The road to Alex's family mansion wasn't long, but he still decided that Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel should take a short walk through nighttime Orario. Even though this district belonged to him and his family, there was something enchanting about the evening city — the soft glow of lanterns, the distant hum of conversation, and the aroma of fresh pastries from late-night shops.
Alex, having transformed into a cat — or more precisely, a nekomata — rested in Lilith's arms, doing his best not to reveal himself. His tail twitched faintly, and his eyes curiously followed the people passing by.
Over the past month, those he had brought into this world had already settled in and were enjoying their new lives. Alex couldn't help but note how quickly humans could adapt — even if this world was different from the one they had grown up in, that was the strength of human nature.
As they walked along the cobblestone road to the mansion, Alex noticed more and more familiar faces. Among the passersby, he saw Ugo — Coco's former driver, who now worked for him. Alex remembered that back in the zombie apocalypse world, Ugo had started dating a woman with a five-year-old daughter. Now, seeing them walking together, Alex smiled. Ugo had earned his happiness.
A little further ahead, he spotted R, being literally dragged by the hand by an Amazon named Aisha. "Dragged" was indeed the more accurate word than "walking together." From the look on R's face, it was clear that he would be spending the next day in bed — not by choice, but because he probably wouldn't be able to stand.
Alex struggled to suppress his laughter, covering his mouth with a paw so as not to give himself away. He didn't want anyone to know he was in the city right now. Lilith felt the cat in her arms trembling and glanced down. Seeing Alex covering his muzzle with his paw, she frowned.
"What's so funny?" she whispered.
Alex pointed his paw at Aisha and R, then briefly explained who the Amazons were and what fate awaited anyone foolish enough to start a relationship with them. Hearing his story, Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel exchanged looks — now they understood why Alex was laughing. After all, he had once warned R to stay away from the Amazons. The result? The guy had vanished for several days, and when he returned, he looked exhausted and had lost at least ten kilograms.
As they continued their walk, Alex shared amusing stories about his acquaintances. Soon, they spotted Ma Ju — the woman Alex had mentioned before. Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel hadn't expected her to be so attractive and elegant. But their surprise grew when they noticed a short, mustached old man in a hat walking beside her with his head hung low.
"You're telling me that short, balding, and obviously perverted old man is your father-in-law, and that beautiful woman is his wife?" Lilith asked, eyeing Alex skeptically.
"Hey, girl! I heard that! Show some respect for your elders!" Kensei shouted, but was immediately punched in the head and smashed face-first into the ground.
"Stop yelling, Kensei. I'm not done with you yet," Ma Ju said coldly, lowering her fist.
The passersby didn't even react to Kensei being knocked out — scenes like this had long become ordinary to them.
Ma Ju turned her head toward the group of girls, narrowing her eyes slightly, and Alex noticed that she was looking directly at them. He waved his paw. The woman instantly recognized her son-in-law, even in the form of a cat. Her gaze softened, and a warm, motherly smile appeared on her face. She waved back, then grabbed her husband by the leg and dragged him home.
The four girls exchanged glances, unable to understand how such a beautiful and confident woman could marry someone like Kensei — a shameless pervert who peeked at girls in bathhouses and tried to look under their skirts.
Alex simply spread his paws.
"Love," he said briefly.
The girls nodded in agreement. There really was no other explanation for that union.
Continuing their walk, Alex noticed even more familiar faces strolling through the district. Some were sitting at street stalls, eating, laughing, and drinking. Among them stood out a particularly noisy group of samurai — the Shinsengumi squad led by Okita Souji.
They had gathered around a sake stand, laughing loudly and clinking their cups together. Watching the scene, Alex couldn't help but sigh. He still didn't understand why Brunhilde had decided to bring that crazy swordsman into this world. The rest of the Shinsengumi were, of course, also battle-hungry maniacs, but at least they possessed a shred of common sense. Okita, however, lived solely for the thrill of combat.
