"Alright, here we are. I'll stop here then."
After walking cheerfully to Alistair's apartment door, Nina Tsubaki placed the little white cat in Alistair's other hand, leaving him holding one cat in each hand. She then quickly pressed the doorbell for him and hurried away.
"Slow down, don't trip." Alistair reminded her. He understood Nina Tsubaki's actions. Having just met for barely fifteen minutes, meeting his family would be awkward for her. If her family misunderstood the situation, it would be even more troublesome. So, Nina Tsubaki chose to leave the kitten with Alistair, quickly pressed the doorbell since his hands were full, and took off.
Click.
As the doorknob was pressed down, the door opened. Standing before Alistair was Chiaki, already wearing her indoor clothes.
"Chiaki? Where are Uncle and Auntie? Haven't they come back yet?"
Alistair was a little surprised to see Chiaki open the door. At this time, it was understandable that his uncle hadn't returned, as there was a strange culture here where working late proved one's capability. However, it was odd that his aunt hadn't returned. His aunt was a full-time housewife, and it was strange that she wasn't around when he returned earlier. Alistair had been gone for at least half an hour, and it seemed Chiaki was still the only one home, which was highly unusual.
"Dad is the same as always, working overtime. As for Mom, I don't know what she went out to do. She mentioned she had something to take care of, and she hasn't come back since. But it seems she's planning to take us back to the countryside soon. She said it's for some important matter, hmm~ It seems to be related to your grandfather, but Mom didn't tell me the specifics, so I'm not really sure."
Chiaki lightly tapped her pink lips, speaking while thinking, a troubled expression on her face. With her mother absent, cooking was a hassle. Although Chiaki was a decent cook, she found it bothersome. As for Alistair, she didn't even consider him, as he had never shown her any of his cooking skills.
"Back to the countryside? It's only been a few weeks since school started, and we're going back to the countryside? Are we skipping classes?"
Alistair was surprised. This was clearly inconsistent with reality. Who takes their children back to the countryside during the school term? Are they genuinely neglecting their children's studies? And would the school allow it? This didn't make sense.
"About that... come inside, I'm not very clear on it either." Chiaki shook her head, indicating her confusion.
"Oh, okay. I'll change my shoes."
Alistair put down the two cats, one black and one white. Inside the apartment, he didn't have to worry about dirt much, as everything was regularly cleaned.
"Huh? Why is there another cat? Didn't you only bring back a black one? Why did you come back with a white one after going out?" Chiaki looked at the newly added little white cat, feeling puzzled and a bit resigned.
One cat was fine, but two cats meant the trouble multiplied exponentially, especially when they started shedding or went into heat. Cleaning and soothing them would be a nuisance.
"I saw her and just happened to bring her back." Alistair said, changing his mind from his initial plan to explain.
"Just happened to bring her back? How does that 'just happen' happen? This white cat and the black cat, aside from their fur color, both seem quite intelligent. They aren't troublesome or noisy. If it 'happens' so much, why didn't I 'just happen' to bring one back?" Chiaki complained. She neither liked nor disliked small animals; it was just a matter of indifference. Alistair was similar, but these two cats gave him a genuinely pleasant feeling, which is why Alistair accepted them and brought them home.
"Luck, I guess."
Alistair changed his shoes. Ignoring the two cats, he walked to the sofa and sprawled out, playing with his phone.
"Aren't you going to deal with these two cats? They don't even have a place to sleep." Chiaki walked over and looked at the two cats, who had followed Alistair and melted into two 'puddles of liquid' on the sofa. She was speechless. He brought cats home to raise, only to completely ignore them? That was truly 'responsible.'
"It's fine, it's fine. They are very smart. They'll find a place to sleep on their own. I'll just take them to my room. At worst, they can all sleep on my bed."
Alistair wasn't concerned. Both cats had been cleaned, and perhaps because of the ongoing [Sublimation]—even at just over ten percent—he felt a subtle protection against insects. He wasn't worried about the cats carrying bugs.
Looking at Alistair comfortably playing on his phone, Chiaki felt helpless. She couldn't persuade Alistair when he was truly lazy. She headed to the kitchen instead. Although she found cooking a bother, she would do it when it was just her and Alistair. They had money, but the labor cost for delivery food in Japan was ridiculously expensive, unlike in Alistair's previous country, where labor was abundant, keeping costs low.
Alistair wasn't as relaxed as he seemed. Thinking closely, his grandfather's information was usually not random. The initial instruction to take the ring might have been to give him the choice to step onto the supernatural path. He could have chosen not to take the ring, as the apartment itself provided him with enough to live comfortably.
But he went anyway. Perhaps it was due to his desire for the demi-human girls, but it was also his own will. The ring possessed supernatural power. Even if he couldn't initially activate the [Sublimation] mode, it allowed him to touch that side of power. It was also one of the proofs of ownership of the demi-human apartment building. The other proof was held by the so-called 'Agent.'
From this perspective, his grandfather was capable of owning property and influence in the demi-human district. Alistair hadn't understood the significance of this initially, but after returning from the demi-human district, he had specifically researched it. Many of the laws and governmental forces in the demi-human district were completely different from the human side. For instance, in some races in the demi-human district, as long as both the man and the woman were willing, a man could marry as many women as he liked.
This was especially true for the Elf race, where it was even encouraged. Since male elves were nearly extinct, many female elves sought mates from other races. If a man could help them stabilize their reproduction, he could take dozens, even hundreds of wives. Conversely, races that bred easily and frequently were restricted.
Here, such practices were only legal for nobles; most people adhered to monogamy.
Getting back to the main point, Alistair's grandfather, though his identity was unclear, was powerful and respected Alistair's choices, whether he engaged with the supernatural or lived as a 'normal' young master. Although he sent the ring to Alistair, he didn't mandate that Alistair go get it. Based on what he learned from Hikari Matsuda, he knew that ordinary humans found it challenging to survive there.
However, all the above points indicated one thing: Alistair's grandfather was always 'watching' him. Whether it was surveillance or protection, it showed that Alistair had people around him. Alistair just realized this. He wondered if this person was a 'bodyguard.' If so, could they deal with ghosts and similar threats? If yes, then why should he fear the Hachishaku-sama? He could just get a big vehicle driver's license and drive the big car hard.
If not, then his situation was dire.
Sniff, sniff.
Alistair sniffed. He seemed to smell a strange, distinct sweet fragrance. It wasn't perfume or air freshener; Alistair was certain.
So, where did this smell come from?
Alistair suddenly sat up. The faint, strange sweet fragrance gradually faded, making it difficult to pinpoint the source.
Alistair twitched his nose a few more times, still unable to find the source. The smell disappeared as he sniffed around.
Looks like I won't find it. But how did that smell appear? It seemed to have appeared suddenly. If it was there before, Alistair would have noticed when he came in. His enhanced five senses were much sharper than an average person's.
!!!
Alistair turned his head to face the sofa and suddenly met the eyes of the black cat, who had sat up at some point. In that moment, Alistair felt like he was looking at a person, not a cat.