Chronos Mice.
By every possible definition, they were pets.
They were the type of creatures that would scurry over the moment they spotted a human. In Chronos, they were widely distributed throughout the rural villages—or more accurately, they lived in the homes of anyone who looked likely to offer a handout.
They dug burrows underground to make their nests. During the Locust Terrorist Attack, most of them had simply retreated into their holes and remained perfectly safe. Since they were a common sight in the farming villages, the local women never thought to point them out as anything special.
Their ecology was centered around proximity to humans; they relied on people for protection from natural predators. Their entire life cycle revolved around humanity, whether they were being fed directly or scavenged seeds spilled by farmers.
In the urban areas of Chronos, they were popular house pets. They were easy to raise, intelligent, and capable of a basic level of communication. They could be toilet trained, and if provided with a tray of sand, they would keep themselves clean by taking sand baths. Since they weren't afraid of water, they could even be bathed in a tub.
Their signature talent was singing. When they were in a good mood, they would break into song.
"Kyu?"
Mint-chan tilted her head as she looked up at me. Mint-chan was green. Apparently, this was a natural fur color, not a dye. She was one of Kevin’s.
Our eyes met. Suddenly, Mint-chan rolled over and offered me her belly. I couldn't help but reach down and give her a good rub.
"She's totally buttering Leo up..." Kevin muttered, looking surprised. Apparently, it was rare for a Chronos Mouse to take such a submissive pose.
"What did Ren say?" I asked.
Ren was the Beast Species Queen. If we were going to welcome new furball friends into the fold, I had to clear it with her, or they might end up being... hunted.
"I haven't told her. I was worried she’d get mad..."
"I'll handle it. Uh, Ren? Could you come to the office for a moment?"
Ren arrived shortly after. Perched on her shoulder was a spotted mouse.
"Ah, this little one? This is Omochi-chan, my newest officer."
"Pui pui!" Omochi-chan gave a crisp salute.
Ren... you too?
"Omochi-chan, this is the King we serve," Ren introduced me.
"Pui pui!"
"Come on, Mint-chan, say hello."
"Pui!"
"Pui!"
The two mice exchanged greetings, sniffing one another. They were highly intelligent, social creatures and apparently rarely fought.
"Fine... whatever happens, happens!"
After that, the situation devolved exactly as I had expected.
"I want one for myself, sir!" One-oh-one cried, stomping her feet.
"I want one too! Please! I promise I'll take good care of it!" Tatiana pleaded with teary eyes.
Shiyun simply looked away.
"...Shiyun. Why are you avoiding eye contact?"
"IT IS NOTHING AT ALL."
"Archduke. Regarding the schedule for the meeting with the Taikyoku Nation..."
At that moment, Shiyun's Older Brother entered. A Chronos Mouse was sitting squarely on top of his head.
"Ah! No fair! Shiyun's already raising one!"
"I want one too, sir!"
I couldn't help but think... You guys have plenty of money.
Ah, right. They wanted them as presents. Well, it couldn't be helped. It's not like they were expensive pets, right? I could just get more from the farms.
I took the two of them to the area near the wasabi fields to pick out their companions.
"Pukyu!"
Two more mice were officially "commissioned."
Tatiana got a blue one, and One-oh-one got a red one.
"Make sure you take care of them!"
"I know, I know!"
"Understood, sir!"
And so, my army fell under the absolute rule of the Chronos Mice.
Eventually, I finally received medical clearance to go see Wifey. When I arrived, there was already one sitting on her shoulder—a little black-and-white fellow.
"Daifuku, greet your father," Wifey said.
"Pupi!"
When Wifey set the mouse on the table, it rolled onto its back and showed its belly. It really did look like a little daifuku rice cake. I tickled it with my finger.
"Pupi♪"
After the greeting, it scrambled up and climbed onto my head.
"She took a liking to you immediately. She’s a girl, after all," Wifey remarked with a smirk.
"That's a total character assassination!"
"Pupi!"
"Would you like a bit of dried sweet potato?"
I offered the mouse a piece of my emergency rations.
"Kyukkyukkyu♪" it began to sing.
"Yo. Veronica-chan, I finished the security plan."
Melissa strolled into the room.
"I wove my Papa so muchie-wuvey!♪" she chirped in a high-pitched squeak.
"Melissa, quit with the dubbing."
"But look at it, it's totally smitten. And honestly, they're adorable."
"You want one too, Melissa?"
"I can't be bothered with the chores, so I'll pass."
Finally, a voice of reason appeared.
"Besides, I can just play with the ones wandering around whenever I feel like it."
"Wait, what?"
"Ah... I see. Lord Groom hasn't heard about the current state of the fleet."
Wifey pulled up a screen. It showed swarms of Chronos Mice running along the walls. When they spotted their respective owners, they would leap through the air and scramble up to their shoulders.
"Kyukyuku!" They looked overjoyed.
"The Chronos Mice form packs," Wifey explained. "While their owners are on shift, they play together in a group. Then, when the owners come to pick them up, they go home like this."
"Aren't they incredibly smart?"
"Indeed. They seem to have the intelligence of a five-year-old. Because of that, some volunteers have actually set up a nursery in a corner of the ship’s shrine."
"Did nobody try to stop them?"
"If we tried to stop them, there would be a mutiny."
I suppose that was fair. Daifuku-chan was currently nuzzling against my cheek. She clearly wanted more attention. I gave her another pat.
"Pukyuー♪"
In the midst of all this, Alyssa also recovered. Apparently, she was raising one too.
As for Daifuku-chan, she had become completely inseparable from me. At night, she would call for me in a voice that sounded heartbreakingly lonely.
"Pikyupurururururu... kyu..."
As a result, she ended up sleeping in the same room as Wifey and me in the Chronos Palace. She was exactly like a child. Not that I minded.
And so, a massive number of these creatures—which seemed like a mix between a hamster, a guinea pig, and a rabbit—had been commissioned into the military. Surprisingly, my own health began to improve. The Jesters seemed to have regained their energy as well.
Honestly, if our abilities are going to fluctuate this wildly based on the 'vibe' of the place, then our powers are way too unreliable!
While we were enjoying this brief respite, the Ozen fleet appeared once again. We were the fools for giving them so much time to regroup.
Another emergency meeting was called. During the session, I made a bold proposal.
"We’re going to take the Ozen Territory."
A heated debate broke out among my comrades.
"Ozen has likely already been destroyed," I argued.
This theory finally made sense of why the Jester's cold had been so severe. Isono spoke up, his voice uncharacteristically grim.
"They were... likely all wiped out."
"Yeah. And that’s exactly why I intend to take them down."
It wasn't even a matter of resolve anymore. We were still just testing the waters, and we needed reconnaissance. We had to know exactly what had happened over there. There was no running away from this.