Alex immediately recalled how many times that maniac had challenged him during his stay in Valhalla. In just one week — the same week Alex spent setting up the new system — Okita Souji had managed to challenge him to a duel more than ten times.
And as if sensing the gaze upon him, Okita raised his head. Their eyes met — Alex's shimmering, rainbow-colored eyes were impossible to mistake.
The other Shinsengumi members instantly grew tense. They knew that look from their captain — it meant only one thing: he was about to start another fight.
"Captain, don't even think about it! Wasn't the last time enough for you?" said Kondo Isami sternly, glaring at Okita. "None of us want to deal with Brunhilde again."
"Kondo," Okita said, not breaking eye contact, "don't you think that nekomata looks... familiar?"
At first, his subordinates exchanged confused glances, but then they followed the direction of his gaze. They saw four beautiful women — and in the arms of one of them sat a fluffy nekomata. Then it hit them all at once — that look, those eyes... They had only ever seen them on one person.
Kondo immediately realized what was about to happen and reached out to grab his captain by the collar. But it was too late.
"Ha! I knew it was you!" Okita shouted, grinning broadly. Drawing his katana, he dashed forward.
He had finally found the one he'd been longing to challenge again. After all, it was precisely for moments like this that he had accepted Brunhilde's offer to join the Guild — to fight the strongest swordsmen and one day test his blade once more against Alex, to whom he had lost countless times.
However, he didn't make it far. The nekomata sitting in the arms of the woman with fiery red hair suddenly leapt forward and spun midair, striking him squarely in the face with her hind paw.
Okita flew backward, crashed into a wooden table, and shattered it with a loud thud.
Kondo and the other samurai stared silently at their captain, who now sported a perfect paw-shaped mark on his forehead.
Then, the same nekomata gracefully landed on Kondo's shoulder.
"Souji-chan, you haven't changed a bit," Alex said lazily, settling comfortably on his shoulder. "How much trouble have you managed to cause on my territory this time?"
"I don't think the captain can answer," one of the Shinsengumi said cautiously, checking Okita's breathing. "It looks like he's unconscious."
"What a shame," Alex snorted. "Well, never mind. Kondo-chan, take Souji-chan home. Let him sleep it off. And please, not a word about seeing me."
"My apologies, Alexander-sama," Kondo said, bowing deeply. "Souji has troubled you once again."
"It's fine, Kondo-chan, I'm used to it. Oh, and..." Alex yawned lazily. "Don't forget to pay for the table."
With that, he jumped off Kondo's shoulder and swiftly returned to Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel.
Kondo sighed heavily, paid the merchant, lifted his captain onto his back, and carried him home. The rest of the samurai efficiently began cleaning up the mess, moving with such calm and precision that it was clear this sort of incident had become routine for them.
When Alex once again settled comfortably in Lilith's arms, the girls immediately started bombarding him with questions. He briefly explained who Okita Souji was and what kind of group the Shinsengumi were.
It all came down to something simple: Souji was a battle maniac, and his comrades were the same—just a bit more restrained. They were the ones who stopped him from leveling half the city and cleaned up after his every stunt.
Watching the samurai carefully sweeping the streets and fixing a broken table, the girls exchanged glances.
"Well," Moxxi said quietly with a smirk, "this world isn't much different from Pandora."
"Except there's less killing here," Maya added.
"And just as much madness," Lilith concluded.
The encounter with Okita Souji and the Shinsengumi squad became just another amusing episode for the group—something to laugh about later.
The closer they got to the mansion, the more familiar faces Alex noticed. He kept spotting people he'd known back in Valhalla, and with each one, a thought grew louder in his head: just how many souls had Brunhilde managed to drag into the Guild?
He even caught sight of Sasaki Kojiro coming out of Akisame's clinic, complaining about back pain—saying age was catching up to him. Alex couldn't help but chuckle, scratching his chin with a paw.
