Chapter 2: Did you do that on purpose, or was it an accident?
Karna gifted a white chocolate with a high sugar content. Judging by its shape, it was clearly homemade—though, of course, not heart-shaped. Arjuna, on the other hand, gave dark chocolate—the kind that is extremely bitter.
"I made this myself. As the defeated, I should give respect to the victor, so I preserved the chocolate's most original flavor."
Shirou looked at Arjuna with a solemn expression: "Did you do that on purpose, or was it an accident?"
"It was an intentional accident," Arjuna laughed.
A tic mark appeared on Shirou's forehead. This guy was absolutely taking the opportunity to settle a personal vendetta under the guise of an official gift.
Before Shirou could return the favor, Gilgamesh pushed his way over and tossed a golden gift box to him. "Although it was bought at random, any gift bestowed by this King carries supreme value. You should accept it with deep gratitude."
Enkidu immediately undermined the Heroic King the next second: "Although Gil says that, that is not what he is thinking inside."
As he said this, Enkidu also took out a chocolate and handed it to Shirou. "We'll be heading off now. See you again later~"
Following Enkidu, Shirou looked at the rest of the Knights of the Round Table still lined up behind him and was rendered speechless.
"..."
After returning inside, Rin, who was chatting with Sakura, saw Shirou holding a huge pile of chocolate gift boxes and was somewhat dumbfounded. "Did you go out to restock supplies?"
Scáthach also chuckled: "Your personal charisma really is something else."
Shirou's brow twitched; he felt like he was being mocked. "Didn't you say you wanted to duel me before? Why haven't you come? Could it be that you're afraid?"
"...!!"
Now it was Scáthach's turn to be silent. It hadn't been long since they returned from the Singularity of the Grand Temple of Time; how could she forget how terrifying the power Shirou displayed there was? It was a level completely beyond her reach. Even so, if she were to soften up now, Scáthach was certain this guy would keep pushing his luck further and further. So, some necessary stubbornness was required.
"How could I possibly be afraid! I've just been practicing new techniques lately! You just wait—someday, I will defeat you!"
Shirou looked at Scáthach and Rin in silence. These two had probably been getting along too well lately, to the point that they had even picked up each other's bad habits.
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Recently, Shirou hadn't been sleeping. Whether day or night, he had been enjoying every moment without pause. However, although these leisurely days were quite nice, the long-term idleness eventually made Shirou feel a touch of boredom.
"Hmm... let's go play in another world."
Thinking this, Shirou was just about to ask the system to select an interesting world for him to visit when his brow suddenly furrowed.
Space began to fluctuate under some influence. On the windowsill, illuminated by orange sunlight, a black cat suddenly appeared. Those sapphire-like eyes flashed with a cunningness almost human, its tail swayed unconsciously as if reflecting its mood, and its slightly parted mouth revealed the sharpness of its fangs.
To his surprise, a woman's voice unexpectedly came from the cat's mouth.
"You haven't... been sleeping lately, have you?"
Shirou, who had prepared himself for any kind of intimidating language, was stunned for a moment after hearing this question that had nothing to do with threats.
"Huh?"
The black cat looked at Shirou's reaction and was also stunned for a moment. "You've already met Hypnos, right? That guy didn't tell you anything?"
"Hypnos?"
Hearing the cat say that, Shirou immediately recalled the strange dream he had earlier. He suddenly thought of a possibility. "Could it be that until now, it was the 'God of Sleep,' Hypnos, making me have these dreams?"
"Partially, yes."
As the black cat said this, its body gradually changed, transforming into a plump and slender female figure, yet she remained furry, and her head remained in a cat-like state as if the transformation wasn't complete. If Shirou were a furry enthusiast, he would have fallen in love instantly, but unfortunately, he had no such hobbies.
"I think you looked better just a moment ago."
"...Is that so? I suppose you prefer that look? Hmm... but if I turned into her, I'd likely get complaints from her, so... how about this?"
As the woman said this, her form changed once again, and Shirou's eyes were suddenly veiled by a delicate snow-white sight.
"Hiss—"
A petite, exquisite figure with round, perky peaks, and skin like polished jade—the beautiful torso reflected a dazzling pure white in the sunlight, and a pair of jade legs swung casually in the air. Her long black hair was loose, and the two cat ears standing upright on her head, along with the swaying tail behind her, added a touch of cuteness.
Shirou felt that in these few seconds, this black cat had completely nailed his preferences.
"It looks like you really like it~"
She smiled gently, then raised her alabaster-white arm to prop up her cheek. "Alright, let's get down to business. What you need to do next is the most important part." She sighed softly. "Although this wasn't caused by your initiative, you are indeed the culprit who disrupted the multiverse. The way to stabilize everything is to use the worlds you control as anchors."
"The worlds I control?"
Calling it "control" felt a bit too arrogant, but if he were talking about the worlds he had experienced, there was only the world of Campione!, right?
"Even so... with my strength, I'm not at the level where I can control a whole world, am I?"
Even with the system, it only allowed him to return to the world he visited at the point he left, not grant him absolute control over a world directly. Although he possessed Another Cosmology: Avesta—which allowed him to stand invincible against enemies of an entire pantheon as long as they lacked human factors and Zoroastrian blessings—he hadn't reached the point where he could directly control all the rules of a universe. His strength was still some distance away from that.
"The degree of control is determined by how deeply you intrude into that world," the catgirl explained to Shirou. "Simply put, the more thoroughly you destroy the original trajectory of events, the more the center of the world will lean toward you, and the difficulty of control will change accordingly."
"I see... so, by completely destroying the plot and making the world's story revolve around me, I don't actually need to be universe-level strong to control it, right?"
At Shirou's understanding, the catgirl nodded.
"That's about the size of it. And the higher the intensity of the world you control, the more useful it will be as an anchor. If it's a level like a multiverse, one is enough to solve everything."
Hearing the catgirl's words, Shirou decisively decided to improve his strength within the scope of what he could do first. Although fearless courage could sometimes bring very high returns, running forward mindlessly could lead to tripping over one's own feet.
Finally, after confirming that Shirou understood, the catgirl sitting on the windowsill turned back into a small black cat under Shirou's regretful gaze.
"Then, let's meet again after you control another world."
She licked a paw, turned around while elegantly swaying her tail, and didn't forget to give Shirou a thoughtful reminder.
"Remember to get some sleep."
"..."
Shirou's mouth twitched, and he asked with curiosity, "By the way, what is your name?"
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