After a night of solo explanations and self-reflection, life finally settled back into a calm, ordinary day.
Well, sort of.
Last night, after being let in, Shiki didn't invite him to see her. Instead, she sat regally in the main seat, listening as Roy, seated below, recounted his recent adventures.
It was a long tale, but she demanded brevity.
So Roy explained how he owed favors to Zelretch and Merlin. Sure, those two were gleeful deviants at heart, but… friends? Maybe. Not quite human, though, a Dead Apostle Ancestor and a half-Incubus.
Zelretch, especially, let Roy retire with peace of mind, handling things up top, even sorting out Chaldeas issues for him.
Despite their mutual ribbing and scheming, they were pals, bonded by years.
Men get men, after all.
Only with Roy and Merlin, whose strength and status matched his, could Zelretch let loose, unbothered by image. With the Aozaki girl, who respected him, he'd never risk losing face.
Hearing Roy had crossed time to ancient Mesopotamia, Shiki paused, intrigued.
The era he described, where mystery thrived and gods walked with humans, sparked her curiosity.
Any magus or mystic couldn't resist wondering about mystery and the Age of Gods, Shiki included.
Per Touko, in mythic times, mystic phenomena weren't arcane but commonplace.
The Age of Gods, distant and enigmatic to modern eyes, saw humans as little more than divine slaves.
Unlike today's magecraft world, people worshipped gods, saw them, spoke with them.
The pre-AD Age of Gods was its zenith, its decline triggered when Gilgamesh, the Babylonian hero-king, rejected the Wedge of Heaven, wounding the divine era.
Roy's destination, early AD Mesopotamia, was undeniably Gilgamesh's time.
Though his tales stirred awe, for Shiki, they were fascinating enough to dull her anger, if only a bit.
She listened intently to his journey.
He spoke of arriving to find the land ravaged by the Beast Goddess, human territory shrinking, teetering on extinction.
In that crisis, Gilgamesh, fresh from seeking immortality, stepped up, leading Uruk and refugees from other city-states to build towering walls and a fortified city, the last bastion of humanity.
"Then I ventured to the Underworld, seeking ways to counter the Creation Goddess's immortality, so…"
Roy recounted his year calmly, glossing over hardships, especially his seven-day, seven-night clash with Tiamat in Eternal Bounded Field alongside Smoking Mirror, brushed off in a sentence.
His words were true, but he trimmed certain bits, like Ishtar and Ereshkigal's feelings for him, which left him exasperated.
His sudden defection and dash to Chaldea was partly to follow Ritsuka Fujimaru, but also to escape. Lingering risked those sisters forcing him to stay, complicating things.
Hearing his tale, Shiki's furrowed brow softened. No ordinary woman, nor dull, she sensed the peril in his words.
True gods, beasts, Solomon's Seventy-Two Demon Gods, and mythic creation deities…
Words skipped lightly, but the dangers they held were grave.
After his busy saga, even Shiki sighed.
She'd meant to teach him a lesson, but her anger had quietly ebbed.
With a soft sigh, her planned scolding became a shake of her head and a quiet, "Welcome back."
"Mhm."
A soft murmur, a nod, everything unspoken.
…
…
The next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the window, spilling onto the tatami where a young man lay by a desk. The glare stung his eyes, prompting a squint. Groggily, he sat up.
Catching the sunlight and cloudless sky outside, surprise flickered in his gaze.
Did I fall asleep?
Rubbing bleary eyes, Roy's expression held shock.
He'd slept? That was bizarre.
Recalling last night, after clearing things with Shiki, he hadn't gotten to his heartfelt words before she, smirking, shooed him out to rest.
Her amused eyes and smug look told him the issue was nearly resolved, she wasn't as mad.
No need to push, then. With no pressing tasks and plenty of time, he could take it slow, sorting his thoughts and actions later.
So he left, found an empty guest room, and settled in.
"Settled" wasn't quite right. He'd meant to just pass the night, but deep into it, an inexplicable drowsiness hit.
He felt sleepy? That was odd.
By logic, his body, sustained by the Third Magic, shouldn't tire even after a century without sleep.
Sleeping and eating, vital for normals, were mere whims for him, a reminder not to drift too far from humanity.
Yet last night, a natural, ordinary drowsiness overtook him, unnoticed, lulling him into deep sleep.
Only now, reflecting, did the strangeness hit.
Why was he sleepy? Was something wrong with his body?
He pondered this.
Ring-ring!!
Lost in thought on the tatami, no answers came.
Thankfully, it didn't last long. His phone, tossed on the desk, rang.
It wasn't a morning alarm, he hadn't expected to sleep, let alone set one. Someone was calling his new phone, the old one lost who-knows-where, likely blasted to bits given his recent battles.
Only Shiki, who'd given him this phone, knew the number. He answered warmly, "Morning, Shiki."
"Morning… Do you know what time it is?"
Her voice carried a hint of exasperation.
"It's nine already, sun's high, and you're still 'morning'-ing? Got wild out there, huh? Even your sleep schedule's off?"
Off, sure… but because I slept at all.
He muttered inwardly.
"Whatever, there's time. I've got class today, and Aki's out with Father. Pick me up for school later."
"School?"
The word from Shiki caught Roy off guard, making him blink.
Shiki still went to school?
