97 Prologue

Part 1

3rd Person POV

"Yacchan, when did I get a doctor?" Saya looked puzzled. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

No one said a word, but an awkward mood had descended into the room. More than one tried to reach their hands for Nora, fearing how he would react, nonetheless, Nora smiled without showing any hesitation or confusion.

"My apologies. I had forgotten to introduce myself and just started to do a check-up." Nora had a bright smile on his face. "My name is Shiroko, as you can see from my white cat ears and tails, I got the name from there."

Leaning slightly forward so that Saya could observe them, Nora spoke while using one hand to show off his tails as well.

"You are a nekomata? I had only heard about male nekomatas from books." Saya muttered. "I think you were a bakeneko."

"It is normal to confuse such a thing. I do not mind." Nora was about to straighten his back when-

"They are really soft... the softest..." Saya had reached for Nora's ears and gently petted them.

There was a kind smile on her face, but this caused Nora to look at her with shock. It was then that Saya reacted.

"Ah, I am sorry. I just went ahead and touched your ears... I know better than to try to do that, but for some reason, I had already extended my hand. I wonder why..." Saya put on an apologetic expression as she pulled her hand back. "Yacchan, it was amazing... the softest ears I have touched."

Turning toward Yasaka, Saya had a bright smile.

It was this motion that made her miss the brief change in Nora's expression and how he almost reached for Saya's hand. The youth just closed his eyes and sighed before his expression turned into a bright smile.

"They are my pride." Nora said.

"Might I touch them again!?" Saya enthusiastically asked.

"Haha, maybe." Nora mumbled. "Right now we should focus on your health."

Blinking, Saya then grinned happily.

"I am ok, I might not look like it but-" Saya patted her chest proudly.

"I am a big shot when it comes to medicine." Nora finished the rest of the sentence. "I have heard rumors about you. Now then, I believe you are doing fine. There is a need for a follow-up, but you are as healthy as someone can be."

"Wait." Saya exclaimed. "You... don't look so well. You are looking pale and you... wait, is your body like that because you burned your life force!?"

Intending to stop the youth to question him about the sentence he finished, Saya caught his hand and understood in a second the state of his body.

"Such a reckless thing to do. You need to rest right now." Saya said.

"I am fine. This is nothing to worry about." Nora smiled as he gently loosened the grip on his hand.

Standing up, Nora prepared to leave when-

"Don't tell you are like that because you are one of the people trying to help me?" Saya mumbled in a sad tone. "I am not sure why so many people that I have not seen before went so far for my sake, however, you do not need to-"

Looking at Saya, Nora had a sad smile on his face. The expression caused Saya to forget the rest of her words and was a little mystified about a sudden change in the aura of the youth. Her eyes gazed straight at his and she saw briefly change eye color until his eyes were now blue instead of a somewhat familiar green, but she found herself drawn to something else inside. It was strange, but just looking at what was hidden in his eyes made her heart ache for no reason.

"I am just a stray youkai. You could say I picked a few things from my travels but I am just helping out someone since they had their hands full at the moment." Nora had a 'bright' smile on his face. "As for the other part... I think you misunderstood something. I did not save you. I did not move a single muscle during the operation so YOU have nothing to feel grateful for. You do not need to thank ME for being rescued."

"Yasaka-sama, I will take my leave. There are a couple of patients I have to take care of in the meantime." Nora respectfully bowed to Yasaka before leaving.

His actions left everyone shocked so they failed to stop him. It was only after Yasaka heard the commotion of the girls running after Nora.

Turning toward her friend, Yasaka felt like shouting at her, but it would be insensitive. She lost her memories and cannot even grieve about it since she did not know what she had forgotten. Above all, she had just managed to be rescued and Nora would never forgive her if she acted like that. Since Saya was finally home, the promise would-

"Yacchan. It has gotten quieter." Saya muttered.

"The girls left already so it goes without saying." Yasaka sighed as she held her forehead.

Her daughter Kunou was already after Nora so no matter how much she wanted to go and chase after him, she was going to stay with Saya. She first began talking to her to make sure it was the Saya she knew, but it seemed that she had lost her memories even before meeting Nora's father. The way she called was the same as it was back then and with some back and forth Yasaka confirmed that Saya seemed to believe she was the same as back then.

"Yacchan... I think there is something wrong with me." Saya's voice seemed to be wavering.

Looking at her friend doubtfully, Yasaka wondered if this was a side effect or some sort of sequel from her kidnapped time. Nightingale had personally confirmed over 20 times her initial diagnostic that Saya was the very picture of health.

"When that person, Shiroko, appeared, my body began acting strange." Saya confessed.

Staring at her friend, Yasaka showed a concerned face.

"I saw him put on a strong front, but I can tell that he is suffering. However, I cannot understand why." Saya muttered. "My heart ached and part of me wanted to reach for him, but it would be improper to do that to someone I just met. Yacchan... things are looking different to how I remember them. Has it been a long time since I have been kidnapped? Could it be that I met that person during that time...?"

Throwing question after question, Saya put her right hand on her chest as she felt her heartbeat.

"Yacchan, could it be that we were close to one another?" Saya asked.

"You could say so." Yasaka tried to slowly feed Saya with information regarding Nora. "He is someone important."

"Important...? I see. I guess I was not mistaken." Saya said. "The way my heart began beating once he got close to me. How I felt like my heart was pierced when I saw his sad expression and how my hand did not want to part away from his touch..."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Yasaka felt that there was something weird mixed in the statement.

"Yacchan, were Shiroko and I lovers...?" Saya asked with an innocent and bashful expression.

Taking a deep breath, Yasaka prayed.

"Ameterasu-sama, please... give me patience, because if you give me strength, I will surely beat up this woman." Yasaka stood up...

"Yacchan? Your eyes are kind of scary..." Saya nervously looked at her friend. "It is no good, you know. I called dibs on him. He is a nekomata, a male one at that. You know about my race's problem- AHHHHHH."

"HAHA, LOVERS!? YOU WISH!" Yasaka raised her fist and pounded Saya's head. "Be prepared, I will fix your memory loss in a jiffy."

-----------------------------

MC's POV

Piercing headache and all, I moved past the corridors of this house. Until I found myself in front of my room. I seemed to hear a buzzing, perhaps it was everyone chasing after me, but I could not really make out what they were saying. I could barely hear my own thoughts. It could be the reason why I could not hear Tamamo's voice or perhaps she was just being considerate. Either way, I entered my room. It was a process I was familiar with so I easily placed all my belongings inside my storage space using magic. It was the last place to visit since I already wiped every sign of me in the house.

Just as I was about to leave the room, I was surrounded. Several people stood outside while looking at me with tearful expressions, no doubt, ready to cry at any moment.

"Nora-nya..." Kuroka-chan was the first one to speak.

Nonetheless, she could not follow with any other words. Seeing her face, I 'smiled' wryly.

"Hey, what's wrong? Who made you cry? I will teach that person a lesson." I 'joked' while throwing some light punches in the air. "Oh, wait. I am not Nora anymore, so don't call me that."

I had to stop though since I felt dizzy and everything began to spin, but this was nothing I, a big boy, could not handle so I just acted like always.

"Nora-nii-sama..." Shirone-chan's voice cracked a little.

Sighing, I walked toward the two tearful cats and wiped their tears.

"Who dared to bully my cats? Was it Artoria again who ate your puddings? That rascal, I will have to teach her a lesson later... yeah, later." I muttered.

I felt the scene around me blurry for a second but I blinked to fix it. The process to fix it had to be made using ki. This lessened my headache I began to breathe normally again, something I had not noticed.

"You are Nora-nya, you ARE Nora-nya." Kuroka-chan grasped my hand tightly.

"Silly girl, I have many names remember? Just like I explained to you before when I was teaching you about this topic. Changing names and identities is something useful, so learning how to do it while also forging documents is a skill I will be teaching you all." I 'chuckled'. "It is not a big deal. I can be called Shiroko since my hair is now white, or once I recover, I can be called Kuroko, how about that? Haha, I could also start my own basketball team and aim to the top. I heard that recently even supernatural beings can compete in human sports as long as they wear limiters."