"I wouldn't be surprised if Brunhilde invited even scientists from Valhalla," he muttered under his breath. "Newton, Edison, maybe even Archimedes…"
Then he remembered Rekka mentioning a "group of mad scientists" recently. At the time, Alex thought she meant some old bunch of theorists, but now he realized—it was a new batch of geniuses gathered by Brunhilde herself. That thought made him uneasy: if even half of those people brought their 'talent for disasters' into the Guild, everyone was in for a headache.
After a short walk through the evening district, Alex, Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel finally reached the mansion.
As they passed through the gates, the girls froze for a moment. Before them stood a grand house radiating both comfort and strength. It felt as if the very walls were breathing warmth.
"It's… just perfect," Maya whispered, her eyes wide in awe.
They could all feel it—not just architectural beauty, but something deeper. The girls already knew why: this was the home of the goddess Hestia, and her blessing filled the mansion with soft, homely energy.
Even knowing that, they couldn't shake the feeling that they had finally found a place they could call home.
Alex jumped down from Lilith's arms, padded up to the door, and gently pushed it open with his paw. Inside, it was quiet—not everyone had returned yet. Ryuu and Syr were still working as waitresses, while Brunhilde, Coco, Yuriko, and Saya were busy with Guild affairs. Some had even gone on missions to other worlds.
Following behind him, Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel walked through the spacious hall, admiring the interior: elegant furniture, soft lighting, and the scent of fresh pastries coming from the kitchen. Alex perked up his ears—voices were coming from the living room.
On all fours, he made his way there.
Inside sat Takashi, Gloria, and Namiyo. Alex instantly noticed that Takashi looked like he'd lost at least five kilos. Curiosity got the better of him, and with a single leap, he landed on the table.
"Yo," Alex said, raising a paw in greeting.
Gloria and Namiyo immediately recognized him, but Takashi only rolled his eyes wearily.
Alex asked what had happened—and soon heard a story that nearly made his ears droop.
It turned out that Takashi, Jonah, Kota, and Kenichi had gone on a mission to prevent the burning of the Sacred Tree in the elven kingdom. But, as always, Kota was being Kota—he couldn't resist getting a closer look at the elves.
The elves, as it turned out, hated humans and would kill anyone who set foot on their land. The reason was simple—humans had been kidnapping elves and selling them into slavery.
In the end, the group of four friends found themselves surrounded and unheard. A skirmish broke out—no one died, but it was still a serious fight. After they had taken down over a hundred elves, the Elf Queen herself appeared and, using nature magic, immobilized them, entangling them in roots.
At that moment, Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel entered the room. They listened silently, not interfering, and, of course, didn't forget to greet Gloria and Namiyo.
When Takashi reached the point of being thrown into the dungeon, Alex exhaled heavily and closed his eyes.
"David, why didn't you just run away?" he asked tiredly, sitting on Gloria's lap. "You had enough strength to slip out unnoticed."
"We tried," Takashi muttered, leaning back in the chair. "We spent a couple of days in the dungeon, then got out, grabbed our gear… and then the Avalore kingdom attacked the elven forest. Kenichi, as usual, started his speech about 'honor and duty,' saying we couldn't abandon those we came to save."
"And then what happened?" Alex asked, while Gloria absentmindedly stroked his fur.
"Then we listened to Kenichi and went to help. The fat guy, of course, didn't stop—kept saying he couldn't leave the 'beautiful elf girls.' Only it turned out that the 'beautiful elf girl' who fed him was a man," Takashi said dryly, laughing.
Alex's eyes widened, and his ears twitched as he tried to stifle his laughter.
"You're saying Kota fell in love with a male elf? I hope you didn't miss the chance to tell Mern and the other girls about it?"
"Of course I didn't!" Takashi grinned. "Now he hears about it every day."
"And how did it all end?" Alex asked, wagging his tails with amusement.
"We helped the elves fend off the attack, and then… the Queen caught us again. Roots again, dungeon again. This time they were watching us so we couldn't escape. Luckily, the fat guy managed to hide the phone. Where—better not ask. That's how we called for help and recently returned," Takashi replied, still annoyed after a week stuck in the dungeon thanks to two idiots.
