Chapter 243: The Protégé

"Fuu..! Another one!"

"This is good."

"..."

Seeing the two helpless women beside him, Shiro could only sigh. This is already their nth shot of wine, vodka, and canned beer. Who knew that they are this alcoholic?

"I'll take care of them later..."

"As expected of you." Touka gave him a thumbs up. "Still, aren't you feeling it?"

"Huh..? Not really. Nope."

His relaxed nerves reassured him of his response. While he does not actively resist its influence, he is confident enough that his base alcohol resistance is good enough.

Plop-!

Suddenly, Kuroneko collapsed to the ground. Her expression is dominated by a deep red, indicating how drunk she is at the moment. It is a miracle that she did not throw up at this moment.

"She joined the kids. Well, she just turned 18."

Shiro looked at Madoka and Shinji who fell asleep talking about their own experiences. While the 'adults' had their side, the 'children' of the chat group found their topics.

Just as a certain green-haired cat is about to take advantage of the current situation, a black shadow flashes to the ceiling. It soon transformed into Kuroneko, who then fell to Shiro's lap precisely. She is currently facing Shiro, making the latter catch the scent of alcohol from her mouth.

"Heh. This is payback, you crafty cat! I shall claim the victory in the end!"

Another round of her incomprehensible ramblings began. At the same time, she held tightly of him. She pulled his face to her neck, treating him like some sort of pillow.

"...Stop."

With a menacing look, Kal'tsit prepared to detach her from Shiro.

"You two drank too much."

In an instant, the two lost consciousness. Serenity was brought back to the table as the "drunks" got sent to the dreamland.

"I'll send them to the rooms first."

*****

A not-so-arduous work began. Shiro brought the kids and the two women into their respective rooms before he cleaned up the table. By the time he is finished, he found Touka standing on the balcony on the second floor. Unexpectedly, she is still sipping down on a canned beer.

"This is the best under the night breeze, isn't it? Shiro."

"I understand where you are coming from." He replied. "That's one of my favorite things to do."

"You must have good taste, then. I didn't get this opportunity back when I am too busy working for my little sister, so might as well enjoy the moment now."

As the breadwinner, she worked hard as a hotel chef for more than 3 years. She did not want to burden her remaining relatives, their grandparents, after their father's death. She got lucky that she finished college by the time that incident happened, so she was able to get into a job pretty quickly.

Even though she has more money now thanks to the chat group, she did not quit the job that became her passion. That's why out of all of them, she appreciated his cooking the most.

"How can you cook so well?" She asked.

"This... It's something that I've done since a long time ago."

"A long time ago? More than millions of years, got it."

"You're not wrong."

When she realized the dangers that this world poses, she already has a vague feeling—one that she can somehow see happening from her experiences alone.

"Shiro, tell me. Are you planning some sort of contingency? Like, in a theoretical situation where... only you can defeat her."

"..."

'They're all sharp ones.'

From Kal'tsit up to Touka, they already figured out how things would possibly work out. Even Shiro was quite startled by how well they can read his plans.

"Right. It'll fall on me if she turns out to be an "undefeatable" foe. If she turned out to be 'that'... a Beyond-creator level opponent, I could only ensure your safety."

"Why not yours?"

"Because... you are my friends."

Back in his previous life, he only had a few friends. Well, Castoria can count as one until she fell for him. Anyways, he lacked friends. The only close friend of his, a comrade who fought with him, died in the past. He only recovered a portion of his memories regarding this friend of his, which is why he's working harder to completely read everything in the treasuries.

"...I see. You can sometimes act like a fool." She replied. "But... that's what makes you, you. Just like how Romani is a magical girl fanatic. Oh, and a delusional fool who does not know that he's worshipping a man wearing the skin of a cute female idol."

Hearing this, Shiro let out a small chuckle.

"That reminds me. How is he doing before we went here?"

"He's still busy in Chaldea. Nothing much changed about him, really. Though..." She paused before continuing, "He might have realized something wrong with his world. He does not tell us, but I can notice him acting like that."

"Something wrong with Chaldea... I wonder what it could be..."

Shiro thought of something that he noticed in Chaldea. He knew about Goetia and the other "threat", the Alien Gods and their seven apostles. Who wouldn't remember something that sounds a lot like a certain fairytale?!

"Alien Gods... That Grand Foreigner role is waving at me, huh."

"Here's to your successful intervention."

She rose the can of beer in her hand and toasted it with his own... can of beer. At this point, it is the pot calling the kettle black.

""Cheers.""

Clink-!

"Hm..?"

Touka sensed something in the range of her 'domain' before smirking.

"I'll leave you two alone."

"...Alright."

After leaving, a black flash came in his direction. It revealed the silhouette of Kuroneko who is wearing her usual gothic clothes. This became her trademark when she could modify it herself. Not only that, there are more than a few that are stored in her closet.

Shiro could feel her slender arms hugging his back. A tinge of redness could still be seen on both her face and ears, but it is overshadowed by her emotions.

"You heard everything?"

"Um." Kuroneko affirmed. "You... you don't need to take care of everything."

"It—"

A very strong aura emerged from her thin body. It is something that far surpassed what the current Kuroneko has, hence surprising him greatly. While it is lacking "something", just the pressure alone is enough to be a fight against Altair.

"I... no, we can help you too, you know?"

"Looks like... I underestimated everyone." He wryly said as he realized his mistake. "You all became strong in the span that I was gone."

"We... can't bear to lose you."

Her words shifted the focus of their conversation. Shiro could feel her genuine concern. He could see the worry born from the time that he mysteriously disappeared.

"You can leave your back to us. Trust me."

"..."

In the end, he acknowledged his mistakes. He is hell-bent on that single possibility that he did not seriously consider his friends' concern for him. It is simply a one-sided protection that stemmed from him, not a mutual one that should be seen in friends. His concerns had blinded him greatly.

"I'll leave it to you guys."

"Mm."

Hearing that, she reverted to her usual self. She did not have the overwhelming power from before, but she could somewhat feel that it'll return during her time of need. In fact, the one responsible for it saw her actions and resolve.

'My Protégé... She is a troublesome one. Is this what Ashborn felt when he left everything to me?'

The monarch and hunter of another universe sighed as he thought of how his retirement years are to be spent fighting against otherworldly invaders, and now, a Protégé from another world.

He smiled before muttering, "She reminds me of myself. She values her comrades and is a talented... hunter."