"That is not the point-nya! Why-nya, why did you not say anything-nya!? What happened back there-nya!?" Kuroka-chan raised her voice.

I could 'smile' with my eyes closed.

"Nii-sama, just say the word and we will knock some sense into that woman. She hurt you so she is an enemy." Shirone-chan spoke.

Her words were full of conviction and I caught more than a few nods and some even smacked their fists against their palms.

They sure have a lot of energy.

"Don't be silly. The Onee-san from back there did nothing wrong." I 'chuckled'. "Why would you hit her? I have taught you to harm innocent people, have I not?"

"She is not innocent, she is not an onee-san." Shirone-chan muttered.

"Nii-sama." Kunou-chan's voice reached my ears and turned to her to see what she wanted to say.

I could only see a golden blur, but by using my ability, everything turned clear. I felt like my head was being crushed and my eyes were stabbed by needles, but what was important was that I could see perfectly again. I controlled my expression and did not outwardly show anything.

"What is it, fluff ball? Do you want me to play with you?" I asked.

"...why do you act like everything is ok?" Kunou inquired.

Pausing slightly, I briefly wondered if it was Yasaka who put her to do this, but I have my answer nonetheless.

"Because it is." I replied with a smile.

"...how can you say that?" Kunou's tone dropped.

I had an idea that this child was angry, not only at myself but about this whole situation. Inwardly sighing, I moved my hands away from my cats and pulled Kunou closer, and kneeled until I was at her level.

"Listen. I know that all you have their misgivings about... what you saw before." I spoke for more than one Kunou, but rather everyone. "How many years do you think Saya Shiki has been kidnapped? I am 14 years old now and she disappeared when I was 5. It has been some long 9 years..."

"All this time you have-" Kunou tried to speak.

I put a finger on her mouth to stop her.

"All this time she was all alone. There is no telling what she went through." I bit my lips. "There is a need for a deeper examination, but for now, she is looking healthy. She is finally back to the place she belongs."

"Nii-sama, she might be back but she does not-" Kunou could not say anything else.

Pulling her cheeks, I gently 'smiled'.

"When people go through traumatic experiences, it is normal for them to seal or lock their memories regarding the incident. None of us can tell what kind of experience she went through." I said. "Her body is in good shape but her stamina is capable of recovering from death's door to perfect health rather swiftly. The only thing that matters is that she is finally in a warm place."

A cursory glance and I could tell they had a lot more to say. I was glad they were such nice kids who thought about me, but making such nice kids worry disqualified me as their guardian.

"She is home and safe, that is the important thing." I muttered. "Everything is unimportant."

"There is no way it is OK!" Kunou raised her tone. "She might be fine here, but what about you, Nii-sama? You waited for so long and yet..."

"...I am fine." I mumbled. "Thank you for watching out for me, but there is no need to worry. Kaa-san, no, Saya-san being here is enough to make me happy. You girls can interact with her normally as long as you don't say anything about me... it would make me happy if you all treat her well."

Patting Kunou's head, I smiled before standing up to leave. I felt dizzy and my vision went black for a second as I lost the feeling of my body, but still managed to leave the place without causing anyone to worry. I passed the kitchen and every other room in the house that could have anything related to me and then left the house... or so I wanted but s figure stood in front of the house, drenched in sweat and clearly out of breath. Her body clearly lacked rest. Nightingale-san had great skills, but she still preferred to let the body recover slowly. The wounds were patched perfectly fine, but there should be the discomfort that prevents her from moving normally as well as the exhausted stamina.

"Musashi..." I voiced her name.

Looking at her who had tears in her eyes as she looked at me, I could guess what she wanted to say, however, I moved first. No matter what, I am not human, even in my current state, I can move better than her. I embraced Musashi with gratitude.

"I cannot thank you enough." I said. "This favor, I will surely repay it 100 folds."

I considered many things I could do at this moment. I wanted to spin around with Musashi in my arms and give her a thousand kisses while repeating that she was the cutest. I felt the overflowing gratitude I felt for her clash with the boundaries of the feelings I developed for her so I did nothing. I was not in my best condition nor was Musashi. I considered this hug to be more than enough.

"I know you want to say a lot to me, but you are a mess." I rested my head on her shoulder. "A hero needs... no, a hero deserves a good rest."

Separating my hands from her back, I spread them apart.

"Gather." I muttered.

There was a soft sound like the wind chimes ringing after a gentle breeze passed by, but I pushed aside the curiosity I felt about the sound I had been hearing often. With just my words, ki gathered in my hands. From the grass on the ground, the trees around us... the nearby flowers. They seemed to be willing to offer their ki to me without resistance and I gladly accepted it. I took all the ki I gathered and circulated it around my body as I refined it in the process. I compressed it over and over and passed it to Musashi. The young woman had the freedom to talk, I was not covering her mouth in any way, but she was silently crying.

Smiling wryly at that, I gently rubbed her back and let the ki take her fatigue away. The discomfort she felt was also taken care of and her consciousness slipped away slowly. This time, she wanted to speak but as I pushed her away, I put a finger on her mouth and I formed a word with my lips.

I could see a certain well-endowed maid watching from one side and I gestured to get closer as I handed her Musashi. I smiled at Sirius and patted her head before turning around. There was something I had forgotten and I had to take care of. Kaa-san and I had a garden we both used to care for. It was my next destination.

For some reason, this place that should always have nice weather had gotten a lot darker. Clouds filled to the brim with water had covered the sky before I noticed and small droplets of water were falling scarcely. I extended my open palm forward and felt the cold droplets fall on my skin.

"...it is cold." I bitterly smiled.

It was something obvious, a detail anyone would consider normal if asked, but I still said the words.

Watching with a wry smile how Sirius almost slipped when she tried to carry Musashi even though the ground was not muddy, I moved towards the garden.

...

...

...

There was no evidence left. I made sure of it.

How strange.

At some point, I began walking deeper into the forest near the house. No, I guess I was no longer near the house. It was already the Nth I almost tripped with the root of a tree while rain continued to soak my body.

How strange.

I believe I had decided to go and finish what I started. If the raid to save Saya-san was such a grand project that even Lina-san had to get involved. Such a grand event is surely in need of people. I might not hold a candle to many of the members, but I can at least provide support.

I have a long lifespan so I can still use my life force to heal people badly hurt. Yes, I can still do... it.

How strange.

Even though that is the case, I feel the world around me spinning yet I keep walking nonstop.

How... strange.

Tripping, I fell face-first into a puddle of water. I was honestly surprised and suspected that Sirius' clumsiness had rubbed on me.

Although I amused myself with such a wild idea, I moved my hand to stand up.

Nonetheless, I could not do it.

"Ah ah..." I mumbled. "I guess I hit it."

Gritting my teeth, I managed to turn around and avoid the pathetic death of drowning in a puddle of water.

Doing my ultra best, I dragged my body until I was lying with my back on a tree. I heard an unusual sound coming from my muscles during that, but ignorance was bliss. I could hardly feel my body after all.

I had bad luck or perhaps it was good. The rain continued to fall on me as it seemed to ignore the leaves of the tree, but on a closer look, this tree in particular had none. The others surrounding this one were healthy, but this one seemed different. After my ability refused to respond to me, I was deprived of my sight. I briefly caught a dark aura leaking from my left arm so I was certain the curses and miasma caused the poor tree's state.

"To think I would hit my limit like this..." I smiled wryly.

I gave it another try, but I was unable to stand up.

I tried again, and again, and again. My feet did not respond to me, no matter what.

There were still things to do.

I should prepare breakfast for everyone, or was it lunch? I also need to go around and check my patients in Urakyoto. The people I led in the fairy land were still on standby and Rose was as well. I had to talk over with Morgan and also check on Habetrot. I left Jeanne with a maid outfit over there as well.

So much to do... so little energy.

I am... tired.

"...I can't feel most of my body so why the fuck I can still feel the cold rainwater." I sighed.

Really tired.

There is no one looking, I am alone.

I did my best.

I really did my best.

It should be ok.

There is only me here.

Tamamo left.

The same could be said about my cute little snake and spider.

There is nothing in my shadow either.

