Chapter 195: Tiluminus·Est
That night, Zeta talked with him at length.
They discussed ideals and immortality, then moved on to Shadow Garden's future plans, and even touched upon how each member was doing.
This was perhaps the most Zeta had spoken since he had taken her in.
It wasn't until late at night that she finally left his dormitory, leaving behind several grilled sauries for his dinner before leaping from the balcony and vanishing into the pitch-dark night.
Cats are like that—wild at heart, following their whims, yet always fearing their caretaker might go hungry, bringing back all sorts of peculiar things.
As Mahiro savored the freshly charcoal-grilled sauries, he gazed out at the dark night sky and thought just that.
However, his wasn't the only room still brightly lit at such a late hour.
Not far from the faculty dormitories, in the girls' dormitory, one room was similarly illuminated—
Claire was also still awake.
If there were an NPC status bar, it would surely display this above Claire's head.
Having just bathed, her delicate figure, clad in a nightgown, still carried a faint steam, and droplets of water occasionally fell from her neatly combed black hair.
They trailed from her temples down to her refined collarbones, then slowly slipped into the unseen depths below.
But in her hands, she held a black coat, her crimson eyes swirling with an emotion called longing.
"We meet again, Teacher..."
Claire murmured this softly to herself, her fingertips gently tracing the surface of the coat.
This was the very coat Mahiro had left with her when she was rescued after being kidnapped some days ago.
She had kept it carefully preserved all this time.
Perhaps to see the object and think of the person, Claire took it out nearly every night to look at it, pouring out her longing as if Mahiro were right before her.
But what she never expected was—
This beastly, wretched, perverted teacher had silently taken a position at the academy!
If they were going to meet again anyway, why did he have to make things so awkward back then?!
Did this bastard teacher just want to see me make a fool of myself?!
"A beastly teacher like this deserves punishment."
Claire couldn't help but think this, slightly tightening her grip on the coat, a chilling smile curling on her usually unapproachable, icy face.
Especially in the deep of night.
But soon, she let out a soft sigh, loosening her hold on the coat and gently smoothing out the wrinkles she had made.
It's no good...
The wretched teacher isn't Cid—not someone she can easily manipulate.
Although in the past, this teacher had always indulged and tolerated her willful behavior, things were different now.
Mahiro, once her private tutor, was no longer hers alone.
And most crucially, there was that woman, Rose Oriana, who also seemed very familiar with that beastly teacher. From the gaze in those golden eyes, Claire had seen an emotion called affection.
This won't do!
No matter how wretched, how perverted, how beastly that teacher is, he belongs to her!
How could she let anyone else take him away?
But how exactly should she go about winning him back...
Claire lifted her head, her gaze shifting slightly before settling on a book placed on the desk before her.
The title read—One Hundred Ways to Handle Men.
This book had been recommended to her by a kind classmate, who claimed it could solve her troubles.
Now, it seemed, it might actually be useful...
As this thought crossed her mind, Claire unconsciously reached out and quietly flipped open the book's cover.
[How to capture a man's heart? Why not try cooking? Only by capturing a man's stomach can you capture his attention.]
"..."
A spark of determination instantly lit up in Claire's eyes.
...
Early morning.
The chirping of birds outside the window roused Mahiro from his dreams. The glaring morning sun slanted into the room from beyond the horizon, shining directly onto the bed.
"Hmm... Something feels off..."
Half-asleep, Mahiro murmured as if talking in his sleep.
He felt a slight weight on his body—warm, soft, and smooth, as if someone were lying on top of him.
"...Is it Zeta?"
He couldn't help but wonder.
Among the Seven Shadows, aside from Eta, Zeta was the one who most enjoyed sleeping on him.
And Zeta had visited him just last evening...
Thinking this, he slowly wrapped his arms around the petite figure lying on him. His wandering hands brushed against something that felt like small cardamom pods.
Squeeze!
He gave a gentle pinch.
"Mm..."
"Wait, that's not right!"
Hearing that sound, Mahiro's eyes snapped wide open, and his drowsiness vanished instantly.
He remembered.
Although Zeta had come over last night, she had left by midnight and hadn't stayed over!
Besides, Zeta's body wasn't this small—this felt more like a young girl...
Most importantly, it was very flat...
Was that sweat?
He felt a chill trickle down his temple.
No doubt about it—they were indoors, so it couldn't be rain. It had to be sweat.
