In the early morning, the ringing tone pulled me out of sleep.
I exchanged a glance with Wakamo, who was gazing at me with boundless tenderness, and answered the call.
"Mm hehe~ I am at the door right now, just me alone."
"Mm, I know."
Getting out of bed, I opened the door directly and saw Hoshino smiling at me.
"Good morning."
After greeting me, she walked into my bedroom, looked around, and clicked her tongue in amazement.
"Wow, looks like things got pretty intense last night. Guess Wakamo really crossed the line from admirer to winner."
I really have no idea what qualifications Hoshino has to say that.
Hearing Hoshino's teasing, Wakamo shot back with a sharp glare.
"You thieving cat!"
"Ehehe~" Hoshino instead looked embarrassed as if being praised. "You are making this Oji-san feel a bit shy~"
Wakamo immediately flared up. "You…!"
"Alright, stop arguing."
The moment I said that, Wakamo instantly became obedient.
I closed the door and asked Hoshino, "Arisu is awake?"
"Mm. Right now, that Neru student and Saori student are taking care of her."
Hoshino paused for a moment. "So, what exactly happened last night?"
As she said this, the lazy smile on her face vanished without a trace.
As expected, she noticed my unusual state last night as well.
Meeting the girl's solemn gaze, I shook my head.
"Nothing major happened. When there is a need, I will tell you."
"Mm hm." Hoshino looked at me seriously for a while longer before smiling again. "I understand."
Communicating with Hoshino, who had experienced more ups and downs together with me and had a more mature disposition, was indeed much easier than with Wakamo.
Just as I was thinking that to myself, Hoshino suddenly stepped closer and reached out.
"Has the stress been fully released?" She licked the corner of her mouth and asked with keen interest. "Do you need this Oji-san to help out too?"
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, I shuddered and scolded her sternly.
"Hey. Don't grope me!"
"I'll do it if I want!"
Annoyed, I slapped her hand away. "I have things to do right now. We'll talk after I'm done."
Hoshino shrugged. "Then next time, if there's a chance. This Oji-san still has to go back to school."
"Going back to school is not that different from sleeping anyway. You might as well stay here."
"That will not do." Hoshino let out a small yawn and explained with righteous conviction. "This Oji-san still has to set an example for the cute juniors. How can I openly do something like this? That will not do. No, no."
…Setting aside whether, based on Hoshino's behavior so far, she is a positive role model or a negative example.
Does this mean she plans to sneak around behind the backs of the others in the Foreclosure Task Force?
I still remember someone once saying this.
"Sensei was never meant to belong to just one person, but to all of us."
How strange. Who said that again? It was not Hoshino, was it? No way, right?
I told Hoshino to be careful on the way, and instructed Wakamo, who was preparing to get up, to rest well.
After finishing washing up and taking the Shittim Chest with me, just before setting out, I mustered the courage and took the card out of my pocket.
Izuna's authority is different from Shiroko's authority.
Although both require a vessel, and although both vessels were damaged…
As long as someday in the future I obtain the authority that records the corresponding ritual, White Wolf can be brought back into the world.
But what about Fox's Protector, which explicitly states that the vessel cannot be replaced?
Actually, just thinking about it makes it clear. A treasure that can be called a second life being usable only once is perfectly normal.
I was simply feeling guilty, simply unwilling to face the fact that the proof of the bond between Izuna and me had disappeared just like that.
But sooner or later, I must face it.
Remembering this painful lesson and carving the regret into my bones is what I truly need to do now.
So I made up my mind and focused my attention on the card.
The next moment, I froze in place.
—
Authority changing…
Fox's Protector has changed
Solidify Authority: Fox Spirit's Protector
Description: The holder gains a very small amount of damage reduction
Source: Change from Fox's Protector
—
This is…?
An extremely faint yet undeniably present warmth sprouted from my chest and quickly spread throughout my body.
It seemed like nothing had changed. After all, it was only "a very small amount".
However, this was already more than enough.
With my mood brightened by this unexpected joy, I headed toward the living room.
Until I heard a furious roar filled with grief and indignation.
"AH, damn it!"
And the source of that voice was Neru.
My heart tightened, and I immediately quickened my pace, countless thoughts rising in my mind.
Could it be that key appeared again and ambushed Neru while she was off guard?
Or had Saori finally bared her fangs and launched a betrayal, trying to seize AL-1S?
Or was it both?
What exactly had happened to make Neru, the strongest of Millennium, such a ruckus?
"Arona, if anything seems off, contact Hoshino and Wakamo immediately."
"Understood."
After making the final arrangements, I braced myself, rounded the corner, and entered the living room.
Then I could not help but be stunned.
I did not see the scene I was worried about.
Instead, I saw two petite girls sitting on the sofa, each holding a controller, playing a fighting game on the large television screen.
Neru was staring intently at the screen, gritting her teeth, her face more frantic than Momoi in a desperate situation.
Arisu was occasionally sneaking glances at Neru with a terrified look, yet her hands moved on the controller in an orderly fashion.
As for Saori, she leaned against the wall, silently watching.
Soon, a large "K.O." appeared on the screen.
The victorious character walked up to the fallen loser and repeatedly performed a crouching and standing taunt.
"Ahhh! Why is it like this again!"
Neru let out another roar, making Arisu beside her flinch.
"Again, again, one more round!" Neru said.
"Uu…"
Arisu let out a small whimper, threw down the controller, and ran toward me.
I instinctively stepped back half a step.
Arisu seemed completely unaware of my movement and hid behind me, trembling.
"S-sensei, save Arisu. The sore-loser little maid tied Arisu here and forced Arisu to play games with her…"
Neru exploded in anger. "Hah!? When did I ever force you!? And who are you calling a sore-loser little maid!"
"Eek!"
…Looking back at Arisu, who was showing such strong dependence on me, I could not help but think.
If "Arisu" and "key" were truly both just AL-1S's acting.
When the time comes for me to strike.
Could I really do it without hesitation?
This question lingered in my heart, and for a long time, I could not find an answer.
Perhaps that, in itself, was already the best answer.