"Mmm-hah~... What time is it now..."
Alistair opened his eyes, his mind still slightly hazy.
"Emmm, past nine o'clock?"
Alistair picked up his phone, lit up the screen, and stared at the numbers for a moment.
Right, I had something planned today...
Alistair scratched his head, still groggy from sleep.
He should take a shower first. Sleeping like that last night left him sticky all over.
Alistair moved his body, feeling sticky and very uncomfortable. He looked back at Chiaki, who was still sound asleep. The white, viscous breath of the Magma Giant Dragon that had overflowed from Chiaki's Peach Secret Mouth had dried, looking crusty. There were even white hardened patches on the sheets beneath her, formed by the fluid that had leaked out.
However, since Chiaki was still sleeping soundly, Alistair decided not to wake her. He had originally planned to ask her to shower together, but since she was sleeping so deeply, he would just let her rest.
Alistair slowly withdrew the arm that had been tucked under Chiaki's head. He shook it a bit; it was still numb. After all, it had been compressed all night. This apparently didn't fall within the healing scope of the Horse Talisman, meaning it couldn't strictly be considered an abnormal state. So, Alistair had to quietly "enjoy" the discomfort.
Alistair stretched casually, then opened the wardrobe, grabbed a bathrobe, opened the door, and walked out.
"A hot bath is so comfortable. I feel completely relaxed~"
Soaking in the tub, Alistair sighed contentedly.
Clank.
"Tadaima (I'm home)~"
A faint sound of the door opening came, accompanied by a woman's voice.
"Oh dear, are Chiaki and Little Alistair not up yet? Or are they not home yet?"
A middle-aged woman, Chiaki's Mom, entered, pulling a small suitcase. Finding no response to her voice, she first peeked around, sensing only quietness.
"Little Alistair! Chiaki! Little Alistair! Chiaki!..."
After changing her shoes in the entryway, the middle-aged woman called out a few times. Finding still no response, she planned to put away her luggage first, then go upstairs to check. Even if today was Nichiyōbi (Sunday) and they didn't have school, they shouldn't be too lazy. It was almost ten o'clock. Were they still sleeping? They should be out enjoying their youth with friends, not always cooped up at home.
And inside the bathroom...
Did I just hear the door open? Did Chiaki's mom come back?
Alistair frowned, stopping his movements, and listening to the sounds outside. Chiaki's mom's calls quickly reached his ears.
Shit! Auntie is back! She's not going to go upstairs, is she?! Chiaki is still in my bed, and that scene would absolutely shock her on the spot.
Alistair suddenly stood up, stepped out of the bathtub, shook the water from his head, opened the bathroom door, grabbed a bathrobe from the adjacent basket, threw it on, loosely tied the belt, and rushed out.
Alistair tip-toed out, looked around, and slowly walked upstairs.
He had just glanced at the sofa and saw Auntie's classic brown handbag. She was probably back in her room putting things away. Fortunately, the master bedroom was on the first floor. Otherwise, if she had gone to check Alistair's room along the way, it would have been an instant major catastrophe.
Clack.
Alistair pushed open his room door and found Chiaki was awake, but likely having just woken up, she was still rubbing her eyes, looking a bit confused.
"Hah~ Little Alistair, what's wrong? You look like you're in a hurry."
Chiaki yawned, asking in a somewhat lazy tone.
"Did you forget? Auntie was coming back today! She's already home. We should quickly clean up, or seeing this state, we'll definitely get an earful."
Alistair spoke quickly, but Chiaki showed no sense of urgency. She even leaned against the headboard to rest.
"I don't really care. Besides, my mom might actually be happy that you and I are together. After all, your image has always been great in her eyes. In a way, we're childhood sweethearts, aren't we? We're not related by blood; my mom and your mom are just sisters by name."
Chiaki spoke leisurely, without a hint of worry.
"The main thing is I'm afraid Auntie will push us to get married! What if she immediately starts urging us to marry?"
Alistair rubbed his forehead. That was his main fear—Auntie's push for marriage. Otherwise, he wouldn't mind. Besides, if their relationship was official, it would be less convenient for him to bring girls home.
"Don't tell me your grandfather doesn't know the owners of the apartments around here. Can't you just ask your grandfather for help? At the very least, reserve one room for you, and we can move out, can't we? Didn't you say your finances were liberated? Worst case scenario, just find an empty room in this apartment building! As for the reason, we can just make something up, like wanting to be self-reliant."
Chiaki rolled her eyes and retorted.
"Uh, you're right. I was too narrow-minded."
Alistair realized she had a point. He had always been accustomed to treating the place he lived the longest as his base of operations, so he always thought based on the situation at home. He wouldn't have had this idea even before transmigrating, as he was a recluse at home with no girls to play with, so he couldn't have had this kind of trouble...
It seemed his previous life was a little sad...
"But, you really don't look well like this. Don't you feel uncomfortable?"
Turning back, Alistair saw Chiaki lying lazily on the messy bed, already looking half-asleep again. He didn't know what to say. He suddenly felt Chiaki was just too lazy to move and was only humoring him just now.
"Forget it. I'm the one who caused it anyway."
Alistair sighed, walked to the bedside, picked Chiaki up by the waist, and prepared to carry her back to the bathroom for a shower. Since she was too lazy to hide anything, he might as well just lay his cards on the table.
"When did you wake up to drink water?"
When Alistair picked up Chiaki, he saw the water bottle he habitually placed on the nightstand was empty, and he asked casually.