Alex rolled his eyes and sighed.
"And you lost all that weight in just a week?"
"Try living on grass and water for a week yourself. The fat guy even lost twenty kilos," Takashi answered irritably.
Alex snorted, curled his tail around Gloria's knees, and said:
"I, in principle, can go without eating, but you certainly outdid yourselves. Let this be a lesson. You should have gathered information first. For that, you have a drone—you can get a world report through it, check the situation, political conflicts, and even request support."
He yawned lazily and added, wagging his tail slightly:
"In short, you're four idiots."
Takashi could only nod, speechless. Even though they already had several successful missions behind them, he had never faced a situation like this before—and now he fully understood that Alex was right: this would be a harsh, but necessary lesson. Deep down, Takashi swore he would never make such a mistake again. And as for Kota and Kenichi… he definitely wasn't going to forgive them for getting them thrown into the elf kingdom's dungeon twice.
Now, everything that happened—or would happen—with the elves and other kingdoms of this world no longer concerned him. As he, Kota, Jonah, and Kenichi left, Takashi fully understood that this wasn't the end for the elves. Especially if Becca was among those who had come to help. And Becca was not the type to tolerate rudeness. It didn't take a genius to guess that the Elf Queen had probably learned that lesson firsthand.
Alex touched Takashi with his paw and healed him, restoring his strength and healthy appearance. Takashi let out a deep sigh, thanked him, and, after saying goodbye to the others, headed home—first to his mothers to tell them everything that had happened, and then back to Yuki. He just wanted to spend the evening with her, but deep inside, the flame of revenge was already growing. Takashi firmly promised himself that he would find a way to make Kota and Kenichi pay for all the suffering.
Once the door closed behind him, the house became lively again. Gloria and Namiyo curiously got acquainted with Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel. The atmosphere quickly warmed up—the girls found common ground, laughed, and shared stories. Soon, the others began returning home as well.
As soon as they saw Alex in his Nekomata form, the house erupted in joyful exclamations. The girls couldn't contain their excitement—each wanted to hold him, cuddle him, stroke him, or at least take a picture. Alex soon became a living toy, moving from one pair of hands to another, being hugged, kissed, and petted. Even Freya couldn't resist and, quietly giggling, kissed his little face several times.
Some of the girls took selfies with him as keepsakes and immediately sent the photos to the family chat, showing off to those who were currently on missions.
Katsuie stood out the most—laughing, she ran off with Alex in her arms, refusing to give him to Nobuna. Nobuna, of course, chased after her, loudly demanding the return of her "husband." Nagahide, standing off to the side, simply smiled and patiently waited for the right moment to intercept the prize. And she got her chance—in an instant, Alex was in her arms, and she happily stroked his soft fur.
Alex had no idea that his transformation would cause such a commotion. Even Nyx came down from the second floor, drawn by the noise, and upon seeing the two-tailed cat, sighed heavily. Recognizing him, she asked in a tired voice:
"What on earth is going on here?"
But Alex didn't have time to answer—at that moment, another pair of hands scooped him up again.
When the storm of emotions finally subsided, he lay exhausted on Hephaestus' lap. The goddess patiently smoothed his fur, wiping away traces of lipstick left by overly affectionate admirers. Alex felt nothing—he just lay there, resigned to his fate.
The experience had been… strange, but he decided not to return to his human form just yet. Hephaestus calmly went about her task, ignoring the envious glances of Hestia, Haruhime, Syr, Zero Two, Lili, Tiona, Ais, and even Bella. They all wanted to hold Alex a little longer while he was soft and fluffy.
After a few minutes, his fur shone again and looked perfectly groomed. Alex lay motionless, as if completely drained, but fate decided that rest was not yet meant for him—this time, he ended up on Freya's lap.
Opening one eye, he met her sly gaze. The goddess smiled faintly and continued stroking him. Alex let out a heavy sigh and shifted his gaze to Lilith, Maya, Moxxi, and Angel—they had already befriended all the other girls.
