Wheepped into the chamber, Kaede's eyes immediately fell on Pito, who stood at attention, her diminutive frame radiating pride. After seeing at least five Antari and their massive frame, Pito's smaller frame was a new look for Kaede.

  o her loomed the "signifit" addition, a massive spider, its hulking form dominating the room. Its multiple legs twitched slightly, the faint shimmer of silk visible at the tips. Its carapace gleamed in the light, and its eight eyes reflected an uling intelligehe room was unnervingly quiet, save for the occasional soft hiss of the creature’s mandibles.

  Kaede stopped mid-step, her brows lifting slightly. "Well, that’s... impressive."

  Pito beamed, her voice high and fident. "Master, I present to you the Weaver’s Titan! This one is perfect for spinning webs strong enough for any purpose. And it's well-behaved," she added, gng at the spider as if daring it to prove her wrong.

  Kaede tilted her head, studying the spider carefully. It was clearly a monster, but not aggressive, at least not at the moment. Its massive size and specialized nature made it ideal for the weaving project, though she couldn’t help but wonder how much effort it would take to manage a creature like this.

  Acer, standing beside her, tilted her head curiously. (It’s huge, Mother. Do you think it’s friendly?)

  Kaede smirked faintly. (Friendly isn’t the word I’d use, but it doesn’t seem hostile. That’s a good start.)

  Stepping closer, Kaede addressed Pito. "You’ve done well. This will make things much easier for the silk produ. Did you enter any issues during the capture?"

  Pito’s chest puffed up with pride. "Not at all, Master! It put up a bit of a fight, but nothing I couldn't handle." Her upper arms shot up, her hands spinning two familiar ons. "A few bsts of these babies, and it accepted its new role."

  Kaede bli the two psma guns Pito was twirling on her fingers. "I pletely fot I gave those to Kirara. You seem to be handling them well."

  Pito paused, her pound eyes frozen as if caught in a crime. She immediately bowed multiple times in quick succession. "My apologies master the human was unscious and I just wao try out the on and then I got carried away and fot to return it and I'm going to return it right away."

  Kaede ughed. "It's alright Pito. The guns were just in case Kirara found herself in a bad situation. You keep them."

  Pithtened instantly. "Truly?!" Her pound eyes shone as she bounced in pce. "Oh thank you master. Oh my babies!"

  Kaede houghtfully, her gaze drifting back to the spider. "Good. You're in charge of the spider. I’ll need you to monitor it closely for now. Move it to the Kyusha mountains. Make sure it’s kept well-fed and in a trolled enviro. We ’t afford any acts."

  "Uood, Master," Pito said, her voice brimming with fidence.

  Kaede stepped even closer to the spider. The creature’s eyes tracked her movements, but it remaiill. She studied it for a moment longer before turning to Ari.

  "Set up a secure enclosure for it he weaving station. We’ll begiing its silk in a few days," Kaede instructed. "Also, add a note for me to design a weaving station." She turned back to the smaller Antari. "And Pito, excellent work."

  Pito bowed deeply, her antewitg with excitement. "Thank you, Master!"

  As Pito scurried off to make the necessary arras, Kaede turo Ari. "There's so much work to be done. Get some rest, tomorrow will be a busy day."

  Ari nodded. "Of course, Mother."

  Kaede’s gaze shifted to the spider o time before she turoward the exit, Acer following closely at her side. (Hey mom, why didn't you name her?)

  Kaede paused mid-step at Acer's question, her mind briefly snagging ohought. (Name her?)

  Aodded, her leafy hair swaying softly. (The spider. You usually name important things. She’s part of our pns nht?)

  Kaede’s lips twitched into a faint smile. (You’re right, I suppose it deserves one. But I... We only s webs right? I'm not sure how, aware it was... I don't know, I'll probably at some point. That would make her part of the family. For now though, it's just a monster en to the moment.)

  (You'll probably name her anyway,) Acer added pyfully.