"Woke up in the middle of the night to drink. And I had a little more just now when I woke up. You left me like that. Isn't it normal for me to wake up thirsty?"
Chiaki replied lazily.
"Hey, Little Alistair, do you think I might be pregnant?"
In the bathtub, Chiaki leaned against Alistair's chest, sounding a bit worried. She still felt a fullness in her lower abdomen, which, while satisfying, also caused some anxiety.
"Relax, you won't be."
Alistair said casually, unconcerned.
"How do you know? Are you perhaps...?"
Chiaki asked doubtfully, then suddenly thought of something and turned her head to look at Alistair with an astonished yet pitiful expression.
"Don't get the wrong idea! I have healing abilities, which can also change the outcome in this regard. For example, by converting that thing into nutrients."
As he spoke, Alistair's hand glowed with a faint green light, making Chiaki feel incredibly comfortable.
"You actually have this ability! Why haven't I seen you use it before?"
Although the facts were slightly different, Chiaki was still very surprised. Alistair, who had always seemed quite ordinary—except for his handsome face and fine, enviable skin—actually possessed superpowers. This was truly unexpected.
"I awakened it during this vacation. Alright, take a proper shower. Soaking for too long isn't good for your body."
Alistair replied casually and changed the subject. The Horse Talisman didn't have this ability. This was one of the secondary abilities of the "Desire Demon." Alistair always felt the name Desire Demon was a misnomer.
This thing, in the process of enhancing his essence, also granted him the abilities of the Desire Demon. For example, truly converting the life essence into nourishment so that no life would be created. That nourishment would be absorbed by the girls, strengthening their bodies. However, this wasn't free; the essence carried Alistair's mark, subtly making them his exclusive property, much like religious fanatics. If you had to count it, this could be considered a mental ability, although the time span was long and the effect was subtle. Neither the people around them nor the girl herself would notice; they would only believe they became that way on their own. This combined with Alistair's [Pheromone] was the perfect pairing.
However, just this wasn't enough for Alistair to consider the name a misnomer. The other ability it currently granted him was mating.
Yes, mating. The particularly bizarre thing was that upon using this ability, there was no reproductive isolation. This was quite absurd. The only other entity Alistair recalled having this ability was the Dragons in Western fantasy worldviews—the race that, by simply following its natural growth, could overpower most of the world. They spread their seed everywhere, and regardless of the race they played with, if the offspring were born, they had a chance of possessing Dragon blood, with a greater percentage of blood meaning greater power.
This ability was similar; it allowed Alistair to conceive offspring with any race. After all, humans couldn't conceive with all races. A few special demi-human races were unable to reproduce with humans, though they were rare. Now, Alistair could reproduce with them too. Other demi-human races could already reproduce with humans, but the fertility rate was extremely low; Alistair could ensure a one hundred percent success rate.
Emmmm...
Alistair definitely wouldn't use this ability for a long time. After all, with the enhancement of his essence, his lifespan would increase. If he was lucky enough to acquire the Dog Talisman, he wouldn't have to worry at all. Remaining in peak condition meant that as long as he wasn't killed, he wouldn't die.
Splash.
The two stood up from the bathtub and walked out of the bathroom one after the other.
"Chiaki, Little Alistair, were you two in the bath the whole time? You should have responded. I thought you were still sleeping."
Chiaki's Mom finished tidying up, walked out of her room, and ran right into the two of them.
"Sorry, Mom. Maybe the sound of the running water in the shower covered your voice."
Chiaki said apologetically.
Since Chiaki had already spoken, Alistair simply remained silent. In front of Auntie, Chiaki usually did most of the talking anyway, and Alistair didn't usually initiate conversation. He didn't know why Auntie hadn't questioned Chiaki and Alistair showering together; perhaps she was selectively ignoring it? Maybe this was just the strange rule of the Rear Dimension.
After standing there for a moment, Alistair found it uninteresting. He slowly retreated and went upstairs.
Alistair opened his phone to contact Kasumi Haruno. He had agreed with her yesterday that they would leave to find her after lunch. It was just past ten o'clock, so he still had plenty of time. He could chat with Kasumi Haruno now and check the Line social circle.
First, let's see what's on this Twitter-like social circle.
Rimu Momoki was still the same, doing food reviews. Could this really lead to weight loss? Well, it was fine. Her current body type was quite good—very fleshy but not actually fat. Heaven knows why so many people like those extremely skinny, dry girls; Alistair preferred this type. He would have to find a chance to "guide" her later. He still owed her a promise~
Ruri Kurumizaka, Sasaki Sera, and Rena Hamasaki? Speaking of which, he hadn't spoken to them in a long time. They often skipped class to do modeling work, so their interactions with him were minimal, and since Alistair forcibly "transferred" to this class, they had almost no contact.
Hmm? Ruri Kurumizaka dyed her hair? It used to be a vibrant reddish-pink, but now it was silver. It actually looked quite good.
The next one was Anna Komiya. Anna Komiya's posts were quite normal, just daily life things. Then Alistair flipped through a few of her older posts and saw a picture of some student council members. It showed a part of the student council room and some members.
Hmm? Is that...?
Alistair looked at the girl in the corner of the photo. Although only half her face was visible, Alistair could still recognize her. It was the girl named Tachibana whom he had met in Beika Town last time. Was she also on the student council? If so, he would have a chance to contact her later.
Alistair scrolled a bit more, found nothing else interesting, bored, closed Line, and started chatting with Kasumi Haruno.