And so, after the notification from Shiki and the message from Merry, everyone connected to Naoki gradually finished all their work this week.
For everyone, the moment of truly gathering together had happened years ago. Some people hadn't even met each other again since the Human Order Incineration ended. Therefore, besides the issue Merry mentioned, the desire to meet the others also held considerable weight in everyone's hearts.
In such a situation, a week passed quickly for all of them.
Then, the promised Tuesday arrived.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
Inside the Ryougi Family home.
Compared to a usual quiet day with few people inside, the Ryougi Family home today seemed very lively, which was unusual.
The reason, perhaps, was that too many guests arrived all at once today.
Merry, Gray, Rei, and Olga Marie from Chaldea.
Morgan and the others from Misaki City, Atalanta, Okita Souji, Fujimaru Ritsuka, and Mash Kyrielight.
Riddell, Sajyou Ayaka, and Mordred who came from the Clock Tower.
Aozaki Aoko, Aozaki Touko, Ciel, and Arcueid who had just arrived.
As well as—
"Wow! So many people! Has everyone gathered?!"
Led by Angelica, Miyamoto Musashi and Tomoe Gozen also arrived at the Ryougi Family home.
Thanks to Tomoe, Chaldea was actually able to contact Musashi. Merry also informed both of them of this summons. After Musashi and Tomoe finished their business in other worlds at the fastest speed, Merry quietly picked them both up with Rayshift.
However, due to time differences, they were the last two to arrive.
More than twenty people who were originally scattered across the world, even in different worlds, were now all gathered.
"To think, we can actually all gather together."
Holding a glass of wine and looking around, Aoko couldn't help but laugh.
"That means everyone also really misses each other, and is also very curious about what Shiki will say today." Merry, sitting next to her, laughed, "After all, this is the first time Shiki has taken the initiative to contact us, the importance of this is obvious, isn't it?"
"Indeed."
Shiki was a person who didn't have much connection with the supernatural world. In her own words, she wasn't interested at all. Therefore, she rarely contacted everyone; only people in Japan maintained a relationship with her.
The fact that she took the initiative to contact Merry this time indicated that what she was about to discuss concerned everyone.
"Could it be about Naoki?"
"Who knows? But I think even if it's not, it shouldn't be too different. We'll know after seeing it." Merry said, "Rather than that... Angelica, where's Shiki? Why hasn't she come yet?"
Everyone had gathered, but at this moment, Shiki, the initiator of the meeting, was nowhere to be seen.
"Could it be that she has a stomach ache and ran to the toilet?"
"It's not impossible."
"Could it be she hasn't woken up yet?"
"..."
Listening to everyone beginning to discuss various things, Angelica was just about to say something—
*SHUUUT—!*
The sliding door that had just been closed was opened again. Shiki, wearing a kimono, entered from outside the door. After glancing at everyone, she suddenly pulled a short knife from the wide sleeve of her kimono and threw it towards Merry.
"Uwaa!"
Hurriedly tilting her head to avoid the sudden attack, Merry wiped away nonexistent cold sweat while looking at the short knife stuck in the wall and still vibrating slightly: "Still the same, Shiki. This habit of throwing knives at anyone you meet hasn't changed after twenty years? Besides, I'm not Naoki; there's no point in throwing it at me, you know."
"I don't have a stomach ache, and I didn't oversleep either. There was just a small matter that delayed me." Shiki said with a faint smile. At the same time, she pulled the short knife stuck in the wall from a distance, making it fly back into the scabbard hidden in her kimono sleeve. Then, she sat in the main seat Angelica had prepared for her.
"Everyone has gathered."
"Yes, Shiki-sama, everyone has arrived." Angelica replied, and immediately knelt in the outermost seat.
To host everyone who came today, the living room now had a long table that could accommodate everyone. Besides Shiki, the others sat separately on both sides.
As Angelica said, indeed everyone was present.
"Then, you can speak now, Shiki." Morgan asked, "Merry said you wanted us all to gather; has something happened?"
"Something has indeed happened here... Actually, it's also a little related to all of you."
Shiki said: "Do you still remember the vampire I asked you to catch a week ago? The one from Italy."
"Didn't you cancel that order last Thursday?"
Regarding the request to catch the blonde vampire girl, Natsukawa Yue, after learning the situation, Shiki told Morgan and the others that they didn't need to continue the investigation.
"Actually, I caught her a week ago, and she's been staying here for this week." Shiki said, "Her identity is a bit special, especially for us, and she holds many secrets. Since she said she would only tell us after we all gathered, that's why I asked all of you to come here."
That blonde vampire?
Morgan and the others frowned slightly, while Aoko and the others, who already had previous suspicions, exchanged glances and remained silent.
Shiki looked outside the door and clapped her hands: "Come in, everyone is gathered."
"Yes~~~"
A somewhat light voice was heard from outside the door. Then, everyone in the room saw a figure entering from outside, and after clearly seeing her face, they unconsciously turned to look at Arcueid.
Ritsuka and the others, who had met her before, also showed thoughtful expressions.
Initially, they were only guessing, but now, after seeing Arcueid and the girl in the same room, the suspicions they had previously dismissed reappeared, and this time they were even more convinced.
Then—
"Although some of you here have met me before, let's consider this our first meeting."
Yue adjusted her tone, bowed, and saluted everyone very politely.
"My name is Natsukawa Yūe; I am a person from the future, thirty years from now. The daughter of Natsukawa Naoki and Arcueid Brunestud."
"Nice to meet you; please guide me, all Aunties."
D-Daughter?!
The address that came out of Yue's mouth stunned everyone who had just met her for the first time.