Kuro's gaze shifted toward the sky, which looked cracked and folded.
Buildings in the distance stood in impossible arrangements, as if reality in this place did not care about the concept of normal space at all.
"And according to the information I've gathered…"
He tapped the ticket in his hand slowly.
"The Infinity Room is a kind of connection point. A place that links this world to many other worlds."
He paused for a moment before giving a faint smile.
"Or in more familiar terms… a multiverse."
He looked down again, rolling the ticket between his fingers while reorganizing all the information in his mind.
"In that place, one can obtain power, wealth, or authority as desired."
His tone remained flat.
"Though of course… everything must be obtained with one's own hands."
He let out a soft sigh.
The more information he managed to piece together, the clearer one troubling conclusion became.
"So then…" his eyes narrowed slightly. "That means there's a possibility the number of Heralds is far greater than I thought."
Not just one or two.
Not a single anomaly that happened to appear before him.
But something far more systematic.
He recalled the additional data he had extracted.
"Furthermore, most of the Herald's missions seem to involve assassination."
His tone lowered slightly, becoming more serious.
"They don't hesitate to kill in order to complete their objectives."
Silence once again enveloped the area.
A moment later, Kuro let out a small laugh with almost no humor in it.
"Though now that I think about it…"
He shrugged lightly.
"That variant of me isn't much different either," his gaze returned to the emptiness below. "He also kills quite often."
The words came out as a neutral observation rather than a moral judgment.
Kuro continued rolling the ticket between his fingers. His expression remained calm, but his mind was clearly working nonstop, connecting each fragment of information.
"The more I think about it…" he murmured.
His gaze stretched forward, piercing through the distorted Mirror Dimension landscape.
"The more it feels like I've been dragged into something far bigger than I initially assumed."
Ding!
Just as Kuro was about to leave the area, a holographic notification suddenly appeared before him.
[System detects that the Host has not performed today's check-in.]
[Does the Host wish to check in now?]
[Yes / No]
Kuro raised an eyebrow.
"It seems it's time for the daily check-in," he murmured. His dark gaze shifted toward the two options.
"Hopefully I'll get something more useful this time."
Before pressing Yes, Kuro first stored the permanent ticket into his Gate of Babylon.
Ding!
The holographic screen flickered again.
[Congratulations!]
[Host obtained: Mystery Box.]
[Automatic storage enabled. Reward has been transferred to Gate of Babylon.]
Kuro stayed silent for several seconds.
"A Mystery Box?" he murmured. "This system is getting more and more creative with its rewards."
His tone remained flat, though a hint of skepticism slipped through.
Without wasting time, he jumped down over the edge of the railing. However, since he was still inside the Mirror Dimension, gravity itself was never truly consistent.
The moment his body crossed the boundary, space around him twisted, causing the direction of the world to shift.
What should have been "down" changed orientation, turning into a new flat surface.
Kuro landed lightly, as if stepping down a staircase.
With a bit of focus, a golden ripple opened above his head.
A moment later, a black cardboard box with question marks on all four sides dropped out of the Gate of Babylon and landed right in front of him.
Thud.
Kuro stared at the box in silence for a few seconds.
Then, driven by a curiosity that was still somewhat human, he slowly bent down and opened the lid.
Silence.
His gaze fell onto the contents inside.
Several seconds passed without any reaction.
He blinked once.
Twice.
The contents of the box were not rare artifacts, not special weapons, and clearly not stat-boosting items, but rather a set of equipment that felt… too specific to be called an adventurer's reward.
Various foreplay items were neatly arranged inside, complete with premium packaging that looked almost absurdly professional.
Kuro fell silent.
The Mirror Dimension once again filled with quiet.
Finally, he raised a hand and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"…Even the rewards are quite creative," he muttered flatly.
He looked at the contents again, as if hoping he had misinterpreted it.
He had not.
Kuro let out a long sigh.
"For some reason…" he said slowly. "…I kind of regret opening it."
But after a few seconds, his gaze returned to the box.
His expression turned slightly more contemplative.
A pragmatic thought crossed his mind.
Rather than letting it sink into a corner of the Gate of Babylon, buried under piles of gold, jewelry, and random Noble Phantasms, perhaps this item wasn't entirely useless.
At least, in a very specific context.
"Hm."
A faint curve formed on Kuro's lips.
"Let's call it… variation."
With that somewhat concerningly pragmatic thought, he closed the box again.
A golden ripple opened once more, and the box was returned to the Gate of Babylon.
Kuro lightly clapped his hands, as if finishing a small task.
"Alright," he murmured. "Time to leave the Mirror Dimension."
***
After exiting the Mirror Dimension, Kuro did not immediately return home.
Instead, he opened a portal at the exact same location where he had first entered the dimension.
There was no deep reason behind it; he simply wanted to enjoy the walk home.
After spending enough time in an isolated space with strange gravity, folded buildings, and an impossible landscape, simply seeing the normal world again felt refreshing.
The sky was still bright.
The sun hung high, bathing the city streets in warm and comfortable light.
Under that clear sky, Kuro walked casually alongside Chiyome, whom he had happened to meet about three minutes earlier.
Their encounter itself had been quite natural.
Almost like a coincidence—though likely not entirely so.
Since it was daytime, the streetlights were still off. Pedestrians moved through the area as usual, making the city feel alive and busy.
However, amid the crowd, quite a few eyes were subtly drawn toward them.
The reason was obvious.
Kuro walked casually with his arm naturally draped over Chiyome's shoulder, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
A sight like that was hard to ignore.
Previously, when he was with Tamamo, people tended to assume they were a couple due to her overwhelming aura and almost absurd charm. But this situation was slightly different.
Chiyome was also very beautiful.
But her beauty felt calmer—softer, colder, and more refined compared to Tamamo's flamboyant, impossible-to-ignore presence.
Because of that, the attention they attracted felt different as well.
Some men glanced in admiration, while quite a few women subtly looked at Chiyome with a hint of envy, especially seeing how casually Kuro was holding her in public.
Chiyome clearly noticed all the stares.
Her eyes moved slightly, catching people's reactions without difficulty, yet her expression remained stable. Almost unchanged.
After a few seconds, however, a faint blush slowly appeared on her face.
Not too obvious.
But noticeable enough for someone like Kuro.
"…My Lord."
Her voice was soft, slightly lower than usual.
She glanced at Kuro's arm still resting on her shoulder.
"We are attracting quite a bit of attention."
Even as she said that, she made no attempt to move away.
She did not push his hand off.
Nor did she distance herself.
Instead, she continued walking in sync with him, steady and calm as if their position was completely natural.
After a brief pause, Chiyome let out a small sigh and looked forward again.
"…Though," she added softly, "I don't really dislike it."
The corner of her lips lifted slightly—barely visible.
But enough to show that, deep down, she was enjoying the moment far more than she wanted to admit.
Kuro, noticing the small change in her expression, simply smiled faintly.
"Then…" he said calmly. "Before going home, want to come with me?"
Chiyome glanced at him.
"Go?" she asked softly. "Where?"
Kuro slightly tightened his arm around her shoulder, still casual and natural.
"A place to relax your body and mind after a long day of work."
He glanced at her briefly.
"I think you'll like it."
Chiyome was silent for a few seconds, as if considering the offer.
"My Lord," she finally replied formally as usual. "I am your Servant, as well as a kunoichi."
"So…" she continued. "As long as your mana supply remains stable, fatigue is not something that matters to me."
After a short pause, her tone softened slightly.
"…However."
Her gaze lowered slightly.
"If My Lord is the one inviting me, then there is no reason for me to refuse."
Hearing that, Kuro let out a quiet chuckle.
"As stiff as ever."
His tone sounded amused, but not mocking.
"Still, when you're off-duty, your expression is much cuter."
He tilted his head slightly, then added casually,
"You're pretty cute, Chi-chan."
The effect was immediate.
Chiyome's face turned bright red in an instant—not just a faint blush, but a vivid flush reaching her ears.
Her body stiffened slightly, and her steps almost faltered for a fraction of a second.
"My… My Lord."
For the first time, her voice sounded slightly unsteady.
She quickly looked away, clearly avoiding eye contact.
"Please don't say things like that in public…"
Her voice was much smaller than usual, almost a whisper.
Her gaze briefly scanned the surrounding people still occasionally glancing at them.
"This is… quite embarrassing."
Despite saying that, Chiyome still did not try to pull away from Kuro's arm.
She did not step back.
Nor did she push him away.
Instead, after a few seconds, she unconsciously moved slightly closer, even without realizing it herself.
"…And."
She paused briefly, seemingly unsure whether to continue.
But in the end, she spoke.
"If you keep saying things like that…"
Chiyome took a small breath, trying to steady herself.
"…I'm afraid it will become increasingly difficult to keep my expression stable."
Kuro chuckled softly.
"Then… don't stay stable."
Chiyome fell silent, her cheeks faintly puffing up, but she did not respond to her Lord.
____
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! 😎
Hei. Don't ignore meh! Plz notice me senpai~