Just five minutes... no, even a minute would be ok.

Feeling the warm droplets sliding down my cheeks, I did not say anything else.

---------------------------------------------

3rd Person POV

As Kuroka and the rest left the house, they found heavy rain followed by lightning and thunder outside.

Someone was guarding the forest ahead of them and she seemed to be looking at a small garden beside the house with a sad expression. The girls directed their eyes at the garden and soon noticed the difference. Nora had never allowed anyone other than him to touch anything related to the garden, however, it now looked completely different.

"The flowers..."

A small mutter was spoken and everyone shared the same thought that something happened. The youngest, Kunou immediately widened her eyes as her mind raced and left everyone behind while she went to check a detail inside the house.

"...what happened-nya?" Kuroka was the first to speak to the drenched fox.

Gazing towards Kuroka, Tamamo did not appear to be in the mood for jokes or her usual silly self.

"You can see for yourself." Tamamo directed her eyes toward the garden again.

"I am asking-nya, because I want to know-nya." Kuroka exclaimed.

The older cat seemed ready to fight with whoever got in her way, and Tamamo's attitude rubbed her the wrong way. Noticing this, Shirone acted.

"Nee-sama..." Shirone held Kuroka.

"Everything is back to how it was before." Tamamo stated with an expressionless tone.

"What do you mean-nya?" Kuroka ignored the ominous feeling growing in her heart.

"Are you that foolish that you need me to explain it to you?" Tamamo spat out.

Shrinking slightly at the show of ill will from the usually easy-going and silly Tamamo, Kuroka was not the only one surprised to notice the state of the fox. Along Kuroka and Shirone, there were also Charlotte, Kanna, Yume, and Ayanami, nonetheless, the group let the cats speak since they were not exactly close with Tamamo. The only other person that could offer a comment stayed silent. Artoria kept her eyes not on Tamamo, but rather the forest behind her.

"Children, go home." Tamamo dismissed everyone with a wave of her hand.

"I am not going anywhere-nya, without Nora-nya." Kuroka growled.

"Should I consider this the will of all of you?" Tamamo softly asked.

Nodding, everyone conveyed their will.

"Why?" Tamamo inquired.

Raising her head in a rather haughty manner, Tamamo's actions coincidentally matched the timing when a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree and it gave everyone quite a shock.

"Nora-nya needs us." Kuroka said.

"Cats always stick together..." Shirone followed.

"...I am not a cat but I would like to be at his side." Charlotte muttered.

"Comrades stick together in good and bad times, yes." Ayanami mumbled.

"...he should not be out alone." Kanna added.

Artoria kept her mouth shut with a dissatisfied expression and Yume seemed to hesitate whether to speak or not, Artoria caught onto that and glared at the distance.

"Need 'you'." Tamamo smiled. "A bunch of children who rely on him for almost everything dare to say that... HE needs YOU?"

Scoffing, Tamamo crossed her arms.

"Don't you think you are being too harsh on them?" Grayfia's voice could be heard from nearby.

Behind the group, Grayfia emerged and left the house as she stood in the rain and glared at Tamamo.

"Oh, my. Look who we have here, Miss Disappearance." Tamamo muttered.

"Your anger should not be directed at them." Grayfia spoke in an icy tone. "Try someone your own size for instance."

"Heh..." Tamamo chuckled. "For someone hiding until now, those are some big words."

"I have been observing from the distance since that woman and I never got along." Grayfia added. "I know what happened so-"

"Don't you DARE to finish that sentence." Tamamo warned.

With eyes that could kill, Tamamo gave a terrible pressure just from a look.

Sighing, Grayfia decided to not press further and prepared to walk ahead and past Tamamo, however, Tamamo waved both arms and ofudas appeared on her hands.

"...what are you doing?" Grayfia asked.

"He WANTS to be ALONE." Tamamo muttered.

"And you are supposed to be the one making sure of that?" Grayfia inquired.

"I think I can do a better job at everything he needs... better than you at least." Tamamo sneered.

"Oh my. I didn't know that you were such a jester." Grayfia chuckled. "...would you mind repeating that again?"

"Oh? The great and mighty maid has hearing problems too? How disheartening, how are you supposed to serve your master like that...?" Tamamo pondered aloud. "Aree~ Okashiii~ Why are you here... when HE is not your master?"

Glaring at Tamamo who tilted her head in a silly display, Grayfia was one step away from rushing ahead.

"Why are YOU here then? Isn't he supposed to be YOUR Hubby? Ah, my apologies ma'am. I forgot that you are not married so your status is pretty much a game of make-believe." Grayfia chuckled.

"Ain't you cocky? Brat." Tamamo cracked her knuckles.

"Heh, and what are you supposed to do? Teach me a lesson? I don't know about before you lost your powers, but the you in front of me still has a long way to go." Grayfia said.

"How amusing." Tamamo covered her face with her sleeves as she laughed. "Do you think I would recklessly face you who had hundreds of years of combat drilled into your body and brain? I am a feeble and VERY cute housewife~ I am not about to clash against you, but rather..."

Snapping her fingers, a snake that started as small turned into a beautiful green-haired young woman and she was followed by a mass of darkness and malice that emerged from the nearby shadows, with the last addition being a spider made of dark crystal that grew bigger than Tamamo in a second.

"We are the ultimate wall." Tamamo muttered. "I am not asking for too much, just go home. By tomorrow, the person you all admire and respect will be waiting for you with a warm breakfast."

In all honestly, Grayfia was fearful of every entity before her. Tamamo was an old youkai with a lot of history, while not a combatant, she was witty and had learned dirty tricks from Nora the most. He was the guy who if he was serious, he could troll someone to death. It was a temporary measure against absolute power and would eventually be destroyed, but even Sirzechs would get a weird tick on his eyebrow whenever Nora and pranks were mentioned in the same phrase. The next threat was the shadow-like girl, she was a hard foe to face since her ability to move between shadows was annoying as well as the sheer amount of resentment she could muster to attack. Kiyohime was elementally her opposite and her fire could melt skin easily. The last one was a total mystery, it was a spider Nora got as a familiar and the origins were not that clear to the people who run the familiar ranch. It was a race with unique abilities and one of the most dangerous features was the ability to seal someone in dark crystals. Regardless of the strength of the attacker, if the attack lands properly, you are bound for a second at minimum. She has tested it first hand and it was surprising for both Nora and her at that time.

"That is quite the arrangement you got there." Grayfia spoke.

The most dangerous one is made of fire and will surely harm greatly a devil so even if you go past us, there is nothing to be gained." Tamamo warned.

Briefly, she showed a conflicted expression, but she soon put on a sneer.

"Give it a try." Tamamo pointed behind her with her thumb.

Inwardly sighing, Grayfia caught on to what the fox was trying to do. While their words had most likely been their true thoughts, Tamamo had a reason for doing it.

Giving the girls behind her a glance, Grayfia then looked at Tamamo again. Whatever the case, Tamamo would seriously try to stop anyone from going past her.

"Kitsune, I have a question." Grayfia formed ice daggers in her hands.

"Only one." Tamamo replied as she got ready to fight.

"...are we not supposed to glance at what is beyond there?" Grayfia questioned. "Was it really... his will?"

Glaring at each other, Tamamo and Grayfia did not break eye contact.

"I move with only one thought in mind. It is simple, I act to benefit him." Tamamo muttered. "He is my all."

Sighing, Grayfia threw the ice daggers and they were easily melted by Kiyohime's fire.

"A maid's job is to take care of the obstacles her master will find in his way." Grayfia created more daggers and held ten daggers in each hand. "I will have you know..."

Moving at a speed incomparable to before, Grayfia swiftly aimed at Tamamo, but a mass of darkness got in the way and the daggers were sucked into it. Raising an eyebrow, Grayfia found the way that child had taken her attack rather familiar but the fact that it was an old memory made her wonder why it surfaced until she recalled the enemy she was hunting with Sirzechs. Erasing useless (Sirzechs) thoughts out of her mind, Grayfia raised her chin and took a piece of advice from Nora's book about 'HOW TO ANNOY YOUR ENEMY'.

