Noir-san is very strong, probably because she's a half-vampire. Because
of this, Luna-san had a hard time pulling Noir-san away from me.
But then, Lilia-san finally woke up… and easily pulled Noir-san away
from me. Should I say that it's to be expected from Lilia-san, or should I
be astonished at her power that overwhelms even half-vampires…?
After being ripped away from me, Noir-san blankly stared at nowhere
for a while before she fell asleep.
And then, as for greeting the Head Chef… Relying upon Lilia-san's
follow-up, I had somehow weathered through it. Good gracious, I'm
really grateful that Lilia-san was here to help me.
[…Speaking of which, My Lady? Why is it that you fainted earlier?]
[Ehh!? Ah, t- that is…]
The inn that Lilia-san and the others were staying at is located on the
way to the Central Tower from the restaurant, so all of us slowly walked
towards their inn.
Carrying the sleeping Noir-san behind her back, Luna-san asked, to
which Lilia-san clearly became flustered.
[N- No, it's just that… I was a bit exposed to the night wind so…]
[No, no, My Lady's body isn't that frail… No, well, I guess that's fine…]
Although she looked suspicious at Lilia-san's lies, Luna-san didn't
pursue the matter any further, perhaps because she owed Lilia-san for
stopping Noir-san.
That should be enough to calm Lilia-san down…
[Ahh, Lilia-chan, good evening~~]
[K- K- K- Kuromueina-sama!? G- G- G- Good evening.]
Before she had time to recover though, she began to panic again when
Kuro appeared.
Rei-san and Fia-san also hurriedly got down on one knee and tried to
bow down, but Kuro stopped them.
[It's been a long time since I've seen you, Aoi-chan and Hina-chan. Are
you enjoying the festival?]
[Yes, I'm having a great time.]
[I feel like I've shopped a bit too much today.]
[Ahaha, I see, that's good then.]
Aoi-chan and Hina-chan, who Kuro had already talked to back in the
mansion, smiled when Kuro called out to them. Unnn, I think Lilia-san is
just too nervous, but well, I guess that's just like her…
Hearing what the two said, Kuro nodded with a smile and taking cloth
bags out of nowhere, she handed them to my two kouhais.
[Well then, here. I'll give you some pocket money, so you can have lots
of fun tomorrow.]
[…Eh?]
[Kuromu-sama? C- Can we really have this?]
[Of course. This is a different world after all, so enjoy it to the fullest.]
[ [ T- Thank you very much! ] ]
When Kuro told them this with a smile, my two kouhais deeply bowed.
Kuro then turned to Lilia-san and with a slightly apologetic expression
on her face, she spoke.
[Well then, Lilia-san. I'm sorry, I have some business with Kaito-kun, so
do you mind if I take him with me?]
[Eh? Ah, yes. Of course, it's fine. We've just finished eating anyway…]
[I'm sorry. I'll send some delicious sweets to Lilia-chan and the others
in your inn later, so enjoy them with everyone.]
[Thank you for your concern.]
When Kuro talked about sending them delicious sweets… I feel like she
wouldn't send anything other than baby castellas.
[Well then, Kaito-kun. Let's go?]
[Eh? Yeah… Good night, everyone.]
Even though I had no idea what this business Kuro had with me, but at
her urging, I said good night to everyone and left.
Following Kuro's lead, we reached a plaza where I couldn't see a single
person. Stopping there, Kuro looked back at me and spoke.
[Kaito-kun, I'm sorry about suddenly calling you here.]
[No, that's fine with me but… what is this business that you talked
about?]
[Unnn, it's about that person you met this morning, the one that looked
like your mother.]
[Eh?]
[I've heard about it from Isis, and I thought I'd talk to you about this as
soon as possible… I have to go to Magnawell for a meeting later, so I
thought I'd talk to you a little bit before I go.]
It's true that I was going to talk to Kuro to consult her about that
woman who looked like my mother, following Isis-san's advice.
Apparently, Kuro had come to find me so that we could talk about this
before she leaves for a moment.
[First of all, let me say what I concluded. I've heard the story from Isis
and asked Shiro about it but… Shiro didn't bring Kaito-kun's mother
back to life, nor did she create a being with the same appearance as
her.]
[...]
[When Shiro lies, she would say she's lying, so there's no doubt that
she's saying the truth. I checked with the Earth God just to be sure, and
she said that she didn't bring her back to life either.]
[Then, she really is…]
[Unnn. She's just another person who happened to have the appearance
of your mother.]
[…I see.]
If that's what Kuro said, that must really be the case. No, I knew that
there was a good chance that that really was the case. But hearing
about it now, I couldn't hide my disappointment.
[…Kaito-kun, are you alright?]
[Unnn. I was a bit confused at first, but I'm completely fine now. I was
able to take it in.]
[…I see. I'm going to go to a meeting then. Let's talk again later.]
[Yeah, thanks.]
Thanking Kuro for just gently smiling at me without asking too much, I
watched her go.
When Kuro was completely out of sight, I tried to walk back to the
Central Tower but… my feet immediately stopped.
[Yaa~ It's this morning since we last met, right~~ It's a great
coincidence to see you here, isn't it?]
[ ! ? ]
I was so astonished hearing that voice that I thought my heart would
leap out of my chest.
[…Mom…?]
Dear Mom, Dad————- It was concluded that the woman I saw at
lunch who looked just like my mother was just another person. Kuro
shouldn't have been mistaken by her judgment and I myself was
convinced that it was the case but… why? Not only the appearance, but
even the voice———— Why is it that you resemble her that much?