Looking at Angel, he remembered that he wanted to introduce her to someone.
"Darling, is Valeri home? Or did she go on a mission?" he asked, settling into a more comfortable position on Freya's lap.
"She should be home," she replied, thoughtfully running her fingers through his fur. "She returned from a mission a couple of days ago and is resting now."
Alex nodded and jumped down from Freya's lap. She didn't need any explanation—as a goddess, she already understood why he asked about Valeri. Thanks to her gift, Freya had already glimpsed the souls of the girls Alex had brought and noticed something troubling: Angel's soul, though freed from its chains, still seemed trapped, as if in a cage. The sight pricked the goddess's heart. Like Alex, she preferred souls to be free, radiant, alive—not dulled, frozen in the chains of the past.
Alex quietly approached Angel and jumped onto her lap. The girl smiled, chatting cheerfully with the others, but when she felt the soft paws touch her legs, she lowered her gaze. Alex met her eyes and beckoned with his paw, inviting her to follow him.
Angel hesitated, tilting her head, but when she saw the cat already jump to the floor and head toward the exit, she quickly stood up and followed him.
They went up to the second floor, walking down a long corridor. Alex explained that each girl had her own room here—a personal space where she could do her favorite activities and simply be herself without disturbing others.
Finally, they stopped at a door that was supposed to belong to the "girls' room." But in reality, it looked different—just by the door, one could tell that a true troublemaker lived inside. Loud music rumbled from within, and Alex immediately recognized the familiar rhythm—it was SAMURAI, a band known to everyone in Night City.
He nudged the door with his paw, and their eyes immediately fell on Valeri. She was sitting at her desk in a long white tank top and dark underwear, completely absorbed in the process of upgrading a pistol. Her hair, once light green, was now a deep purple—apparently, she had experimented with the color again.
Valeri bobbed her head to the music and didn't even notice anyone entering the room. Honestly, she didn't care—in her room, she felt completely free and saw no need to bother with clothing.
But when an embarrassed cough sounded from behind, she flinched, turned off the music, and looked around.
The first thing Valeri noticed was the tattooed girl—Angel—and then her gaze fell on the black cat with two tails. The appearance was far too familiar.
Alex covered his face with a paw and let out a heavy sigh. Seeing his younger sister in just a tank top and underwear was definitely not something he wanted to witness. He knew perfectly well that Valeri had grown up and had her own feelings, but to him, she was still a child. After all, she had just turned sixteen.
"Who are you?" Valeri asked lazily, crossing one leg over the other, making the situation even more awkward for Alex.
"Valeri, put on some shorts. Stop showing off your underwear to everyone," came Alex's voice.
"Big brother? Where are you?" she frowned, looking around.
"I'm here," he replied, not lowering his paw from his eyes.
Valeri raised an eyebrow, looked down, and realized that the cat in front of her was indeed her brother. Once she was convinced, she picked him up. Alex didn't open his eyes, simply letting her hold him.
"Eh," Valeri exhaled, coughing awkwardly. "Alright, alright."
She placed him on the desk and quickly pulled on sweatpants and a sweatshirt.
While Valeri tidied herself up, Angel looked around the room. Posters of rock bands and mercenaries hung everywhere, weapon models lined the shelves, and a mini-fridge buzzed in the corner, stocked with soda and snacks. A true tomboy's room.
Alex scanned the mess and realized it was better not to sit anywhere—clothes, including underwear, were scattered everywhere. So he jumped onto the workbench, where at least it was safe.
Angel and Valeri soon started talking—the former asked about the posters and weapons, while the latter enthusiastically explained how she had upgraded everything herself, proudly showing off her achievements.
But suddenly, Valeri felt Alex's gaze burning into her back. Turning around, she saw him pointing with his paw at the scattered underwear and then at the laundry basket.
Valeri sighed heavily. Her older brother was always her older brother. She grimaced but began cleaning up the mess.
Angel decided to help, and together they quickly got to work.