"Did you know that he will soon get his evil pieces? I had already convinced (forcefully) Sirzechs to have Nora take ME as HIS queen." Grayfia smirked. "I am not the type to point out the obvious but... a big-breasted maid who has a cosplay hobby against a... fox who only dresses as a shrine maiden, who do you think Nora would pay more attention to?"

"...if you wanted to die, you should've said so." Tamamo smiled but there was a huge vein ready to pop off on her forehead.

Praising herself for coming up with the perfect way to trigger Tamamo, Grayfia failed to consider the glares she got from her allies. If looks could kill, she would be a dead maid.

Nodding, Grayfia decided to create her own book about taunting enemies so she could exchange pointers with Nora, although once she considered it deeply, her idea was not bad at all since the old fart Zekram will support her.

"Fufu, please. Only say that when you actually have the ability." Grayfia chuckled.

The fox and the maid perhaps were acting with a reason in mind, simply to draw attention... or perhaps not. The person who would be able to smack them without getting hit back was not here so the duo continued to spout more of their true feelings since there was no need to hold back.

"You are nothing without your maid outfit." Tamamo spat out.

Thankfully, the one who would tackle that sentence the most was not here.

"You think your tails are that great? Guess what... I have cosplayed as a kitsune before." Grayfia smiled evilly.

"You dared!?" Tamamo looked at her in horror.

"Hmmm." Grayfia snorted. "With ears and all..."

"This has just gotten personal." Tamamo pulled out from her bosom two rather unique ofudas. "Asuna, Karin! I choose you!"

Throwing them in front of her, after a flash of light, two bewildered maids were standing in front of Tamamo.

"Wow." Asuna began waving her hands at the familiar faces that came into her view.

Examining her surroundings carefully, Karin confirmed that there were no enemies around her. There was an ominous presence far in the direction that Tamamo was turning her back to, but a minute gesture from the fox made Karin understand that she should ignore it.

"Asuna." Karin called out.

"It is raining like crazy, haha." Asuna noticed that her uniform was drenched rather quickly.

"Asuna." Karin raised her voice.

It was only then that Asuna turned her attention to her co-worker and friend.

"There are a limited number of people who can forcefully summon us." Karin said. "...Tamamo-sama is facing the lady in front of us."

"Tamamocchi? She is fighting her?" Asuna looked confused as her eyes darted from one side to another.

Narrowing her eyes even, she gave Grayfia and Tamamo a look snapping her finger in realization.

"Was it finally discovered that Tamamocchi sabotaged the last three attempts of Fia-chan inviting master for a date?" Asuna muttered.

The sound of the ground being forced to change shape as a slender foot put pressure on it was heard by everyone and all turned to see Grayfia barely containing her anger.

"...thanks to you, she is aware now." Karin sighed.

"Oops." Asuna playfully knocked on her head.

"Oi, Tails." Grayfia politely, it must be said twice, she politely glared at Tamamo with eyes that could twist a bridge made of steel like it was butter. Again, politely since there was a young audience.

This time, Tamamo got a disapproving look from everyone (but secretly got a thumbs up).

"Don't act all innocent when you planned to end that date very late at night and hoped to get a massage from him." Tamamo snorted.

"...I don't see a problem with that." Grayfia wavered.

"Your guilty conscience is already showing." Tamamo scoffed.

As this happened, Asuna was just watching with interest as everything unfolded with a smile on her face but then she noticed something rushing to where she believed her master had left. The vampiric presence made her briefly doubt whether she should chase or not but her instincts told her to let it be so she just ignored it completely.

"What gave you the right to interfere with us hanging out? I have known him since he was just five years old-" Grayfia rightfully tried to argue.

"Please, I see you and I can only picture Usagi Drop." Tamamo snorted.

"*Cough* *cough*" Grayfia could only awkwardly cough.

The young gallery was clueless, except Kuroka who covered her sister's ears.

"You also think I would not happen to know you reserved a high-class hotel penthouse on those occasions and explicitly asked the staff to prepare a lot of things? Like hiding all bath towels of large size, add aromatic candles..." Tamamo continued to raise finger after finger as she listed the the things. "I do have to admit, you were planning to treat my Nora with class so I appreciate that."

Uncharacteristically for her, Tamamo nodded at Grayfia for showing the proper etiquette.

"AARRRRGHHHHH!!!" Grayfia could not bear the look from the young gallery behind her so she rushed forward.

--------------------------------

3rd Person POV

"You sure look pathetic right now."

Observing the figure of Nora, Baobhan Sith had her eyebrows knitted.

"Did you sneak away?" Nora recognized the voice easily.

"I was just curious about your place." Baobhan Sith commented.

"Haha, I showed an embarrassing sight, sorry." Nora chuckled.

"It sure is." Baobhan Sith sighed.

Somehow evading detection, she managed to follow after Nora since she had one thing she needed to know. However, what she found made even her reluctant to stare for long so she only saw him once and then closed her eyes, literally turning a blind eye to everything.

"Do you want some blood?" Nora asked.

Hearing say that when he looked so weak angered slightly the young woman, but she denied it.

"My race is not as desperate for blood to survive as you think." Baobhan Sith mumbled.

"That so?" Nora simply muttered.

"Yeah..." Baobhan Sith said.

An awkward silence descended, and before Nora could try to say something, Baobhan Sith opened her mouth.

"I hate you." Baobhan Sith said.

"I do not doubt that." Nora calmly replied.

"You have been rude since the first moment we met, you interfered with my plans. Mother took a liking to you and would probably listen to you more than me now." Baobhan Sith muttered.

"You must be jesting, my lady. There is no way a lowly cat can influence any of Her Majesty, the Queen of the Fae, Morgan-sama's decisions." Nora denied.

"That part about you is annoying." Baobhan Sith clicked her tongue.

"I get that a lot." Nora honestly responded.

Smiling slightly at that, Baobhan Sith sat beside Nora and used magic to remove the water drenching his body.

"Still, I am grateful for you. It is thanks to you that Mother is still alive. If it had been for my foolish desire for revenge..." Baobhan Sith sighed.

"...you all worked hard, by myself-" Nora mumbled.

"Cut it out." Baobhan Sith spat out. "I can't believe you after seeing how Cernunnos was taken down or how the fairy land was restored... no, even improved."

Not saying anything in response, Nora remained silent. Baobhan Sith sighed at that.

"I also know that you... killed those people." Baobhan Sith said.

"I was just pulling some weeds, nothing worth mentioning." Nora muttered.

"...Mother should know that as well." Baobhan Sith spoke.

"That so?" Nora asked.

"Yes." Baobhan Sith hesitated but still opened her mouth. "Why? You surely had the means to hide it. No, even in other cases, you had the opportunity to make it look better for you? Killing me, the other knights as well, with her fighting force reduced so much, a great debt to repay and platonically charmed by your handsome smile, you could've made whatever you wanted with all the fairies."

"...I wonder. If you look at it purely from the immediate benefit point of view, you would think your idea is not bad. However, there are surely other ways to get more if you are greedy. Don't I have even more thanks to that?" Nora said.

"How many times have you practiced that kind of answer?" Baobhan Sith did not sound amused.

"No comment." Nora uttered.

Snorting, Baobhan Sith planned to stand up and leave since she would not get her answer.

"Serafall asked me to help her, so I did." Nora mumbled. "She is a friendly woman, too friendly for her own good. She truly wants to build healthy relationships between devils and other forces. I am just doing what I can. That way, I know my people will also be happy."

"You mean the rowdy bunch who seem to be having fun fighting while you are here all alone?" Baobhan Sith spoke in an irritated tone.

"Please don't blame them. Tamamo is following my orders." Nora muttered. "They do not need to have their fantasies shattered by seeing the likes of me in this state."

"You care more for your image than your well-being?" Baobhan Sith spoke in disgust.

"I am not particularly attached to my image, but for everyone else... I have to be different. The head of a noble house, protector of Yasaka the ruler of the youkais... so many other titles. I cannot afford to show a weak side." Nora replied.

"...I see." Baobhan Sith stood up.

"Are you going back? I thought you still had a lot to ask." Nora questioned.