And the sudden appearance of an unfamiliar girl in his bed... Mahiro didn't dare to think about what that meant.
"I don't recall sleepwalking, and I certainly don't have a habit of dragging girls into my room while asleep..."
Muttering as if in prayer, he slowly lifted the blanket covering him.
Sure enough, beneath the covers, he saw a creature that shouldn't be there—
A silver-haired beauty.
And she was completely naked—stark naked.
Well, not entirely, since she was wearing black thigh-high socks.
This preference... no, this style of dress and her appearance felt vaguely familiar to him.
Silver hair, thigh-high socks, and a beauty...
However, his action of lifting the blanket seemed to have disturbed the girl's slumber, waking her from her sleep.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes and letting out a heavy yawn, she said to him:
"Good morning, Mahiro."
"...?"
"I don't know you."
The silver-haired beauty sitting atop him shook her head, her cascading silver hair swaying with the motion.
"I merely heard others refer to you that way."
"...Then who are you?"
"Est."
The girl answered expressionlessly. "Since human vocal organs cannot pronounce my true name, you may call me Est."
She even offered him an explanation.
Yet this name, combined with his earlier speculations, sparked a bold conjecture within him.
He tentatively asked:
"Your full name wouldn't happen to be... Terminus Est, would you?"
In that instant, Est's deep purple pupils slightly widened as she looked at him.
"You can actually pronounce my name."
Est felt both profoundly novel and astonished.
Her previous contractor, the Saint Areishia Idriss, couldn't utter her true name, yet this person managed it effortlessly.
Of course, this was natural.
He wasn't from that world after all.
Moreover, the etymology of "Terminus" traced back to Latin, meaning "this is the boundary" or "this is the end."
But these were trivial matters.
What truly surprised him was confirming this loli was indeed the Guardian Deity Est...
But why was she here?
Wasn't this the world of Eminence in Shadow?
For the Demon King Killing Sacred Sword to appear here—wasn't this crossing narratives?!
Could this broken world share some connection with the universe of Bladedance of Elementalers?!
Mahiro's thoughts ran wild, feeling everything was hurtling toward a subtle direction.
"What are you thinking about? If you keep frowning, your good fortune might drift away."
Est leaned forward, her silver hair spilling over him as she gently smoothed the wrinkles between his brows with her small hand.
"...I was just wondering why you appeared here."
"Because I belong to you, Master."
Est blinked her nearly transparent deep purple eyes, answering without hesitation.
"Alright, you win..."
That was quite the compelling response.
Though honestly, he should have figured it out earlier—given all the strange occurrences and the stinging pain on his hand yesterday...
Wait, no normal person would make such a connection!
Who could possibly guess the renowned Demon King Killing Sacred Sword from Bladedance of Elementalers would appear in the world of Eminence in Shadow?!
Exhausted. Just end everything.
Mahiro lay on the bed with complete apathy.
While suddenly acquiring a beautiful sword maiden was delightful...
"Master?"
Est sensed his fluctuating emotions finally settling at a subtle point, piquing her curiosity.
"Nothing... Don't call me Master. You're also forbidden from calling me Father, Elder Brother, or Onii-chan. Just call me Mahiro."
Mahiro preemptively set the boundaries.
He clearly remembered how this version of Est—whether mischievous or naturally airheaded—would produce all sorts of bizarre forms of address in the original story.
The silver-haired beauty wearing only black thigh-highs nodded in acknowledgment.
"Understood. I shall call you Mahiro."
Mahiro... Mahiro... My master is Yotsuba Mahiro...
Est kept repeating these words under her breath, murmuring softly.
While she appeared to be actively accepting this fact on the surface, her gaze toward Mahiro carried a subtle, inexplicable nuance.
Having slept for a thousand years, Est should have been overjoyed to gain a new master, yet her mood wasn't particularly bright.
Aside from the fact that her curses would rebound onto her master, the main reason was this terrible master who actually used other weapons right in front of her without ever calling upon her, forcing her to appear on her own initiative!
Not to mention he had forcibly contracted her without going through the proper channels...
How infuriating!
But since he could speak her name, she decided to forgive him.
As master and sword remained in silent confrontation, neither speaking, sudden knocking interrupted the quiet.
Knock, knock, knock
Though not particularly loud, it was enough to be heard by those inside.
Just like now, when both Mahiro and Est turned their attention toward the door.
