Chapter 776 - The Invited Kitten
"Alright. So, with that out of the way…"
"I'm back…!"
Some time after meeting my partner for the raid and taking our little introductory stroll through the sky, the sun had set.
Night fell, and right on schedule, we returned to none other than our clan home. I logged in, and Sora-san appeared right after me. It was obvious what we were here to do.
"Welcome back!!!"
"Yeah, yeah. Welcome back."
It was time for a reunion with Kanata, junior number two, who I'd flatter myself to say had been eagerly awaiting our return, and Tetra, junior number one, who greeted me with his usual casual air… yet had still dutifully waited for us.
"Get a good rest?"
"Yeah, I'm in perfect shape. And hey, there you are. Been a good boy?"
"I have!!!"
I flexed for Tetra, whose expression told me he already knew the answer. At the same time, I ruffled Kanata's hair, unable to stop myself from picturing a tail wagging furiously behind him.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at the two women standing beside us guys, creating a heartwarming scene straight out of an ara ara ufufu manga—my master caught me looking immediately, but oh well.
The strange feeling I'd had earlier was now gone, and Ui-san's aura was the pinnacle of Japanese grace I knew so well. As I thought, it was probably just my imagination.
When she tilted her head and offered me a smile, I just gave her a casual grin back and said, "It's nothin'." Then, I looked at the person closest to her.
"Tch…"
Our eyes met, and my partner immediately looked away.
…Well, as for that, it's not exactly a problem, so I just swallowed a faint, wry smile. With the greetings out of the way, it was time to move on to the next topic.
After all, the other person here had been fidgeting uncomfortably this whole time.
"Alright! And so, with that out of the way, Part Two!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Let's give it up for our special guest, Nacchan-senpai!"
I completely ignored Tetra's typically flat retort. In the corner of our spacious common area, I theatrically pointed to the [Thread-Weaver] herself, who had literally been as quiet as a mouse.
"Oops."
"Don't you dodge me!"
Maybe she didn't appreciate my silly introduction, because a thread shot out silently, which I deftly avoided. Its technique was truly impressive, targeting only my neck with swift precision without even grazing any of my nearby clanmates, but she wasn't going to catch me that easily—
"…"
"I'm sorry."
"Huh? Oh… w-well, it's not like I'd get genuinely mad over something like this…"
No, uh, sorry about that, Nacchan-senpai.
That apology wasn't for you. It was because I felt a withering gaze from the same amber eyes that had just looked away from me a moment ago.
Anyway, I should probably tone down the antics.
"About the [Green Connect] situation, Ui-san, Tetra…"
"Yes, I've been briefed."
"You're coordinating with Natsume, right? I know."
Now that I was getting down to business, the two ranked members nodded.
"Ah, I'm up to speed, too!"
Kanata also raised his hand, nodding repeatedly. I was about to tell him once was enough, but then I figured it's not like you can sprain your neck in a virtual world, so I let it be.
In that case, there was only one person left who needed to be filled in.
"Um…?”
It was Sora-san, who had just logged in a few minutes ago for the first time in three days. And so, I began the belated explanation of everything—
"Alright, stop."
"Hm?"
—only to be halted by my dear senior.
Wondering what was up, I looked over as the kitten approached our circle with a confident expression… and, well, struck a pose right in front of Sora.
With Sora frozen, looking utterly bewildered, she puffed out her chest and spoke…
"Sora… is that right? You're that [Acrobat]'s partner?"
"Ah, y-yes…"
…Ah, no, that's not it.
At first glance, it might look like she's trying to intimidate her, standing there all puffed up and imposing, but that's not it at all. I mean, look at her face. It's obvious.
"I've heard all about you from the Princess. That you're a reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally… good, honest kid—and I happen to like good kids. Let's get along."
"…Huh? Ah… what?"
That was that face.
The face girls make when they're about to wholeheartedly and unconditionally dote on something cute.
"It's… a-a pleasure to meet you…? Um, Natsu…me-san?"
"Natsume is fine. Or Nacchan."
"Nacchan-senp—"
"Not you. And you can't call me anything."
Sora nervously held out a hand, only for it to be snatched up by both of Natsume's with surprising force. My partner was clearly taken aback by this level of friendliness from a complete stranger. And off to the side of this heartwarming scene was poor old me, shot down when I tried to ride the coattails of the conversation.
And so, we'll just ignore the one fool swallowing his tears…
"Natsu—… Um, I'm sorry. This might be… very rude, but…"
"Yeah?"
"…Is it… is it okay if I call you… Nacchan…?"
"It is!!!"
As far as first meetings go, this one seemed to be going splendidly.
◇◆◇◆◇
"—And so, with that out of the way…"
"…Part three-gah!?"
I'd wondered why she interrupted me earlier, but apparently, she'd planned to introduce herself and give the explanation herself. The kitten, now settled on the sofa with Sora, had kindly and clearly shared the outline of our [Green Connect] strategy with my partner.
And as she finished, she dropped a giant washtub (made of thread) on the head of the junior who'd made a playful comment beside me. Unlike Sora, who was looking at me with an exasperated expression, she didn't even spare me a glance.
"I'm borrowing her for a while, just so you know."
"I… I see. Yes, um—please, feel free…!"
My partner declared me free to be borrowed, and I wept internally.
"Did you hear that, Tetra-kun? She said, 'feel free'…"
"What's that supposed to mean? What are you expecting me to say? Stop it."
"What do you think, Kanata?"
"I think that sounds great!!!"
"I see. What does???"
Jokes aside, though.
"So, to reiterate again, with all that said… I'll basically be holed up in the sky with my senior here until the day of the raid, so I'm counting on the rest of you. If anything comes up, just let me know and I'll literally come flying. So please, don't hesitate to reach out, everyone!"
"Roger."
"Understood."
"Yes, sir!"
Taking on the role of facilitator in place of the clan master, I started wrapping things up.
And by wrapping things up, I mean doing it properly. Time is short before the raid, so even this meeting needed to be speedy and smooth.
…Alright then. Now for the two young ladies over there.
"Sora-san."
"—Nya, y-yes?"
I called out to them, wondering just what they were whispering secrets about so chummily. The girl who had been listening to Nacchan-senpai's mysterious whispers jumped with a start and averted her eyes.
Aha, I see. So, what on earth did she whisper to you? I shifted my gaze to the kitten next to her, but she just turned her head away with a huff, ignoring me completely.
Okay, I get it. My chances of winning this are zero.
In that case, there's no reason to linger here any longer. There's just one thing I want before we adjourn.
"As the Clan Master, would you care to say a few closing words?"
"Huh…? Wh-ah, w-what, uh…?!"
Just a little payback, in the name of doting on my partner.
Kitten: (Don't worry, there's not a one-in-a-billion chance I'd steal him from you.)
On the matter of the protagonist being the perfect picture of an elementary school boy who gets overly excited when he brings a friend home, fools around too much, and gets scolded by his mother.