"A new visitor will be arriving here soon so I don't think I will be able to stick anymore." Baobhan Sith responded. "...I also heard enough. I should be here trying to escape. If a guy like you is capable of bearing so much weight alone... I don't deserve to escape."

"...hmmm?" Nora seemed confused.

"I have been in your care so much before, consider this my favor to you." Baobhan Sith recalled something and kneeled beside Nora and brought her lips and fans to his neck as she raised him slightly.

The fangs sank deep, but contrary to what Nora expected, his blood was not drained, he felt that he received something instead.

"This is nothing compared to what a fairy of Mother's rank can offer, and most of it will end up being useless given your abnormally resilient body, but... the curse of a vampire is nothing simply." Baobhan Sith licked her lips regretfully but did not drink any more blood as she flew away.

Staying alone and stunned, Nora felt minute changes in his body but did not try to stop them. He tried to put on a warm smile for Baobhan Sith to see, but he was unable to tell if she was able to see it at all.

Unfortunately for the youth, when she saw him trying to do that to make her feel better, Baobhan Sith only felt a pang of sympathy for the youth. She had understood a lot about him by seeing him and chatting with him on this occasion, and she came to understand that very much like her, he was twisted, but the youth was unable to recognize his problem.

Part 2

3rd Person POV

Rubbing her forehead with a sulky expression, Saya glared at Yasaka.

"You have become aggressive. Wait until I get better, when we spare, I will not show mercy." Saya grumbled.

"...sorry, but you spouted nonsense." Yasaka sighed.

"Were you the one who put a barrier around the room?" Saya suddenly asked.

"It is a little noisy outside so I prepared in advance." Yasaka muttered without a change in expression.

"...is it those children who were here a while ago?" Saya inquired.

"You don't need to worry about it, just rest and recover." Yasaka said.

Inwardly sighing, the kitsune wondered what was Tamamo doing. Yasaka had also put a barrier around the house to protect it in case the fight got out of hand, but now instead of a Tamamo wildly going at Grayfia for confessing rather concerning plans. She was not sure that having familiars paying attention outside and relaying what happened was such a good idea. Facing Grayfia in the future will be hard. Even Grayfia was explaining that it was all to make Nora embarrassed. It was a shame, but Yasaka knew that Nora would never act shy in that situation. The youth used to hang out in the red light district pretty often so Grayfia's plan would not work.

"...I can't get that young man out of my head." Saya muttered.

"Huh? Still with the nonsense?" Yasaka raised a fist.

"...Yacchan, I don't recall you having such a short temper..." Saya cowered as she grabbed a pillow to protect herself.

Snorting at that, Yasaka lowered her fist.

"Then? Is it about falling for him again?" Yasaka asked.

Not daring to lower the pillow, Saya cautiously glanced at Yasaka.

"I don't know." Saya confessed. "I feel restless... like I should've gone after him."

Inwardly smiling, Yasaka thought that perhaps Saya would overcome her memory issue faster than she expected.

"...getting his number should be what I outta be doing instead of laying in a bed." Saya spoke in a confident tone.

"I was a fool for thinking you had a brain cell working." Yasaka stole Saya's pillow and began hitting her friend. "Is the first thing you can think as soon as you wake up really just flirting with a hottie- I mean, that young man!?"

"AHA! I knew you thought the same thing! You are bullying me because you have your eyes on him! You dog, I mean, fox!" Saya exclaimed. "For some reason, it pisses me more than I expected..."

A shame game.

Face palming, Yasaka considered knocking out her friend and be done with this.

"Anyways, it is not good. I had my eyes on him first." Saya pointed out.

"No shit." Yasaka quickly covered her mouth before she could finish the sentence. She confessed that it was obvious since she had her eyes on her son when he was born.

"My heart screams that I should go and get the job done." Saya tried to stand up.

With graceful movements, Yasaka put one hand on the tatami mat and used it as the pivot point to sweep her leg and make Saya fall on her back. With the same ease she did that, Yasaka went back to sitting in her previous posture.

"How about no? Haven't you been told to stay resting there? If you are so bored, I could get you a book to read." Yasaka offered.

"...does that include R18+ books?" Saya asked.

Looking at how Yasaka was smiling and had a vein ready to explode on her forehead, Saya grinned.

"Ok, I feel like trying some interesting genders. How about romance between students and teachers?" Saya spoke. "The female teacher uses her body to 'teach' her young student new topics after she had taught him everything she knew... or maybe the forbidden... incest."

Gulping, Saya felt an odd palpitation of her heart at the mention of the last topic. At the same time, her head was smacked by Yasaka.

"...do you want me to call Nightingale?" Yasaka offered.

"No, ma'am, I will behave." Saya sweated coldly.

"...never mind, just rest, it will be night soon." Yasaka sighed.

"...do you want me to cook?" Saya asked.

"Did you forget the time you made a talking pudin?" Yasaka answered with a question.

"I will never forget Pudimaru-kun." Saya had a sad look on her face.

"No, please forget about that monstrosity. It tried to kill us more than once." Yasaka retorted.

"You cannot blame the pudding, the pudding is innocent. Our distorted hearts caused Pudimaru-kun to turn to the dark side." Saya exclaimed.

Face palming, Yasaka did not want to recall the amalgamation of sweet and unknown liquid forming that giant slime that ate the main building of her office. It was only after having Nora that Saya seriously improved her cooking to a passable level by reading a certain cooking book. She went from a disaster-class cook to a slightly clumsy mother in the kitchen danger level.

"It is ok, N... I will prepare something." Yasaka bit her tongue to avoid calling the name.

It would be cruel to call the youth and force him to cook for Saya who could not tell who he was.

"Yacchan..." Saya suddenly spoke in a soft tone.

"What?" Yasaka asked.

"Can I really not see him?" Saya inquired.

"You can try to flirt with anyone else but him." Yasaka was fed up.

"...I just want to pat his head." Saya mumbled.

Pausing briefly, Yasaka had pulled a paper fan to smack her friend, but she stopped in place after hearing what was said.

"Why? He is a stranger to you." Yasaka cautiously asked.

"...when my teacher first found me as I loitered alone at night and scavengered for food in the trash, he came close to a skinny and dirty child like me. I can still remember what he answered when I asked him why was the first thing he did to me was patting my head." Saya had a fond smile on her face.

"Forest Wraith was always someone with a unique thought process and did things on a whim, it would not be odd to hear him say he did it because he thought you were cute." Yasaka snorted.

"Haha, he did call me cutie later, but at that time, before he even fed me or made me take a bath, he patted my head." Saya smiled. "Because, I had done a great job at surviving until I could meet him. It was because I met him that my life changed. I stopped being the child hated by everyone because I would steal food every now and then. I was no longer being thrown rocks so I would leave because I was smelly and had flies following me around."

Sighing, Yasaka could recall the beginnings of Saya. Back then, her friend did not even have a name and it was her teacher that named her.

"...why do you think he needs you to pat his head?" Yasaka asked.

"Because he has done a great job until now." Saya answered without a second thought but soon tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "...why did I answer like that? Although I think I am right."

Indeed, he has been doing his best until now, but... Yasaka could not finish her train of thought because she realized a detail and an issue. Since Saya went missing, she could not recall a day Nora fully committed himself to rest. He had done his best on many occasions, more than she could count, but he never received the proper rest he deserved.

"Once we see him again, we will both pat his head, is that ok?" Yasaka asked with a gentle smile.

Perhaps he would be happy if they had some quality time alone.

"...I was hoping for some time alone with him." Saya sighed like it could not be helped.

What was it? The anger Yasaka felt had no target. She was not sure if she should be angry at her friend for having her mind in the gutter or if she should be angry at herself for being a simpleton like her friend.

--------------------------------------

3rd Person POV

"...as expected, this place is deserted."

A figure covered with a hood muttered in a raspy voice as he looked at the abandoned shrine.

"It is obvious though, given that is a secret escape route only known to a selected few."

Entering the shrine made the figure suffer some damage as the sacred grounds caused harm to evil visitors.

"It is a great thing I always kept this with me."

Speaking in a ridiculing tone, the man pulled a handcrafted token that was damaged in several places but it was still in one piece. There seemed to have been engraved with a name, but time had done its job by fading the engraving.