Oh, right, she should. Like in anime, no matter what deeds, powers, or status, students go to school. That's non-negotiable.
The Ryōgi heiress dropping out? Unthinkable.
Right… Shiki's still a junior high student.
Doesn't that make me kinda awful?
An ordinary morning, yet Roy's mind raced.
Shiki's light cough and sharp tone snapped him back: "What? Don't wanna? Back one day and already itching to run off?"
"No, no way! I'm in your guest room. Gimme a sec to get ready, and I'll pick you up."
"That's better."
Beep-beep-beep!!
The call ended with a dial tone.
Lost in thought, Roy replied earnestly to avoid misunderstandings or straining their mended bond.
Though the Ryōgi's driver, Aki, was away, a family this grand surely had other chauffeurs.
Before he returned, Shiki still attended school, so her asking him likely meant one thing!!
Good sign!!
She'd fully forgiven him overnight.
Driving her to school seemed mundane but was intimate. Teenage girls love gossip. A cold, rich heiress suddenly with an unknown dark-haired guy? Rumors would fly. Shiki wasn't oblivious, she likely wanted this effect.
Enough overthinking.
Maybe he'd gotten too wild out there, body back but mind still wandering, causing the drowsiness?
Nah, no way. Magic's absolute, mere whimsy couldn't override it.
Not urgent, though. He'd scanned himself with detection magecraft, finding no issues. It couldn't be ignored, but for now, bigger priorities. He'd visit Avalon tonight to have Merlin check his body, that old rogue might know. Right now, he was chasing happiness!!
Yawning, rubbing sleepy eyes, Roy patted the oddly bulging spot in his bed.
Now, problem two: if Shiki's waiting outside, who's this extra person on me?
He'd sensed something warm pressing on him upon waking.
If he wasn't mistaken, they were asleep on his chest…
Long, silky hair suggested a girl, but the slight chest bump implied a flat figure. The weight confirmed a girl's.
Girls under a hundred pounds are either flat or short.
"…"
This unknown girl, who'd somehow slipped into his bed and clung to his chest, was silent.
In the minutes since Shiki's call, Roy stared at the ceiling, mind reeling.
He'd thought it was Shiki… but her personality? Sneaking into his room at night, cuddling all night? Impossible. SHIKI might pull such a prank, or assist, but since Shiki called about school, this figure wasn't her.
So, who was in his bed?
"Calm down, analyze." Roy muttered. "Could Aozaki Touko, that old hag, finally be so desperate she's targeting a prime youth like me?"
No way. Their relationship was strictly employer-employee, pure as snow.
Plus, the Aozaki sisters were hardcore shotacon. His tall frame didn't fit their "shota" vibe.
Maybe Arcueid, that golden retriever, sensed him last night and snuck in?
Plausible. Her carefree, clingy nature fit such a bold, cozy act.
But, sorry, wrong answer.
Simple reason: the weight was off. Did she think he didn't know Arcueid's exact measurements? When she was Seventeen-Dissected, he'd stitched her back together with mana threads, piece by piece, like a human puzzle. He'd handled every organ, every inch, knowing her inside-out, literally. He could tell a flat chest from a generous one.
If this were London, he'd suspect Artoria, the flat knight. Not here, though.
"So, what's the deal?"
Sucking in a breath, Roy rubbed his aching head, sweating.
"Waking up with a girl in my bed… that's for novel protagonists, right? Ritsuka Fujimaru, Touma Kamijou, Shidou Itsuka, guys fighting for their lives. Why me?"
Flat chest, long hair, couldn't be Ishtar or Ereshkigal crossing time, could it? They lacked solo manifestation.
Just a quip, though. He'd recognize their mana.
Sneaking past his senses, even asleep, was terrifying. Slipping in unnoticed, crawling into his bed… among those he knew, only Merlin could pull that off.
If this was revenge for his betrayal in the Seventh Singularity's Underworld, ambushing Merlin, he'd accept it. He'd just pummel Merlin later. If it was Meli, fine, he'd take no loss, but she'd get a thrashing too.
Unlikely, though. No flower petals by the pillow. This subtlety didn't scream either deviant.
So…
"Time to settle this!!"
Let's gamble!! Show me what demon's in my bed!
After all this rustling and a phone call, anyone outside should've heard, but this figure stayed still, silent. Were they playing deaf or genuinely oblivious?
She could stay calm, but Roy couldn't.
Some unknown thing clinging to him, sharing his bed, anyone would freak out!!
He gripped the blanket's edge, muttering, "Merlin, or Mari, if it's you, confess now. Apologize, and it's just a beating."
"Listen up, whoever you are. If I know you, give me a straight explanation. If you're a guy, you'd better have Astolfo's looks. If a girl, be like Kiyohime or Serenity, too sweet to punish. If you're an ugly monster, you've got three seconds to live!!"
Mana surged, a massive white mana hand forming above, aimed at the bed.
With blind-box anticipation, Roy yanked the blanket.
Whoosh!!
The covers flew off, the giant hand diving down.
"This is?!"
Seeing the petite girl's golden, silky hair, her familiar, languid face, and the lock-shaped mark on her forehead, Roy froze. The hovering hand dissipated.
"How's it her?!!"
A disbelieving shout shattered the calm, beautiful morning.
___
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