At last, he understood why those thugs were so afraid of him.
But Eiji had no desire to understand.
It felt like the moment he did, the entirety of Type-Moon Academy and even Kinoko Town would start becoming bizarre.
Eiji decided not to dwell on such terrifying thoughts.
"This isn't over."
Miss No-Ahoge grabbed the legs of the three unconscious men and dragged them away as if she were hauling corpses.
In the case of Tomoe, her underlings were indeed in the wrong, which was why she had come to apologize.
However, the fact that many of her subordinates had been turned gay, making the group's atmosphere extremely strange—this, she would not let go so easily.
"I never thought the legend was true! Big brother, you're amazing in so many ways!"
Souji stood by, thoroughly enjoying the show, her face full of schadenfreude.
Smack!
Eiji responded with a karate chop to her head.
"Go home and make dinner!"
"You're hitting me again?! If you've got the guts, cook yourself!"
"I dare to cook. Do you dare to eat it?"
"Uh…"
Souji shivered and fell silent.
Her brother's cooking skills were the pinnacle of despair. Even black magic cuisine couldn't compare.
***
"Ah, Ali, I heard you joined the student council?"
That evening, his mother, Minamoto-no-Raikou, returned home, overjoyed, and pulled Eiji into a tight hug, absorbing his "son energy."
"I heard student council members get into top universities as soon as they graduate! My son truly has a bright future!"
Honestly, even if he didn't attend university, he would never go hungry. But to parents, getting into a good school was always a source of pride.
Speaking of which, he had only decided to join the student council this morning—how had the news spread so quickly?
"I also heard… you got a girlfriend?"
"No."
"Huh? But Mom heard—"
"She got me."
"Oh my, how mischievous!"
Raikou gently stroked Eiji's hair while casually suggesting:
"Why don't you bring the girl who 'got' you home to meet us someday?"
"We'll see."
Eiji gave a vague reply.
Nero was great, but if she met his family, he might have to commit to just one person.
But who could say for sure?
Would he really not try his hand at time management in the future?
That would be a huge loss, wouldn't it?
"Mom, aren't you worried at all?"
Souji couldn't help but interject, "His girlfriend is the daughter of the Roman financial conglomerate—the next leader! The power dynamic is completely unbalanced!"
"My son is the best!"
"…What a son-con."
"Of course! My daughter is the best too!"
Raikou laughed, then suddenly became nostalgic.
"In the blink of an eye, my son is old enough to get married… I wonder where dear is now. I wish he'd come home soon."
She reached out with her slender fingers, tracing Eiji's eyebrows as if she could see his father's shadow in him. A trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
"Tch! Scumbag."
Eiji couldn't help but curse internally.
With a wife like this, he still ran away?
He's beyond saving.
***
Late at Night.
The starry sky stretched across the dark night, and without the moon, Kinoko Town was shrouded in dimness. The streetlights flickered, their unstable glow making the entire city feel steeped in shadow.
"Alright, time to begin."
Instead of sleeping, Eiji donned an all-black casual outfit and nimbly climbed over the wall.
He nearly knocked over a flowerpot, but he quickly caught it, set it right, and then quietly slipped away into the night.
Tonight, he planned to investigate any changes in town.
If Aozaki Aoko had appeared in this world naturally, then other familiar figures from her circle might as well. Kinoko Town could be different from before.
Under the dim streetlights, he wore a hoodie, mask, and sunglasses to obscure his face.
The moment he stepped out of the shadows, he looked like a robber, scaring several pedestrians nearly to death.
Kinoko Town, at first glance, seemed unchanged. The hilly terrain remained the same, forests scattered irregularly throughout, with winding roads leading into the mountains.
After wandering for over an hour, everything appeared as usual—nothing seemed out of place.
"Hmm?"
Eiji suddenly narrowed his eyes and looked up.
Thanks to his Level 4 physique, he had no trouble with night vision, even with sunglasses on.
A palm-sized black bird circled in the dark sky above.
A crow?
No, it didn't seem quite right.
He watched for a while.
The bird left, then returned, pretending to fly away only to circle back. Minutes passed, yet it never left his vicinity.
Even more unsettling—its tiny beady eyes remained locked on him the entire time.
A creeping sense of unease spread through Eiji's heart.
He bent down and picked up a stone.
Then, he threw it with full force, launching it like a bullet.
The stone missed, just barely.
But the bird startled, letting out a sharp chirp before flapping away in a panic.
Eiji immediately gave chase.
His speed rivaled a car in motion, his movements agile and ghostly. Even as the bird soared through the sky, it couldn't shake him off.
From above, the black bird glanced down—seeing the shadowy figure relentlessly tailing it like a phantom—it nearly died of fright.
Pop!
Suddenly, the black bird swelled up and burst apart like a silent firework.
Did it just self-destruct?
Eiji raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Was this an "abandon the pawn to save the king" situation?
He increased his speed, arriving at the spot where the black bird had exploded.
The ground was muddy, and the bird's remains had mixed into the dirt, making it impossible to distinguish.
Even after a thorough search, he found nothing useful.
"Quite the cautious one."
Jiang Li stood up, mildly frustrated.
That had definitely been a "familiar"—a magical entity used for surveillance.
The moment it was discovered and attacked, it had tried to escape. But when it realized it couldn't outrun him, it self-destructed to protect its master's identity.
"Was that an outsider's familiar, or a local magus'?"
Previously, Eiji was sure Kinoko Town had no magi.
Now, he wasn't so sure.
If it were a local magus, maybe he could negotiate, gain access to the "hidden side" of the world, and uncover the truth of this chaotic reality.
If it were an outsider, however…
Then a fight was inevitable.
He wandered a while longer, but whether due to the enemy becoming cautious or sheer bad luck, he found no more clues.
Seeing that it was already late, he had no choice but to return home in disappointment.
***
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