"Facing one of the strongest men alive surely took a toll on me."

As the man stepped forward, a trail of blood followed him, nonetheless, the lack of people made it so there was not a ruckus, and the shrine remained in silence.

"You still seem quite lively to me."

A voice called out the figure, and soon enough, Ei emerged from behind the shrine.

"...who are you?"

The man glared at the young woman, but despite his scary appearance, Ei remained with a bored expression.

"I take my job of protecting Urakyoto in his stead very seriously so I have been looking for secret entrances such as this for a while." Ei commented. "That said, I could not have guessed I would actually find someone when I woke up today."

Taking a look around, Ei failed to find any other presence.

"Your job...? There should not be anyone other than the tengus and kitsunes protecting Urakyoto, however, your race... you are not human but I cannot tell what you are."

"This is just a waste of time. Why would I bother answering you? Please leave or pull out your weapon, there is no way you can step in peacefully." Ei coldly said.

"...you are just a brat."

Following the 'advise', the man extended his right hand forward and from his shadow, a revolver with a long barrel emerged. Once he grabbed it, the sound of chains could be heard softly in the distance.

"It seems you are not a simple thug." Ei seriously said.

Holding her hand over her chest, a flash of lightning was seen and a katana emerged.

As this happened, the man did not wait for it to play out and instead shot Ei. The young woman widened her eyes when there was no sound and she had clearly seen the man pull the trigger so she felt that there was a trick at work. Her body discharged arcs of lighting and she used it for a little a certain young man had been adamant in her trying.

The lighting or rather, the electricity was used as a means to manipulate magnetism and make use of metal in her surroundings. In this case, the particles of metal bidding in the earth of the shrine proved to be great life-saving tools when the shield she hastily formed deflected a bullet heading straight to her skull. The sound of the bullet arrived a second later and Ei gritted her teeth.

"...where did you learn that from?"

The man asked in an uncertain tone.

"A certain cat once made a bet with me. If I came to use this particular skill to get out of pinch, I would offer him my thighs for a lap pillow." Ei sweated coldly.

With katana in hand, she did not reduce the electricity she was discharging. Similar to a cloud of dust, the metal sand surrounded Ei. She grimly glared at her enemy who seemed to be carrying more power than what he just showed but still was hurt greatly in a fight before... The same man only used one attack to almost kill her.

"...typical."

The man seemed to accept the statement without doubting it. He raised his gun again and just like before, he shot. Ei was waiting for it but it was still more powerful than she imagined, swinging her katana to hit the bullet proved different than what she expected. First, her instincts were the ones that reacted rather than Ei being able to see the bullet. Her arm moved by reflex and she hit the bullet, nonetheless, her arm still received the blunt force behind the act and she felt like dropping her weapon. She could hardly believe that a gun, a weapon created by humans could be this powerful. It had been long enough since she was not afraid of bullets of small weapons such as guns or assault rifles. It was only after using artillery ammo and sniper riffles with anti-tank ammo that she could suffer damage.

"You don't belong to Urakyoto, begone. It is not worth to die for a stupid promise."

Displaying some mercy, the man spared a few words. It seemed like he felt inclined to avoid another fight when his wound began bleeding even harder.

"Urakyoto is my home." Ei muttered. "...the Shiki residence is where my sister and I belong to."

"Shiki residence...?"

"You know of this secret entrance, but you know nothing of the Shiki residence? I thought you were a previous resident of Urakyoto, but it seems there is more to you than I thought." Ei commented. "Regardless, you shall not take a step inside."

Despite her bold proclamation, Ei was not sure she would be taking the man down. If things went south, she would have to use her trump card to settle the fight, but her sister and Nora had forbidden her to use it since Ei was bound to lose control and start destroying everything.

"I see."

The man sounded honestly regretful.

The chains hanging on his chest slowly came undone and they fell to the ground as they seemed to have a life of their own and they flew towards Ei.

Feeling the danger the ominous chains gave, Ei evaded by taking some distance and using the sand to get in the way by forming a wall. The chains easily went past the wall by going through it without being affected or slowed down.

"I would avoid those if I were you, once they have caught you, it will be game over."

Warning as such, the man raised his gun and shot Ei.

Part 3

3rd Person POV

"Here you are." Artoria sighed.

Carrying a potato bag that literally said, potato bag in one side of it, Artoria did not look suspicious at all when the bag moved on its own.

Barely reacting, Nora just lay there on the ground.

The rain still kept pouring non-stop and everyone was drenched.

"You look awful." Artoria put the bag down as she sat beside Nora.

Looking at his right arm, Artoria seemed to have a lot to say, but she simply began to shake Nora since she had not gotten a reaction.

"...another visitor." Nora slowly said. "This rude way of shaking without an ounce of care... Artoria, I did not expect YOU to come here."

It was not wrong to say that she understood why he said that, she was truly the type to be lacking in delicacy, however, inwardly acknowledging and accepting that others call you that were two different things.

"Oi, punk, if you wanna fight, just say so." Artoria asked.

"So it was indeed you." Nora muttered.

"...that is it? No smart-ass comment? No retort?" Artoria questioned.

"Sorry, give me a few seconds before I go a prepare you something to eat." Nora grimaced as he tried to stand up.

Observing him, Artoria did not even try to stop him since she knew that he would be unable to stand up. When she came here, Artoria expected him to be depressed so she would just give him a trashing so he could stand up and act like nothing happened.

"Why are you trying to stand up?" Artoria asked.

"...why? Not only you, I think everyone will be hungry by now." Nora answered.

Sighing, Artoria felt complicated.

"What do you hope to accomplish in that state?" Artoria questioned.

"I am someone who can do it if he tries hard enough." Nora said. "Just give me a few seconds, no, a few minutes and I can..."

The more he spoke, the more Artoria felt a sinking feeling inside her.

"Nora... I apologize for making this assumption since it could be a mistake." Artoria gritted her teeth. "Could it be... that you are actually tired?"

"What do you mean? I don't get tired..." Nora replied.

"You know, I prided myself in being someone who could put you back on your feet. Tamamo would rather turn you into a no-good man, the same could be said about Raikou. The other girls would just depend on you for almost everything so you would turn into a machine who does nothing but what they ask you to." Artoria sighed. "No matter who, they would surely take advantage of you by trying to fulfill their desires while I would be looking out for you... such a nonsensical thought courses through my head. Nonetheless, I was completely wrong."

Using a hand to cover Nora's mouth, Artoria glared at the youth who wanted to refute her words.

"I am the same as those idiots." Artoria confessed. "Whenever I saw you, I could only see the annoyingly cool guy who saved my sister and me, gave us a place to be, and showed us that our future does not lie in being always in the run."

Ignoring Nora who began licking her hand to make her remove it, Artoria gave a karate chop to the bag that was wriggling and made it stay in place.

"I think... I might be worse than everyone else." Artoria muttered. "I did not only put my trust in you, I also put shackles on your persona. Nora, the guy who is trusted by Artoria is not someone who gives up so easily, he is the guy who can laugh off in the face of despair and be as fresh as a cucumber. My mind must be rotten, throwing all that on you."

Clicking her tongue, Artoria resisted the urge to hit the guy for leaving her hand full of saliva.

"Urgh, you always have to be such an annoying guy." Artoria pulled her hand away and shook it to get rid of the saliva.

"Artoria. I never considered your trust in me a burden." Nora said. "I will do my best to live up to the standard..."

"I hate that about you." Artoria gritted her teeth.

"Haha." Nora laughed it off.

"...can't you be honest with me? I was serious with what I said. I feel bad. I ended up adding to the burdens you have to carry. Burdens you carry alone." Artoria sighed.

"...I cannot do that. Nora is supposed to be strong. People can rely on Nora." Nora muttered. "I have to be strong."

"That is the ISSUE! YOU STUPID CAT! IT IS OK TO BE WEAK! STOP TRYING TO ACT TOUGH!" Artoria raised her voice. "Look at you! Even an amateur in medicine can tell how messed up you are. The fact that you are lying here and look like you could die at any moment is proof of that."

