Noah-san possessed incredible strength, perhaps owing to her half-vampire heritage. Because of this, Luna-san struggled to peel her away from me.
Fortunately, Lilia-san finally regained consciousness at that moment and hauled Noah-san off with effortless grace. I wasn't sure whether to be impressed by her reliability or astonished by the sheer power required to overwhelm a half-vampire so easily.
Once she was pulled away, Noah-san remained dazed for a short while before drifting off into a deep sleep.
After that, I managed to navigate the Chef’s formal greeting by leaning heavily on Lilia-san for support. Honestly, I don't know what I would have done without her.
"By the way, Milady? Why exactly did you faint this time?"
"Eh!? A-Ah, th-that was..."
Since the group's lodgings were situated between the restaurant and the Central Tower, we all set off at a leisurely pace toward our destination. As Luna-san questioned her while carrying the sleeping Noah-san on her back, Lilia-san became visibly flustered.
"N-No, it was just... I think the night breeze was a bit much for me..."
"Really? I didn't think you were that fragile, Milady. Well, regardless..."
Luna-san eyed her with clear skepticism, but she ultimately dropped the subject—likely because she felt she owed Lilia-san for handling the situation with Noah-san.
Thanks to that, just as Lilia-san was finally regaining her composure...
"Ah, Lilia-chan, good evening."
"K-K-Ku-Kuromueina-sama!? G-G-G-Good evening!"
Before she could even finish recovering, Lilia-san was thrown back into a panic by Kuro’s sudden appearance. Rei-san and Fia-san hurriedly moved to drop to one knee and bow, but Kuro gestured for them to stop.
"Aoi-chan, Hina-chan, it's been a while. Are you enjoying the festival?"
"Yes, we’re having a wonderful time."
"I actually ended up buying way too much today."
"Ahaha, I see. That’s good to hear."
Aoi-chan and Hina-chan, who had met her once back at the mansion, responded to Kuro with easy smiles. I felt like Lilia-san was being far too tense, but then again, that was just her way.
After nodding with a smile at their responses, Kuro produced cloth bags from thin air and handed them to the two girls.
"Here you go. Consider this some pocket money. Make sure to have plenty of fun tomorrow, too."
"...Eh?"
"Chrome-sama? Is it really alright for us to take this?"
"Of course. This is a special experience for you both, being in another world and all. You should enjoy it to your heart's content."
"Thank you very much!"
The two girls bowed deeply to Kuro, who beamed at them. Then, Kuro turned toward Lilia-san with a slightly apologetic expression.
"So, Lilia-san. I’m sorry to intrude, but I have some business with Kaito-kun. Is it alright if I take him with me for a bit?"
"Eh? Ah, yes. Of course, that’s perfectly fine. We’ve only just finished our dinner..."
"Sorry about that. I’ll make sure to have some delicious snacks delivered to your lodging later, so please enjoy them together."
"Thank you for your kindness."
Whenever Kuro mentioned delicious snacks, I had a sneaking suspicion it would be nothing but Baby Castella.
"Well then, Kaito-kun. Shall we?"
"Eh? Ah... well then, everyone, goodnight."
I had no idea what this business could be, but prompted by Kuro, I bid the others goodnight and followed after her.
We walked until we reached a deserted plaza where not a single person was in sight. Kuro came to a halt, turned around to face me, and spoke.
"Kaito-kun, sorry for the suddenness."
"No, it’s fine. But... what did you want to talk about?"
"Yeah, it’s about that person you ran into this afternoon—the one who looks exactly like your mother."
"Eh?"
"I heard the story from Isis and wanted to talk to you sooner, but I have a meeting with Magnawell in a few minutes. I thought I'd better speak with you briefly before that."
In truth, I had been planning to consult Kuro about the lookalike after Isis-san suggested it. It seemed Kuro had gone out of her way to find me as early as possible for my sake.
"I’ll give you the conclusion first. After hearing from Isis, I went and asked Shiro... and she confirmed that she hasn't brought your mother back to life, nor has she created anyone with that appearance."
"..."
"When Shiro lies, she makes sure to state that it's a lie, so there’s no mistake there. Just to be safe, I checked with the Earth God as well, but they also denied having anything to do with it."
"Then, after all..."
"Yeah. It’s just a chance resemblance."
"I see..."
If Kuro said so, it had to be true. I had already suspected that was the most likely reality, but hearing it confirmed still left me with a heavy, unavoidable sense of disappointment.
"Kaito-kun, are you alright?"
"Yeah. I was pretty shaken at first, but I'm fine now. I’ve accepted it."
"I see. Well, I have to get to my meeting now. Let’s talk more properly later, okay?"
"Yeah, thank you."
I expressed my gratitude to Kuro, who gave me a gentle smile without prying further, and watched as she walked away.
Once she had completely disappeared from sight, I turned to head back toward the Central Tower—but my feet stopped dead in an instant.
"Hey there! It's been a bit since this afternoon, hasn't it? What an amazing coincidence, running into you in a place like this."
The voice sent a shock through me so violent I thought my heart might stop.
"...Mother...?"
Dear Mother, Father—The conclusion was that the woman I saw today was just a chance resemblance. I was sure of it, and I had accepted it myself... so why? Not just her appearance, but even her voice—why is it so identical?