Inside the residential house.
Sitting upright on the clearly cleaned living room sofa, Ritsuka sat with extreme formality.
She didn't want to act like this, but the atmosphere forced her to. After all, ever since seeing the girl named Rei, Director Marie had been constantly tense, and Mash had followed suit.
Seeing the two of them like that, Ritsuka naturally got caught up in the mood.
The only exception might be Hinako.
"I'm sorry, everyone. If possible, I'd like to prepare some good tea, but right now, I only have plain water. Please forgive the inconvenience."
Rei, returning from the kitchen, placed several glasses of water in front of each person.
Seeing this, Marie immediately spoke politely: "Thank you so much!"
"Ah, yes, thank you very much, Rei-Senpai!"
Mash, who had a serious nature, immediately bowed deeply in gratitude, just like Marie.
Seeing their unreasonable seriousness, Ritsuka couldn't help but feel confused. She leaned slightly toward Hinako: "Uhm, Akuta-Senpai… Is the director scared?"
"Who knows? When I interacted with Sajyou, I didn't feel she was that intimidating."
"Perhaps I gave Marie a bad impression in the past." Rei's voice suddenly came. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I just enhanced my five senses to ensure I can monitor information around me."
"Enhanced senses… uh, you mean hearing and sight? Can those be adjusted at will?!"
"Because she's not human." Hinako said. "Though she looks human, and technically can be considered human, she's a puppet. Natsukawa made her to be his own wife."
A puppet?
A wife?
The department head's wife?
"Eeehhh—?!"
After being silent for one or two seconds, Ritsuka suddenly stood up and shouted loudly!
"A wife… does that mean the department head is just like those otakus! He's the type who calls an action figure his wife! Is the department head an otaku?!"
"Hehehe, you could say that." Rei laughed. "But 'wife' isn't entirely accurate, since we're not engaged, let alone married. Of course, if you call me his wife, it's fine too—we've been together for a very long time."
Been together?!
Can the department head really be in a relationship with a puppet?!
(Well, with Sajyou-san's appearance and how she's almost indistinguishable from a real human… somehow, I kind of understand.)
"Uhm… Miss Rei…"
Marie raised her hand with a very weak voice: "May I ask… why are you here? I remember you shouldn't have woken up yet…"
"Marie, if that's the time you left, I had only been asleep for less than half an hour. Of course I hadn't woken up yet. Besides, I've said it many times. If you want to talk to the Master, you can come anytime. You don't have to wait until one or two in the morning to sneak into the Master's room."
"—!"
The moment Rei said that, the gazes of the other three toward Marie instantly changed.
Sneaking into Naoki's room in the middle of the night? And after Rei was already asleep?
Mash: "Based on several Japanese night reads I've seen online, a situation like this is apparently called…"
Hinako: "I can't believe you'd do something like cheating."
Ritsuka: "Akuta-Senpai, we should say it more gently…"
Seeing the three of them now suspicious of her, Marie's cheeks instantly turned red. She shouted without caring about her image: "I'm not cheating! I only went to Natsukawa's room to complain to him! Nothing happened, really!"
"Yes, I can testify that Marie didn't do anything with the Master. She's surprisingly the type to hesitate at crucial moments."
"!"
Another bomb was dropped by Rei.
Sneaking into Naoki's room at night was a secret Marie never wanted anyone else to know. Even toward Rei, she only dared go after repeatedly confirming that Rei was definitely asleep.
She never expected Rei had known all along!
"Ah… ah… huuuuaaa…"
The impact was too great. Marie could no longer maintain her image as a serious, reliable director. Seeing her like this, Rei gently snapped her fingers in front of her, instantly putting her into a deep sleep.
Seeing this, Hinako scoffed: "You're really cruel."
"What else can I do? Though I don't mind the Master's flirtatious behavior, having dates with him in the middle of the night right in front of me—well, even I get a little annoyed." Rei smiled. "Then, let's discuss the important matters—why I'm here, and what we'll do next."
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
If counted from the moment Ritsuka and the others performed particle transfer into Singularity F, Rei had arrived about two hours earlier.
[The Master thought there might be a time he'd need me, so he sent me here earlier through another method.]
That was the reason Rei gave. Hearing her say that, Ritsuka and Mash didn't know, but Hinako immediately thought about the truth.
(Most likely, it's that Root knowledge again. That person already predicted this would happen… Why didn't he tell me earlier!? How annoying!)
(A few years ago, he was honest and straightforward, but why has he become someone who hides things and acts mysteriously?)
"Another method?"
Mash, listening to Rei, suddenly frowned.
"Is there another way to come to a Singularity besides particle transfer?"
"Yes, there is. It's just more troublesome. Simply put—by running." Rei explained. "Explaining the principle would be complicated. I learned it from an Incubus. Basically, I came by running."
"And after arriving here, I came to this place as requested by the Master, waiting for you and the Master."
The Master's arrival?
Ritsuka immediately asked: "Is the department head coming too? By running as well?"
"Exactly. [It's fine to let the newcomer gain experience, but for an important first experience, safety preparations must be sufficient—and as department head, I must ensure my subordinates' safety.] That's what the Master thought."
"If we calculate the timing, he should be almost here."
*WHOOSH!*
Almost the same instant Rei finished speaking, a bright light suddenly flashed in the middle of the room. Then, Naoki stepped out of it, landing right in front of Rei.
Rei stood up and bowed with a smile.
"Welcome, Master. That was a difficult journey."