Biting his lips, Nora could not refute Artoria.

"...I am ok." Nora said.

"You are NOT!" Artoria yelled.

"This is nothing." Nora mumbled.

"There is no way that is true, you dumbass. You can't even stand." Artoria retorted.

"...if I try, I am sure..." Nora spoke.

"Enough." Artoria gritted her teeth.

"...please." Nora muttered in a weak tone. "I can still..."

"You can't." Artoria refuted.

"...I can, I... can still do it. Please, don't take this away from me." Nora's tone wavered. "...this is all I have left."

Feeling how Artoria had pulled him by his collar, Nora prepared himself to be hit by Artoria's violent outburst. However, he was confused when his face was rested on a soft and warm chest.

"Don't say that." Artoria spoke in a soft tone.

"...I have to, I need to. I must stand up, focus on the tasks I need to finish..." Nora muttered after recovering from his shock.

"You don't have to." Artoria softly said.

"The girls must be hungry, I have to go and make something tasty to eat..." Nora mumbled.

"They can afford to eat later. It does not have to be now. Alkaid will prepare their meals." Artoria whispered.

"The fairy land needs to be dealt with..." Nora retorted.

Sighing, Artoria began to awkwardly stroke Nora's hair. Her movements were like those of a machine that needed oil, but she was able to provide the minimum care.

"Isn't it fine to leave it to Rossweisse? Serafall is also there..." Artoria said.

"...I caused a mess so I must do a cleanup." Nora spoke.

"You always cause a mess, and you always clean up. However, you also clean up other people's mess so it should be ok if you let someone else clean up your mess." Artoria muttered.

"...Artoria, I have to stand up." Nora mumbled.

"Why?" Artoria asked.

"I can stay still..." Nora replied.

"Someone else can take care of it..." Artoria whispered.

"...I." Nora opened his mouth.

"...Even if you do not do all that, no one will blame you." Artoria added. "No one is going to get mad at you for taking a rest."

Sighing, Artoria did not need to see his face to know that her words were not reaching Nora.

"Saya." Artoria named the woman she met today.

The effect was immediate, Nora who seemed like he could not react to anything trembled and his body almost stood up, but he was unable to do so.

"It should be quite obvious, but your state is partially because of that woman." Artoria said. "I cannot say I understand how you feel since I do not have anything I can call a parent."

Already more familiar with the movements, Artoria was able to gently stroke Nora's hair. The rain was not something she cared about so she let it fall freely on her.

"So do not expect some kind of consolation phrase from me." Artoria stated. "I can only say you are being an idiot."

"...I would rather if you did not comment on my choices." Nora complained.

"Hah! Or what? You are going to get revenge? You can't do jack." Artoria sneered. "What if you can take revenge later? That is for the future me to deal with."

"...who is the idiot now?" Nora sighed.

"Shut it." Artoria grumbled. "This is about you, not about me."

Upon the lack of response, Artoria sighed.

"Why did you erase all traces of you from that house?" Artoria asked. "I know a little about traumatic experiences so I can understand if you do not want her to be exposed to excessive new information for fear of overwhelming her."

"...do you know why she went missing?" Nora suddenly asked.

"She fought her pupil who betrayed Urakyoto." Artoria replied, "I have overheard people talking about it."

"...why do you think she risked herself?" Nora inquired.

"...you cannot blame yourself for that." Artoria responded.

"Heh." Nora smirked. "If I had been strong, I could've followed her. I could've summoned Grayfia-san to assist Kaa-san or even worked as a meat shield to protect her, but I did nothing of that sort."

"You were a child..." Artoria retorted.

"...I was just useless baggage. I was just dead weight." Nora muttered. "Kaa-san went through a terrible enough experience that she forgot the origin of all her troubles."

"You cannot be sure of that." Artoria raised her tone. "Nora, you-"

"You don't know if that is true either." Nora rebuked. "I also failed to play a role in her rescue. It is no wonder she does not remember, a child like me who only caused her grievances and never was there for her."

Finding it hard to convince Nora otherwise, Artoria gave up. The young man with his face lying on her chest was stubborn enough to convince Yasaka to create a festival to celebrate maids despite Yasaka being against it at the beginning.

"Nora. You cannot deny any of what happened." Artoria muttered. "Otherwise, you would be denying all the people you saved."

"...I know that." Nora said. "But... it is not fair..."

"Indeed, it is not." Artoria could only agree with the youth. "But that does not mean you have to give up on your name."

"Nora was the name given by her. It means Stray... a stray cat. Kind of a bad joke." Nora mumbled.

"Why leave Tamamo behind and stay here all alone...?" Artoria suddenly asked.

"I wonder, I honestly did not expect to fall here so I sent her away along with the others to stop anyone from finding me like this." Nora bitterly said.

"I found you." Artoria retorted.

"You were allowed to pass." Nora corrected her. "Rin-chan alone can stop you."

"...you don't seem to be bragging." Artoria mumbled.

Looking up, Artoria did not see an end in the rain.

"You did not say anything to Tamamo regarding Saya?" Artoria asked.

"I can't say anything to Tamamo, if I do. She will surely kill Saya." Nora bitterly replied.

"Even if means getting hated?" Artoria raised an eyebrow.

"For her, it is not a matter of thinking it through. She will surely rip apart any enemy that makes me miserable." Nora spoke. "...the person who caused me the biggest pain is Kaa-san, so Tamamo will surely not forgive her."

"You are loved." Artoria said.

"I don't deserve it." Nora wryly responded.

"I am sure your mother, the woman who loved you enough to go into a losing battle for your sake, is still somewhere inside the woman you met today." Artoria added.

"...isn't it ok?" Nora questioned.

Finding odd his comment, Artoria could not help but ask.

"What is it?" Artoria questioned.

"...does she really need to remember me?" Nora weakly said. "Isn't she better without her memories...?

Gritting her teeth, Artoria raised Nora by his collar and leveled him to match his eyes with hers.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Artoria asked. "Be really careful with what you say to me..."

"...she doesn't need to remember 'Nora Shiki' to be happy." Nora had a hopeless smile on his face.

Artoria had all the intentions to hit Nora for his comment, she was angry beyond anything she had been before... yet, she could not hit Nora. She was unable to do so. Just one look at the tears running down his face and Artoria felt pain in her chest.

"Moron, why do you say things like that if you are going to put that kind of face..." Artoria gritted her teeth.

"...I am tired." Nora honestly said. "I... just can't. Not anymore."

"...that is ok." Artoria muttered. "It is ok to be tired..."

"No, it is NOT! I AM NOT SUPPOSED TO GET TIRED!" Nora complained.

"Everyone deserves to take a rest when they hit their limits." Artoria spoke. "...you hit your limits long ago, but no one has bothered checking on you."

"...no, if I can recover a bit, I can still go on..." Nora mumbled. "Take me to 'THAT' place... if I can reach that place, I can recover all my energy."

"...Kasen warned you to stay away from there, I can see why she was adamant about keeping you away from such a place." Artoria sighed. "No, you will not go there right now."

"...I will drag my body if I have to." Nora stubbornly insisted.

"You can be a pain in the ass, a royal one..." Artoria shook her head. "Can you even escape from me?"

Artoria pulled Nora to her bosom again. There was no need to hold him tight, the youth did not have the strength to resist.

"You should be thankful it was me who came to your aid if Raikou found a helpless Nora all alone..." Astoria grinned. "I believed she would've done unspeakable things to you by now."

Trembling as he heard that, Nora seemed to be imagining his fate. Artoria smiled at his scared expression.

"Nora, I don't have the answer to your problems." Artoria said. "I am not the smartest cookie living together with you, but our home houses many smart individuals. If one head is not good, two should do the trick. You can talk over your problems, you are not alone."

Artoria gently stroked his hair and whispered in his ear.

"It doesn't matter if you are called Nora or Shiroko, none of us like you because of your name. We decided to stay at your side because no matter what, we want to be close to you." Artoria said. "It is ok to relax once in a while. We will surely continue the race in your stead."