"Big brother, maybe you could just clean everything with your magic?" Valeri asked, holding up another pile of clothes.
"This is your room, my dear Valeri," Alex replied calmly, scratching his ear. "Your personal corner, your little world. That means you're the one who needs to keep it in order."
He spoke softly, but with that unmistakable tone that carried an unyielding "no exceptions."
Valeri snorted but smiled—it was still comforting that even in cat form, her older brother remained the one who reminded her of discipline and care.
She mumbled under her breath and continued putting her things away, placing everything in its proper place. As she and Angel cleaned and got to know each other better, Alex decided to take a look at the projects his younger sister was working on.
Being a responsible older brother, of course, he didn't peek into her personal diary, which Valeri hid in a secret compartment of her desk. How did Alex know about it? Simple—his job was to know everything.
He gently touched the monitor of her computer with his paw and flipped through the latest projects. Alex knew perfectly well that Valeri was an incredibly curious and determined girl, hungry for knowledge. After scrolling through the files for a bit, he nodded with satisfaction, a contented cat-like smile spreading across his face, and then carefully closed everything.
Meanwhile, Valeri and Angel were chatting happily, discussing various topics. Valeri enthusiastically recounted the worlds she had visited over the past month. Alex knew that the girls from the main group weren't sent on dangerous missions, so Valeri, Nobukatsu, Alice, and Göll handled relatively safe tasks—searching for rare materials, artifacts, or just interesting things.
Even those adventures were enough for Valeri to feel satisfied with her life.
When she began proudly talking about the last world they had visited, Alex's eyelid twitched betrayingly.
The reason? Their latest assignment had come from Erina and Alice Nakiri—girls obsessed with culinary experiments. They had asked for new exotic fruits for their dishes. Recently, one group had already brought back samples—fruits that looked like a cross between a peach and sweet grapes. Enchanted by the taste, Erina placed a new order: to gather as many of these "peach grapes" as possible.
The task had been easy, and after successfully completing the mission, Valeri and her team decided to take a little walk through the capital of the Solaris kingdom. That was when the local crown prince noticed Valeri—and, of course, assumed she should be flattered by his attention.
"A real prince fell in love with you?" Angel asked, surprised.
"Hmm, of course," Valeri smirked, straightening her shoulders. "I'm pretty enough for people to fall in love with me. And he's not even the first one to try courting me."
"What did you tell him?" came a cold voice from behind them.
Angel and Valeri turned at the same time. Alex was sitting on the desk, looking at them with such an expression that the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees. His eyes darkened, and even his tails froze in the air.
He knew perfectly well how attractive his younger sister was, but he couldn't stand it when any "princes" tried to get close to her or any other girls in his family. To him, they were all the same—spoiled, arrogant, and self-satisfied.
Angel, used to seeing Alex as a kind, caring man, was momentarily taken aback—his aura had changed so abruptly.
"What else could I tell him," Valeri replied with a grin, "I've got a cool, super beautiful big brother. I told him to go fuck himself."
"And how did that idiot prince react?" Alex asked calmly, lazily swaying his tails.
"As usual. He started shouting that he was a prince, that I should be grateful for his attention, that it was an honor for a commoner like me that the future king deigned to notice me," Valeri said, waving her hand.
"And then what happened?" Angel asked with interest. "Did he try to grab you?"
"He didn't even come close," Valeri smirked. "Nobukatsu punched him right in the nose so hard he flew into the fountain. Then he took down the guards of this 'great heir' as well. We had to leave quickly, though, so we wouldn't have to deal with the royal guards."
She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand.
"But before leaving, I still hit the prince in the groin. I think I… might have damaged his royal treasures a little. So now he's missing front teeth and won't have any heirs."
Alex chuckled, pleased with what he'd heard.
"Good job, Nobukatsu. I'll have to make him some new brass knuckles. Even if he's your little brother, he still acted like a real man. Glad to hear he's no longer the snot I remember."
He tapped the table with his claw and squinted at Valeri.
