The day after Nebula appeared before Kaito as the Spirit of the World Tree, the initial chaos finally subsided. While the first day had been consumed by a frantic effort to make sense of the situation, the following morning offered a moment of calm—perfect for testing Nebula's capabilities.
Kaito approached, and after greeting him with a bright smile, Nebula stood ready to answer his questions.
"The World Tree has grown quite a bit," Kaito noted, looking up at the mutated tree. "I wonder if it still bears fruit?"
"Fruit, you say? Would something like this suffice?"
As Kaito spoke, Nebula reached out. One of the World Tree’s branches extended downward at her command, and a fruit manifested before his eyes.
Even in her current rank-lowered state, a feat of this magnitude was trivial for her.
The Fruit of the World Tree she produced was a stunning, translucent sphere that seemed to contain a miniature galaxy within its skin. Kaito accepted the gift, examining it with genuine curiosity.
"I wonder if the effects are different from the usual ones?"
Nebula's thoughts raced at high speed.
(Effects? I can imbue it with whatever I wish,) she thought, her mind whirring. (Wait... I actually have no idea what the original fruits do. Without my Power of Omniscience, I can’t even investigate. How dreadfully inconvenient. Still, I cannot keep Master—this servant—waiting any longer.)
Acknowledging her lack of data, Nebula opted for honesty, though she phrased it carefully.
"My apologies, Master. To begin with, I am unfamiliar with the properties of a standard World Tree fruit."
"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Well, normally, eating one heals wounds and restores magic power."
Nebula was nothing if not pragmatic. