It was exactly as she thought.
The second possibility had been correct.
Kuro's behavior and words immediately confirmed it. He gently patted Tamamo's shoulder while smiling calmly.
"Relax, Caster," he said evenly. "She's on our side."
Tamamo blinked.
Slowly, the talismans in her hands faded away, and the sacred mirror dissolved into small particles of light.
Her alertness eased slightly, though it didn't disappear completely.
She glanced toward Kuro.
"Master…"
Her tone carried a hint of surprise.
"If you already knew that, a little warning beforehand would be very helpful for my heart."
Even as she complained, her expression had already softened again.
Her fox ears, which had been tense a moment ago, returned to their normal position.
The next moment, a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere from the dark area near a streetlamp.
Its movement was nearly silent—so subtle that its presence felt as if it had blended into the night itself.
Tamamo narrowed her eyes slightly.
A black-haired woman emerged and immediately knelt before them.
"My Lord…"
It was Chiyome.
Kuro stepped forward toward her.
Without allowing her to remain in that position for long, he slightly bent down and extended both hands, gently placing them on Chiyome's arms before guiding her to stand.
"Stand up."
His tone was calm.
His gaze briefly assessed Chiyome.
"Is everything going smoothly?"
Chiyome allowed herself to be helped up.
Her expression remained as composed as ever, though there was a faint softness in the way she looked at Kuro.
"Yes, My Lord."
She gave a small nod.
"As always, without complications."
Her violet gaze then shifted toward Tamamo.
There was a brief pause.
Chiyome observed the fox woman in front of her calmly.
Tamamo returned the stare.
Two Servants.
Two vastly different auras.
One carried a cold stillness like a shadow, while the other radiated warmth and openness.
For a few seconds, the atmosphere fell into silence.
Tamamo smiled first.
"Oh my."
She placed one hand near her cheek.
"So this is another Servant of Master?"
Her tone returned to something light.
"How cute. It seems I already have a coworker."
Chiyome blinked once, then gave a small, polite bow.
"Assassin. Mochizuki Chiyome."
Her introduction was brief.
Tamamo's smile widened slightly.
"Caster."
She paused for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully.
"Let's just say I am a rather capable shrine fox maiden."
Her golden eyes narrowed just a little, clearly avoiding going into further detail.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Nice to meet you."
Kuro observed the interaction between the two for a few moment, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"By the way," he said casually, "this might be a bit sudden, but I actually have three other Servants as well."
Tamamo immediately turned toward him.
Her eyebrows lifted.
"Eh?"
Kuro continued calmly. "Even though Chiyome was summoned before you, she hasn't met them either."
Tamamo blinked several times.
"…Hold on."
She raised one hand, as if asking the world to pause for a moment.
"Master, you just casually dropped a rather significant fact. You have three more Servants?"
Kuro nodded slightly.
"Yes."
He crossed both arms in front of his chest.
"Kama, Xu Fu, and Osakabehime."
Tamamo fell silent.
A few seconds passed.
"…Three more?"
She repeated slowly, as if processing the information piece by piece.
"So that makes five Servants in total?"
"More or less."
Tamamo closed her eyes.
One hand rose to press against her temple.
"Ah… I haven't even been summoned for half a day, and my mental workload has already increased drastically."
On the other side, Chiyome remained much calmer. Even so, her violet eyes flickered slightly, clearly showing that even she found the information surprising.
"My Lord has five Servants…" she murmured softly, more like confirming the fact to herself.
Kuro nodded.
"You both know I can move between realities, right?"
Tamamo immediately opened one eye.
"Unfortunately, yes."
Her sarcastic tone was quite obvious.
Kuro chose to ignore it.
"Let's call our original world Reality A."
He raised one finger.
"The reality where I first started everything."
His gaze softened slightly.
"Osakabehime is currently there, taking care of my home together with my niece."
He paused briefly before adding,
"Or rather, my goddaughter."
Tamamo blinked.
"…You even have a child?"
"Not my biological child."
Kuro answered quickly.
"Her status is more complicated."
Tamamo stared at him for a few seconds.
"…I'm not sure that makes it sound any better."
Kuro ignored her again.
He raised a second finger.
"Then there is Reality B. Kama and Xu Fu are currently there."
A third finger followed.
"And this world…" His gaze swept across the night city around them. "…is Reality C. This is where you two are right now."
He lowered his hand again.
Tamamo looked deep in thought for a moment.
"So you're not just running a multi-Servant contract…" She stared at him blankly. "…you're also distributing us across different realities like you're managing business branches."
Kuro nodded slightly.
"More or less."
Tamamo stared at him in silence for several seconds.
"…Master, are you aware that what you just said does not sound normal at all?"
Kuro paused for a moment.
"…Not really."
Tamamo let out a long sigh.
"Of course."
Chiyome, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. "My Lord. If you are moving between different realities…"
She paused briefly, carefully organizing her question.
"Does time flow the same in each world as well?"
Kuro gave a small nod.
"No."
His answer was short.
"There are quite significant differences in time flow between realities."
Tamamo, who had just started to relax, instantly froze.
Her expression slowly went blank.
"…Excuse me?"
Kuro continued as if he were explaining something completely normal.
"In one reality, a single day can be equivalent to several weeks in another."
He paused briefly.
"Sometimes it's the opposite."
Tamamo stared at him blankly.
"Master."
Her tone was completely serious.
"The more you explain, the more I feel like my sanity is being tested."
Kuro, on the other hand, looked oddly satisfied.
"Good. Fast adaptation is an important quality."
Tamamo pressed a hand to her forehead.
"I just got summoned, and it already feels like I'm working overtime."
Beside her, Chiyome seemed far more accepting.
Her gaze remained calm, though a subtle shift passed through her expression.
"…I understand." She lowered her head slightly. "In that case, I will adjust accordingly."
Tamamo immediately turned to her.
"How are you accepting all of this so quickly?"
Chiyome blinked slowly.
"I met My Lord earlier than you did."
Tamamo fell silent.
Several seconds passed.
Then she slowly nodded.
"…That is a very reasonable argument."
Kuro let out a soft chuckle as he watched the varied reactions of his two Servants.
"Alright," he said casually. "Let's head home. It's already night."
He paused for a moment, as if suddenly remembering something.
"However…" The corner of his lips lifted slightly. "There's still one more thing I need to do."
After saying that, Kuro began walking ahead, slightly in front of the two Servants.
Chiyome, upon hearing those words, subtly tensed. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks—barely noticeable, but clear enough for someone observant.
Tamamo, who happened to catch that shift in expression, blinked.
Her golden gaze moved from Chiyome to Kuro's back as he walked ahead, then back to Chiyome again.
"…Hmm?"
Her brow lifted slightly. It was obvious she was missing context.
Still, Tamamo said nothing. Instead, a faint smile slowly formed on her lips, and her curiosity only deepened.
She would investigate this.
In the end, the three of them continued walking together along the quiet night sidewalk.
Streetlights cast warm reflections over the asphalt, while the night air felt noticeably cooler than before.
For a brief moment, everything felt peaceful. Calm. Almost like an ordinary walk home.
If only the two women behind Kuro weren't currently processing the fact that their Master was anything but normal.
***
The clock showed eight fifty in the evening.
Inside the dim room lit only by the fading glow from outside the window, Chiyome lay upon the bed while Kuro hovered above her, supporting himself with both arms.
Their warm breaths met within the narrow space between them.
"...hng... mm... haa..."
Soft sounds continued to slip from Chiyome's lips, thin and uneven, like the faint hiss of a serpent gliding across desert sands at night—strangely warm, carrying her thoughts further away from anything solid.
Their faces moved close.
Sometimes too close.
Sometimes drifting slightly apart.
Leaving only the smallest gap before drawing together again, allowing the warmth between them to dance slowly like two serpents entwining, moving to a rhythm only they understood.
With each repeated motion, Chiyome's body grew warmer.
Her heartbeat quickened, almost as though being forced to follow a rhythm no longer entirely her own.
Her breathing turned hurried.
Short.
Broken.
No longer holding any proper pattern.
Time itself seemed to slow.
Until after a while, Kuro finally pulled his face away.
Leaving behind a faint trace between them—fragile, catching a hint of light before stretching too far.
"Haa... haa..."
Chiyome tried to steady her breathing.
Her chest rose and fell slowly, attempting to restore the rhythm that had fallen into disarray.
And without meaning to, that small movement broke the delicate trace between them, erasing the subtle evidence that something had just occurred.
________
Author's Note:
Creating something, even a fanfic, is not easy! Please support me! Leave comments, reviews, and some (or all) of your Power Stones! 😎
Let sex chapter again 😎