Word after word left her mouth and she only understood how embarrassing was all that her brain kept pushing her to say once the words left her mouth, but Artoria did not feel like stopping. However, her words came to a halt once she noticed the soft breathing of Nora. Sighing in relief, Artoria used a hand to open the sack of potatoes and a purple head popped out.

"I can finally breathe~" Yume spoke.

"I believe you have a lot to ask, but what you have to do... you know, right?" Artoria asked.

Nodding, Yume jumped, her body still inside the sack of potatoes, and reached Nora. Slowly, she touched his forehead with hers. Immediately, Nora who seemed to be sweating coldly and beginning to grumble in his sleep calmed down. Instead, Yume bit her lips and closed one of her eyes from the pain.

"Is it hard...?" Artoria helped the young girl to leave the sack of potatoes.

"...the curse in his body pollutes his mind every time he tries to sleep." Yume said. "He does not sleep to avoid being corrupted."

"...if someone with a mental fortitude of his level prefers to stay awake, I don't think it can be your regular curse." Artoria sighed. "How about you? Do you think you can hold?"

"I have to." Yume replied.

Her words earned her some respect from Artoria. The blonde one could tell it was not an easy task from the way Yume was behaving, and Nora most likely hardly asked for her help because of the negative effect it could have on the young girl. Nonetheless, the fact that Yume made such an effort for the youth only helped to confirm a detail.

"You fell for him pretty hard huh." Artoria commented.

"Fueeeehhh!" Yume widened her eyes in surprise.

"Ah, don't worry." Artoria said in a reassuring tone. "I am slow in this kind of thing so I am sure everyone else already knows."

"That does not make me feel any better!" Yume retorted.

Shrugging her shoulders, Artoria slowly shifted her body and carefully moved Nora until his head was resting on Yume's lap.

"Here, your reward." Artoria said.

Standing up, Artoria began to stretch.

"Please don't change the subject." Yume cried out.

"Oh, You don't want him to rest his head on your lap then?" Artoria gave the girl a side-long glance and moved her hand to pull Nora away.

"I didn't say that!" Yume hugged Nora's head defensively.

Smirking at that, Artoria did not bother the girl anymore.

"Just let me know when moving him won't cause him to wake up." Artoria said. "Oh, you must not forget to keep everything that was said here a secret from everyone else."

"Hmmm?" Yume had a question sign floating above her head.

"...he is Nora Shiki, he is the man who became the hero to countless people. The number of youkais, devils, valkyries, and humans that look up to him are not small." Artoria explained. "He does not want others to see him like this."

"I thought you did not want anyone else to hear that you said you liked him..." Yume raised a valid point.

"Is it because you hang out with him a lot? The questions you ask lack delicacy." Artoria grumbled.

"As the scout for the Shirone Corps, my job is to acquire all kinds of information. We are making a book about women who are targeting the cat in my lap." Yume confessed.

"...I bet your names were the very first thing you wrote." Artoria sighed.

"No comment." Yume looked away.

Scratching her head, Artoria was not sure what to retort to first.

"I don't know." Artoria honestly said.

"You don't...?" Yume tilted her head. "Tsundere?"

"I will hit you if you ever use that term to describe me." Artoria sighed. "I just don't know. I admire him and respect him. Part of me even had a blind trust for him thinking that nothing will break him."

"...he is not weak." Yume rebuked.

"I know that for sure." Artoria shook her head. "However, I just one-sidedly decided that he was someone who could never act like a weakling. I was ready to beat the lights out of him so he could go back to being the man who fearlessly charged towards a deity and took care of it alone."

"Our database has nothing like that..." Yume muttered

"It happened in the land of fairies, along with the queen trying to smooch him to death. Ignore that, it is not important." Artoria muttered.

"I think you just said something extremely important though!?" Yume exclaimed.

Rolling her eyes, Artoria decided not to tell her about the time they were with the Greek pantheon and more than one woman wanted to strip and eat the cat, despite being surrounded by people.

"He is not a super cat... well, maybe he is. I doubt there will ever exist another cat like him. If it happens, this planet can kiss goodbye to remaining in one piece." Artoria spoke. "...he is also like the rest of us. He gets tired. He has a limit. He is not able to work 24/7 for the whole year... he needs to rest."

"...last time he slept was a year and a couple of months." Yume smiled.

"This guy is a monster." Artoria facepalmed. "No wonder this mother fucker could barely move. It is not a matter of simply resting. This guy is wrong in the head! Why did you not beat the lights out of him and put him to sleep?"

"...how am I supposed to do that? Do I have to remind you he once caught THAT prisoner that escaped all by himself?" Yume helplessly said.

"...let's work together to beat the lights out of him so he could go to sleep often." Artoria offered.

"...can't we just ask him nicely? If we offer to wear a maid outfit, he could hear our request and consider them." Yume spoke.

"...too much trouble. I can use Excalibur on him until he is dead, I mean, unconscious." Artoria mumbled.

Not tackling what she just heard, Yume decided to look for a gentle way to convince the cat to sleep... even if she had to seduce him by wearing that mini skirt maid outfit with that garter belt and outrageous panties.

"...why are you blushing?" Artoria looked at Yume weirdly.

"...no comment." Yume said.

"...pervert." Artoria shook her head.

The blonde already knew that look and many of the started women around the youth would make that kind of expression. Some even would act upon their imagination... and Artoria had to take off her hat at their lack of shame.

Ignoring the embarrassed Yume, Artoria picked Nora to Yume's disappointment. She hoped the youth could rest because Yume was beginning to turn pale. It seemed like the youth avoided asking Yume for help because it was difficult for her and not much time had passed.

"No one else must know what happened, not even Shirone." Artoria extended a hand toward Yume.

"...you are asking for something impossible." Yume smiled bitterly.

Sighing, Artoria used one of her trump cards.

"I can get you a hug pillow of Nora." Artoria offered.

As soon as those words were said, Yume had already grasped Artoria's hand.

"Deal." Yume smiled brightly.

Inwardly, Artoria harbored a small doubt. Whether trusting the girl in front of her was a good idea or not. Nonetheless, there was no choice. She was a member of the Shiki household so she was someone of trust.

...

...

...

Carrying Nora seemed to be some sort of quest item since once she left the woods, whatever was happening was stopped. Artoria was honestly curious how Tamamo also ended up on the ground in seiza along with Grayfia as they both held a sign that said, 'I won't try to seduce Nora-nya'. It was obvious who wrote them and that only raised more questions. It was already weird that Kuroka had a pair of sunglasses as she 'coldly' glared at the repenting (lol) duo. The fact that Shirone at her side carried a list full of the crimes both committed made Artoria fearful since she saw her name on one of the pages.

Instead of following with their play, everyone tactfully stayed quiet and made a way for Artoria who carried Nora. Grayfia offered to carry him as she used magic to remove the rainwater, but despite being a way for Artoria to go and rest, but the blonde was not having that so she refused. Artoria herself was not sure why she said that, but she decided to not think deeply about it.

In that manner, Nora was taken to his room and there was tactful agreement to change his clothes without raising a ruckus and letting him sleep alone. During the whole ordeal, no sound was heard. Proof that everyone understood Nora's condition.

They just let him rest.

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3rd Person POV

"It is truly a shame, a few years and your abilities would've blossomed nicely..."

Lowering a shotgun, the man looked down on Ei who had received a direct hit and was bleeding all over. She was unable to move and a black chain was coiled around her.

"...shut up." Ei swallowed the blood that was going to leave her mouth.

Laying on the ground, Ei was immobilized and could not stand up even if her body allowed it. The person in front of her was a monster in human form.

"...what do you want?" Ei asked.

"I only have one objective."

The man spoke.

"I will kill Saya Shiki no matter what, and no one will stop me. That woman must perish... for the future."

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Author Notes

Hello! Sick Author here again. Lately, I spent more time sick than healthy, I spent a whole week out of business and had to assist work while wishing I was dead. Some days I was not even able to leave my bed... and now I am still sick. A freaking cough that comes in fits that leave me out of air...

Yeah, I am not very healthy.

Nonetheless, I managed to write a chapter. I apologize for making it so short.

This volume will be very meaningful for the story, hope you like it.

If you have questions, leave them below.

For those who forgot, Saya looks like Hasegawa Chisato.