The door slammed shut once more.
It would've been better if Mai hadn't put on such an act, but she and her companion hurriedly and deliberately closed the door, as if solidifying some nonexistent ambiguous atmosphere between them inside.
"…." Shirou found it amusing and exasperating at the same time. He carefully helped Nono back to the bed. Through this brief farce, Shirou gained a deeper understanding of Mai's ploy to push Nono onto his "thief ship."
"Thank you."
Nono clearly wasn't the type of shy little girl. She let him fuss with her soft body and tuck her in, her bright eyes simply staring blankly at his red hair, as if trying to see something hidden there.
It reminded her faintly of the "ninja master" who had helped her once—but on closer thought, there was a distinct difference.
…She remembered that the "ninja master" had already said goodbye to her.
Nono realized her situation: the Chen family was in the past now, and the identity of Miss Chen naturally faded away too. The ninja master refused to take her in, so she should've been all alone now.
Yet here she was, being treated by the Zhou family—and the Zhou family wasn't exactly a charitable family. They surely saw some value in her…
Nono felt weary deep down.
The struggles of these families weren't that different from what she'd seen before—siblings fighting over interests. Before realizing her own family's true nature, she too had been enamored with the harmonious and flattering facade they'd built, with all those sweet words and melodies.
Later, she came to understand it was just a mirage her father had created. Everyone's aim was simple: whoever gained her—the daughter he loved most—would be closest to the family's power.
She'd grown sick of that scene.
Was she about to step into another whirlpool now?
Looking at Shirou, Nono noticed his slightly darker shade of red hair.
That unusual color startled her a little.
No one in the vast Chen family had hair like that.
Lacking any emotional anchor, Nono unconsciously felt a faint sense of kinship toward Shirou. She began searching for more similarities.
"Say, are you popular here in the Zhou family?"
Shirou nodded. With the progress of his training and his strength, it was only natural.
But was Nono finally starting to care about her current situation? That was a good sign.
"Is the head of the Zhou family most fond of you as well?"
"…At the moment, probably no one else." Shirou thought to himself that Wanu all but wanted to devour him alive.
"Then… have you thought about leaving this family?"
"Eh?"
Shirou looked at her, a bit surprised. She was still staring at his red hair, then his eyes, as if yearning for the right answer.
He had indeed thought about leaving at some point…
Whap! Nono suddenly raised her frail arm, grabbed his hand tightly before he could pick up a piece of cake.
Cake crumbs fell from their hands as they met.
Nono's eyes gleamed as if she'd found someone like her.
"You're making the right choice. Don't be fooled by that family head's sugar-coated words!" She spoke earnestly, like someone more experienced, trying to advise him.
"Uh, uh?" Did she mean about being a live-in son-in-law or something? He obviously wouldn't do that.
But she kept jumping from topic to topic. Shirou couldn't quite figure out what was going on in her head.
——
Meanwhile, outside the door, Mai brushed aside a little hand poking her waist and continued peeking through the crack.
Poke poke.
"Tch!" Mai twitched at the waist pokes and glanced back helplessly.
Zero was expressionlessly poking her waist, silently telling her to stop peeking.
"Just a little longer!" Mai whispered. "The friendship between our little hero and the little shrine maiden is going great!"
She had deliberately orchestrated that earlier "awkward scene" to push them closer.
Zero simply raised a finger to her lips: shhh! Then tugged at Mai's sleeve, meaning—enough already.
"Wow! You'll never guess what I just saw—hand-holding success! Our little hero has already captured the girl's heart!" Mai was practically bubbling with excitement.
But Zero stayed silent.
She tugged harder, pulling Mai away from the doorframe just as it opened.
Crap…! Mai froze at the sight of Shirou standing there, feeling like she'd been caught red-handed.
Luckily, Shirou didn't seem angry. He simply held two boxes of cake.
"Want some?"
The two girls nodded obediently.
——
At the same time, the secret negotiations between the Clock Tower, the Holy Church, and the Zhou family were just beginning.
Snoden, of Westminster Abbey, subtly applied pressure in his words.
Grandmaster Kamprau, who arrived later, didn't know what deal Snoden had made beforehand.
But he figured at worst, Westminster would just pay extra to get a more complete version of the magic system. 'Hmph, when it comes to wealth and treasures, we Knights Templar fear nothing.'
Westminster offers you one, I offer three!
With that thought, Kamprau slammed his armored chest and declared loudly.
"Hah! Of course I've discussed things with the Zhou family beforehand. Our Knights Templar are a grand order spreading the Lord's glory, with members selected from two billion faithful worldwide. How could we be compared to some little British upstarts?"
He was already planning to work closely with the Pope, create a new church-based organization to absorb the magic system, and even have the Pope act as its symbolic leader.
Thus, the name would naturally include "Templar."
Templar Church.
The two rivals sparred verbally but held back from a full-blown fight.
Until Wanu arrived with the other Zhou family heads.
——
Meanwhile, Shirou's thoughts about Nono: she wasn't at all like a demure little sister—more like an unpredictable bundle of "chuuni."
Even before arriving at the Zhou estate, she clung to him, whispering warnings about how families weren't to be trusted, urging him to join forces with her to escape the whirlpool of power.
Shirou just smiled wryly. After all, she had been through a terrible childhood, and perhaps time would heal her.
After she fell asleep, he left her in the care of medical staff, politely refused Mai's offer to carry him, and went to pick up his medicine.
On the way, he decided to visit Tang, figuring the liveliest room would be his.
Sure enough, Room C-7 was full of laughter as Tang bragged about his battle with Odin, completely rewriting the story and making himself the hero.
Shirou waited at the door for a while, then finally went in.
The nurses all but ignored Tang once Shirou appeared, asking for his autograph instead.
Tang grumbled but accepted the medicine Shirou brought.
When Shirou saw the ingredients listed—deer antler, wolfberry, ginseng, deer whip—he realized it was basically a giant male enhancement tonic.
Tang: "What's it for?"
Shirou just patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, it works."
Tang: "I believe you!"
——
Shirou then went looking for Zhou Yuxuan, hoping to hand off the extra medicine.
As he approached the central hall, he saw tight security—obviously something big was going on.
Yuxuan came out, confirming they were meeting with Clock Tower and Templar Church representatives.
Just then, the two Westerners exited: the refined Snoden of the Clock Tower, and the imposing, armored Kamprau of the Templars.
They both noticed Shirou and immediately came over, vying for his attention.
Snoden shook his hand first, calling him a "genius magus."
Kamprau quickly followed, presenting a black credit card as a gift.
Then Snoden not to be outdone, handed over a Mint club card, exchanging it for another pack of Shirou's… tonic.
Shirou: …these two old men are something else.
Even Yuxuan couldn't help but glance at the medicine knowingly, though he kept silent.
——
After exchanging pleasantries, Shirou left.
He felt their overtures were more about his "godslayer" reputation than anything. As for joining their factions? No thanks.
The Clock Tower was infamous for its corruption.
The Holy Church? Well, their lower-tier Executors were basically cannon fodder.
This whole world was just one big chaotic troupe…
(End of Chapter)
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