"...Who could it be, coming to knock so early in the morning?"
Mahiro picked up Est who was sitting on him, placed her on the bed while rising to answer the door.
But the moment his hand grasped the doorknob, he suddenly realized something.
"Est, could you return for now?"
"No, I want to stay by Mahiro's side."
Est's typically emotionless tone now carried a hint of resentment, like a sulking child muttering softly:
"If I go back, Mahiro will just use other weapons again and not call for me."
Mahiro: "....."
Alright, you win.
"Fine, you don't have to go back, but at least put on some clothes. If someone sees you like this, my life in this world might as well be over."
"?"
Est tilted her head, slowly forming a question mark in her mind.
"I don't understand. Regarding clothes, I am properly dressed."
She was referring, of course, to the thigh-high socks she wore.
Mahiro couldn't help but slap his own forehead hard.
He had forgotten.
This foolish spirit completely lacked normal human shame, instead having rather peculiar preferences, especially her obsession with those thigh-high socks...
So he explained:
"I mean clothing that covers your entire body, otherwise my life really will be over!"
At that point, he might have to destroy another world.
"...?"
Though not understanding his words, Est nodded and said:
"J."
Then her entire body was enveloped in pure holy light, immediately followed by the appearance of new clothing covering her form.
"Is this acceptable now?"
Mahiro stared speechlessly at Est.
Are you doing this on purpose?
What Est was wearing was none other than Shadow Garden's black combat suit.
The pure black slime bodysuit adorned with gold accents clung tightly to her delicate figure.
"Don't you like it? I remember during our first meeting, all the girls around Mahiro were dressed like this."
Sensing his emotions, Est tilted her head at him again.
I wouldn't say it looks bad, but rather it's extremely fitting—especially that holy aura paired with black, giving off an almost sinful vibe.
But the real question is, can this be worn out on the streets?!
Knock, knock, knock
Just then, knocking sounds came from the door again, as if urging him.
"Coming, coming!"
Mahiro called out toward the door, then quickly lowered his voice and said to Est:
"Change into something else, something more ordinary!"
"Understood."
This time, Est changed into the uniform of Midgard Academy.
Seeing this, Mahiro finally breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.
He then turned the doorknob and opened the door.
"Good morning, Mahiro-sensei."
A greeting came from outside the door.
Claire woke up unusually early today.
Following what she'd read in books, Claire began preparing a lovingly made bento.
Since these were single dormitories, and some students even brought servants to school, the dorms were equipped with facilities like kitchens—essentially everything one might need.
However, during the preparation process, Claire justified it to herself with the flimsy excuse that "Everything is to punish that beastly teacher—it's definitely not out of affection or anything like that."
That said, despite it being her first time cooking, the final product looked quite presentable.
At the very least, there were no visible issues with its appearance—the color coordination was perfect, without a single flaw.
The only question was how it would taste.
Claire didn't sample it herself, directly packing the meal into a box.
She then left the dorm and headed straight for the teacher's dormitory, just a few streets away.
After asking around and learning Mahiro's address, she went directly up to the third floor.
As she climbed the steps one by one, for some reason, Claire felt her heart pounding wildly.
This was the first time she'd ever felt this way!
But being as stubborn as she was, she paid it no mind and went straight to the only occupied room on the third floor.
Then she knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock—
No response.
Knock, knock, knock
"Coming, coming!"
A voice came from inside the room, but it sounded a bit strange?
Just as Claire was puzzled, the door opened.
Claire instinctively smiled and said:
"Good morning, Mahiro-sensei...???"
The person who opened the door wasn't the Mahiro she was expecting, but a maid responsible for cleaning the room.
"Are you looking for Lord Yotsuba?" the maid asked politely.
"Yes, where is he?"
"...This early?"
"Lord Yotsuba has already left the dormitory."
Claire slightly furrowed her delicate eyebrows.
There was still about an hour left before school started.
Was that beastly teacher really this diligent?
When he taught her before, he always showed up exactly on time—never once early.
As it turned out, Mahiro really was that diligent.
At that moment, he was sitting in a private compartment in the noble-class section of the train, enjoying breakfast with Est.
Across from them, the pink-haired beauty Sherry sat with her hands pressed between her black-stocking-clad thighs, gently rubbing them, her face showing a shy expression.
It was she who had taken Mahiro away early in the morning.
That was why Claire ended up finding nothing.