"Now then, dear Valeri, let's talk about your other admirers. Where and when did you meet them?"
"No need to worry," she replied with a light laugh. "I've already beaten them all. Do they really think they can compare to my big brother? Heh… fools."
Alex nodded, satisfied, and couldn't help but feel proud. Valeri had done the right thing, but what pleased him most was Nobukatsu — not only had he put the prince in his place, he'd beaten the entire guard. Alex smirked. So it hadn't been in vain when he once awakened the fire of youth in the boy.
Leaving the girls to continue chatting, Alex jumped off the desk and, treading softly on all fours, made his way to Nobukatsu's room.
He nudged the door open with his paw — and froze.
Nobukatsu was doing upside-down push-ups, balancing on his thumbs. His muscles strained, sweat ran down his temples, and his face showed complete determination.
"Today, the fire of my youth burns brighter than ever!" he shouted. "If I don't manage a thousand push-ups on my thumbs, I'll run a thousand laps on my hands around the stadium!"
Alex froze, mouth agape.
A sudden, uneasy thought flashed through his mind: had he really needed to ignite this fire in him? Judging by appearances, Nobukatsu was seriously planning to become the local Might Guy. Alex could already see it — green jumpsuit, bowl haircut, shouting about the power of youth through the streets of the city.
He simply sighed. Perhaps he really had created a new "green beast," now shining with blazing enthusiasm. But, on the plus side, Nobukatsu could now protect himself and those he cared about.
Alex stepped inside, jumped onto the desk, and silently watched the boy continue his upside-down push-ups, loudly proclaiming the power of youth. He noted that Nobukatsu's body had grown stronger and more resilient, and the boy himself had grown taller. Not long ago, he had been a spoiled prince, ignorant of hard work.
"Excellent!" Nobukatsu shouted, standing upright. "Now a thousand jump squats!"
"Wait, hero, you're not alone here," Alex said lazily.
Nobukatsu flinched, glanced over, and finally noticed the two-tailed cat sitting on the desk.
"Big Brother!" he exclaimed joyfully.
Alex nodded and explained why he had come — he just wanted to praise him for standing up for his sister.
In response, Nobukatsu raised his hand with his thumb pointed upward and struck Might Guy's signature pose, flashing his teeth so brightly that Alex instinctively covered his eyes.
He just let out a heavy sigh.
"Yeah…" Alex muttered. "Resistance seems useless."
He clicked his paw, and new brass knuckles and greaves, crafted specifically for Nobukatsu, appeared on the desk. Along with them was a green training jumpsuit, an exact replica of Might Guy's.
Seeing the gifts, Nobukatsu laughed loudly and contagiously, perfectly mimicking the laugh of his "spiritual mentor."
For a moment, Alex considered sending him straight to Might Guy for training.
In the end, he just flicked his tails, wished him luck, and let the boy enjoy his new "toys."
Alex knew perfectly well that Nobukatsu had long been trying to emulate his fighting style, so he provided him with equipment tailored specifically for that path.
Descending back to the first floor, Alex made his way to the girls and jumped onto Nobuna's lap. She, listening to Alex's story about her brother's "blazing youth," merely waved her hand.
"The main thing is that he doesn't turn into a crybaby again," she smirked. "Better let him be strong."
Alex just nodded and settled in comfortably, closing his eyes.
He simply wanted to spend a little time with his family before returning to Forks and his work. The girls' voices filled the house with warmth and coziness. This was the peace he had always sought.
Even if he had to fight monsters and shadows, it was all worth it for one thing — for those he loved and would protect until his last breath.
Nobuna gently stroked his head, and Alex soon drifted off to sleep to the soft rustle of female voices.
To be continued…
(How could I have missed the chapter where Alex returns home? And let's not forget that even without Alex, everyone continues to go about their business and visit different worlds. After all, his family wants to help him with his work. And so they become not only stronger but also more experienced in the work Alex does.)
Early access to chapters on my patreon: p*treon.com/GreedHunter