kscans

Chapter 776 - The Invited Kitten

"Right. And that's about the long and short of it."

"Now I'm back, returned at last…!"

A short while after my meeting and introductory aerial stroll with my partner.

After a dinner break, as the evening set in, I returned to none other than our clan home to wrap up the day's schedule. Then, Sora-san logged in right after me, and it was obvious what we were doing.

"Welcome back!!!"

"Yeah, yeah. Welcome back."

It was a reunion ceremony with Junior No. 2 (Kanata), who I'm not just flattering myself by saying had been eagerly awaiting my return, and Junior No. 1 (Tetra), who greeted me with his usual nonchalance.

"Did you get a good rest?"

"Yeah, I'm in perfect shape. And, hey there. Been a good boy?"

"I have!!!"

I could tell just by looking at his face, I replied to Tetra while flexing a bicep. At the same time, I ruffled Kanata's hair, almost seeing a phantom tail wagging with glee.

I stole a glance at the two women off to the side, creating a heartwarming 'my, my, oh-ho-ho' scene next to the three guys—my master spotted me immediately, but that was fine.

Whatever it was I had felt earlier had now dissipated, and Ui-san's atmosphere was the picture of harmony I knew so well. As I thought, it was probably just my imagination.

And so, I returned her gentle, questioning smile with a casual one of my own, saying, "It's nothing."... and then, close by her.

"Tch…"

My partner, whose eyes met mine, turned her face away with a huff.

...Well, that wasn't a problem, so I swallowed a faint, wry smile. With the return greetings out of the way, it was time to quickly move on to the next topic.

Because the other person in the room had been fidgeting uncomfortably the whole time.

"Right. And that's about the long and short of it, Part 2!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Our special guest, Nacchan-senpai!"

I grandly ignored Tetra's typically flat retort. Pointing dramatically at the [Thread-Weaver], who had literally turned into a borrowed cat in the corner of the spacious common area—

"Whoops."

"Don't you dare dodge!"

—a thread flew silently towards me, likely because she disliked my goofy introduction, and I dodged it with a quick hop. Her technique in targeting only my neck with such speed and precision, without even grazing the surrounding clan members, was impressive, but I wasn't going to be caught so easily—

"………………"

"I'm sorry."

"Eh, ha… W-well, it's not like I'd get seriously angry over something like this…"

Uh, no, Nacchan-senpai, my apologies.

That apology wasn't for you. It was because I felt a long, hard stare from those amber eyes that had averted their gaze just a moment ago.

Anyway, I should probably tone down the fooling around.

"About the [Green Connect] stuff, Ui-san and Tetra…"

"Yes, I've heard about it."

"We're coordinating with Natsume, right? I know."

After the playful exchange, I cut to the chase, and the two rankers nodded in acknowledgment.

"Ah, I'm aware of it too!"

In addition, Kanata raised his hand and nodded repeatedly. I was about to tell him once was enough, but then I figured it's not like an avatar in a virtual world can strain its neck, so I let it be.

In that case, there was only one person who needed to be brought up to speed.

"Um… ?"

Only Sora-san, who had just logged in a few minutes ago for the first time in three days. And so, I began the belated briefing—

"Alright, stop."

"Hm?"

—or I tried to, until my senpai put a stop to it.

Wondering what it was about, I turned my eyes to her. The kitten approached the circle with a confident look and… well, she stood before Sora like a guardian statue.

There, in front of the girl who had frozen with a blank expression, she stood imposingly…

"Sora… is it? You're the partner of that [Acrobat], I presume?"

"Ah, y-yes…"

………………Ah, no, that's not it.

At first glance, it might seem like she was puffing out her chest and trying to intimidate her, but that wasn't it at all. I mean, look at her face, it's obvious.

"I've heard about you from the Princess. She said you're a really, reaaaaaaaaally… good, honest girl. —And I like good girls. Let's be friends."

"…………Huh? Ah… eh?"

That was it.

The face a girl makes when she's about to dote on something cute with all her might, unconditionally.

"I-it's a pleasure to meet you…? Um, Natsu...me-san."

"Natsume is fine. You can call me Nacchan, too."

"Nacchan-senp—"

"That's not allowed, and nothing is allowed for you."

Sora-san was startled by the unexpectedly high level of affection from a first meeting, as her timidly offered hand was grabbed enthusiastically by both of Natsume's. And beside this heartwarming scene, there was me, the poor soul who was cut down for trying to ride the wave.

And so, the one fool who swallowed his tears was of no consequence…

"Natsu—… Um, I'm sorry. This might be very, rude, of me, but…………"

"Mm-hm."

"………………………………C-could I, maybe, call you… Nacchan…?"

"Yes!!!"

As for this first meeting, it seemed the atmosphere was excellent.

◇◆◇◆◇

"—And that's about the long and short of it."

"…Part three, is i—oof!?"

I had wondered why she interrupted my explanation earlier, but it seems she intended to explain it herself as part of her introduction. The kitten, now settled on the sofa with Sora, kindly and clearly shared the outline of the [Green Connect] raid plan with my partner.

And at the end of it, while dropping an oversized washtub (made of thread) on the head of the junior who had just made a joke beside her, she gave me a look of exasperation—unlike Sora-san, who didn't even spare me a glance, remaining mercilessly indifferent.

"Sorry, but I'll be borrowing him for a while."

"I see… I understand. Um, yes—feel free, to do as you please…!"

As my partner declared me free to be borrowed without mercy, I wept in my heart.

"Did you hear that, Tetra-kun? She said, 'feel free to do as you please'…"

"What's that supposed to mean? What are you trying to get out of me? Stop it."

"What do you think, Kanata?"

"I think that's great, too!!!"

"I see. What's great???"

Well, setting aside the filler jokes.

"And so, again and again, with that… I'll basically be holed up in the sky with my senpai until the day of the raid, so I'm counting on everyone. If anything comes up, just let me know and I'll literally fly over, so please don't hesitate to ask, everyone."

"Got it."

"Understood."

"Yes, sir!"

To fulfill my role as the acting leader in place of the Clan Master, I began to wrap things up in a suitable manner.

Yes, in the true sense of the word 'suitable.' Since we don't have much time before the raid, the meeting itself must be wrapped up speedily and smoothly.

…Alright then. You two girls over there.

"Sora-san."

"—Nya, y-yes!?"

I called out to them, wondering what secrets they were whispering about so chummily. The girl who had been receiving Nacchan-senpai's mysterious whispers jumped with a start and averted her eyes.

Hah, I see. In other words, what exactly did you whisper to her? I turned my gaze to the kitten beside her, but she just looked away with a defiant huff, ignoring me completely.

Okay, I get it. I have zero chance of winning.

In that case, there's no reason to linger here any longer. So, to conclude the 'adjournment,' there's only one thing I desire.

"As the Clan Master, please give us some closing remarks."

"Huh…? Wh-ah, wha, eh…?!"

Just a little bit of payback, in the name of doting on my partner.