Beep! Beep! Doo—
"Moshi Moshi (Hello), Young Master Alistair. We have found a few things, but not much information yet. Do you need a report now?"
As soon as Alistair connected the call, his secretary, Hisako, immediately reported, as that was generally the only reason Alistair would call.
"Mmm, you can hold off on that. I'm not in a hurry. I adopted a cat. I need you to handle the paperwork and permits. Preferably within the next few days." Alistair sat at his desk, stroking the little black cat that was observing his call from beside the computer screen.
"A cat? Understood, I will complete it as quickly as possible, but please send me a picture of the cat so I can process the necessary permits." Hisako paused for a moment before replying.
"Okay, I'll send it later. Now, tell me about Shouya Katase. How much have you found out?" Alistair removed his hand from petting the cat, resting it on the back of his chair, and asked lazily.
"The time was short, so we only gathered some basic information. Our investigation shows that the person you mentioned, 'Shouya Katase,' essentially lives alone. He has a good relationship with his neighbors due to his sunny and gentle personality. We also hired a dedicated private investigator. Although they didn't find much different information, there are a few things."
Hisako reported bit by bit, and a few points caught Alistair's attention.
"Sunny and gentle?"
Alistair repeated the phrase, thinking about it. He felt that the old assessment was likely accurate for the past.
This Shouya Katase only exposed his true abilities today, appearing somewhat volatile and insidious. While his actions were just small tricks and not truly cunning plots, it showed that this 'Shouya Katase' was far from sunny and gentle. Akane Nanao's strong denial this afternoon, insisting Shouya Katase would never be underhanded, was definitely not an act. She had had a crush on him since first year, so she definitely knew him better than Alistair.
However, thanks to Togo, the guy who was suppressing them, the two hadn't been able to pursue a mutual relationship previously. But thanks to Togo, Alistair had a chance to swoop in later. Otherwise, given the nature of the Hentai world, they would have likely hooked up countless times already.
"Uh, is there a problem, Young Master Alistair?"
Hisako, hearing Alistair repeat the phrase, thought he had an objection, so she stopped reporting to listen.
"No, continue... Wait, you said Shouya Katase lives alone? Where are his parents? Doesn't he have any relatives?"
Alistair denied her question, telling her to continue, but then suddenly noticed the words 'lives alone' and asked.
"Based on the information, his parents are both working out of town. We don't know where, but his grandparents are in the countryside, not near the city." Hisako replied to Alistair, looking at the documents in her hand.
"Lives alone, parents working away, grandparents in the countryside... Tsk, is he getting buffs? Suddenly having great abilities like that means there's definitely something fishy. Continue. You mentioned you found something problematic." Alistair muttered in a low voice, then smiled and asked.
"Yes, we found that a second person recently moved into Shouya Katase's house. According to our investigation, it is an adult male, but we couldn't determine his identity. We only know he is a burly man. Even with some distinctive features, we couldn't trace his identity."
Hisako's voice held a hint of embarrassment, clearly feeling that failing to identify the person was a sign of incompetence.
"A burly man? How burly?"
Alistair was quite interested in the so-called 'burly man.' This guy might be the one responsible for Shouya Katase's transformation. The mention of a body-enhancing potion made Alistair think of someone: Coach Togo, the one Alistair had previously dealt with and whose whereabouts were now unknown.
Togo's ability was to create various types of potions, though only the potions themselves, unlike some games where they came with bottles. He could enhance the effects of the potions by adding external materials, such as using the liquid from the [Pheromone Tree] to boost his arousal potions.
Alistair wasn't sure how he had done it, but he had somehow acquired this ability from Togo. The possibility of absorption was strong, as Alistair lacked replication abilities but possessed absorption abilities.
Even though Alistair didn't know how Togo left, he likely knew that Alistair was someone he couldn't afford to provoke. That's why Alistair had immediately heard the news of Togo's resignation and hadn't even seen the man.
However, if it were Togo, Alistair didn't believe Hisako couldn't find him. A former athlete would have easily traceable information, and he had a high degree of recognition. Alistair's company was a conglomerate, but that didn't mean he lacked his own leverage. If even the Yakuza have industries, why shouldn't I have my own forces?
Therefore, Alistair didn't think Togo was still here. That guy had probably left this area, keeping a considerable distance.
"He's probably over six feet tall, and his muscles are very defined. About one-third of his face is covered with scar-like markings. What's strange is that this man rarely goes out; he stays in Shouya Katase's house. This afternoon, the man came out, holding a box before going back into the house. Our people heard the sound of glass clinking, so we can confirm the contents of the box were some bottles, and some of those bottles contained liquid."
The details were indeed strange, and even Hisako herself was curious about what this 'stay-at-home burly man' did.
"Bottles and jars? In a box? Could they be potions? One 'Alchemist' just left, and another one has arrived?"
Alistair felt it was becoming troublesome. These cuckold-type guys were like never-ending chives; he cuts one down, and another pops up. It was incessant. Can't the cuckolds just be miserable? The world only needs one 'cuckolder,' Alistair; no other 'cuckolder' needs to join in.
"Keep investigating then. Look closer. If you can find the burly man's identity, that's great. If not, I'll go check it out myself later." Alistair stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the slowly darkening sky outside as he spoke to Hisako.
"I understand."
Hisako replied, followed by the dial tone.
"You'll be a legal house cat in a few days. I'll have to get them to check that item, too, to find out who your original owner was. Something this interesting shouldn't be common... Where's my tag?"
Alistair turned to look at the little black cat still lying on his desk, reaching into his pocket. When he couldn't feel the desired item, he was momentarily startled.