flustered, breathed rapidly as she was stimulated in public by Pierre and Elena. Her reaction was understandable, as Elena had forced her to wear two devices.
What are those other sounds? she wondered.
Looking around, she noticed waitresses, a lady from an Appelflaap shop and two vendors from the main tent, collapsing on the ground. She realized immediately and turned to Elena, who smiled and nodded to confirm her suspicion.
"They're all…" Another surge interrupted Dora before she could finish. "Aaaah~" she tried to keep her moan low. Other waitresses trembled, struggling to walk without moaning.
Customers and onlookers stared at their strange expressions. The husband of the Appelflaap shop owner supported his wife.
"Are you alright?" the husband asked his wife.
"I'm fine, honey, just feeling hot," his wife replied, pretending nothing had happened. In the main tent, a mother and daughter trembled while handing a dish to a male customer.
"Mrs. Sterben, what's going on?" a man asked.
"N…Nothing, I just didn't expect it to be so hot today," Mrs. Sterben replied in a seductive voice, turning to her daughter. "Sweetheart, it's hot today. Go get some rest." Her daughter nodded and slowly walked to the back.
"That's for keeping him to yourself," Elena said coldly, enjoying Dora's struggling expression at the table. Then Elena told Pierre to stop, and everything gradually returned to normal.
"You're the boss, Elena," Dora, still trembling, said to Elena.
The three explored more of the town, enjoying sweets and teasing Dora along the way. Suddenly, a town alarm blared, followed by a brief announcement that Granitz Island was under invasion. Personnel began escorting townsfolk to a safe location. Pierre, Elena, and Dora exchanged glances, having anticipated this event.
Pierre controlled his watch to transform Elena and Dora's Dirndls into invisibility suits he had designed—special combat suits capable of altering their appearance. Although Elena preferred real fabric clothing, she wore the synthetic suit today for this purpose. Without a word, a resonant blade, a high-intensity photon saber, and a long-range rifle appeared in their hands. They were ready for Yorkland's invasion.