  Kaede ughed softly, shaking her head. (True.)

  ////

  And so, the day arrived. The queeurned, making quite arance, as Ari had predicted, their arrival as fshy as it was impressive. Kaede decided to learn shadow movement immediately.

  With them came the final tally of their ies' numbers.

  Hachi’s inal y sisted of 1,420 leafcutter ants, all awaiting names.

  Crimara’s y was slightly rger, boasting 2,004 fire ants under her and.

  Aurina’s y, however, dwarfed the others, with an impressive 11,230 army ants at her disposal.

  Altogether, there were 14,624 ants that Kaede o name. With Ari a few suggestions, it was decided to split the naming process over six days, with Kaede naming just over 2,000 ants each day. While Kaede argued that she could handle naming more in a day, the queens and Ari immediately vetoed the idea.

  While Kaede focused on naming one group of ants, the rest tinued w oablishing their new home in the Kyusha Mountains. To assist with coordination, Kaede created multiple proje devices and distributed them among the queens.

  The first day of naming began early, with Kaede seated fortably in the rgest chamber of the Antari’s growing y. The queens fnked her oher side, their antewitg in anticipation as the first group of ants filed in, orderly and silent. Ari hovered nearby, ready to assist.

  Kaede took a deep breath, tapping lightly on her p. "Alright, let's make this effit. Hachi, bring them forward in smaller groups. I’ll hem in batches, and Ari record the names."

  Haodded, her regal demeanor softening slightly as she gestured for the first group to step forward. Eat stood tall, their movements a perfect sync. Kaede smiled faintly at their discipline.

  "Okay," she begaone warm but firm, "let’s start simple. Group one, your names will folloattern: Amon, Aria, Aya…"

  As Kaede tihe process quickly fell into a rhythm. Ari diligently noted eaame, while the newly named Antari filed out, shifting in what Kaede interpreted as excitement.

  By mid-m, Kaede paused, stretg her arms above her head. "This isn’t as bad as I thought," she admitted, sipping from a cup of tea Ari had brought.

  Acer, perched on a nearby ledge, giggled. (Told you naming them would be fun. Look at their faces when you call their names, it's like they're glowing!)

  Kaede chuckled. (That's because they're evolving Acer, but I’m gd they’re happy.)

  The rest of the day followed much the same pattern, with Kaede naming group after group until she reached her daily limit. As the st batch of names was called, she leaned back, exhaling a satisfied sigh.

  "That’s it for today," she announced. "Hachi, Crimara, Aurina, great work anizing them. Same time tomorrow."

  The queens bowed in unison, their voices overpping. "Thank you, Master. We will ehey are ready."

  ////

  Meanwhile, in the Kyusha Mountains, progress on the new y was steady. Pito, overseeing the spider’s enclosure, worked tirelessly to ehe Weaver’s Titan remained secure and fortable. She had already tested small amounts of its silk, marveling at the strength and flexibility of the threads.

  "It’s perfect," Pito murmured, watg the spider spin arand. Her antewitched as she turo one of her newly named assistants. "Double the feeding schedule. If it’s happy, it’ll produce more silk."

  The assistant nodded, scurrying off to carry out her orders.

  By nightfall, the queens and their ies had returo their temporary quarters, and Kaede sat quietly in her private chamber, reviewing pns for the weaving station. Ari approached, her steps light.

  "Mother," she said softly, "will you be able to hahis pace for the five days? You already look tired."

  Kaede gnced up, a small smile pying on her lips. "Don’t worry about me, Ari. I’ve handled worse. My passive regeion makes this a whole lot easier. Besides, this is important. The sooner we finish naming, the sooner we focus on the bigger picture."

  Ari nodded but didn’t look entirely vinced. "If you need rest, please don’t push yourself too hard."

  Kaede reached out, gently ruffling Ari’s antenna. "Thanks, but I’ve got this. Now, go rest, you’ve been just as busy as me."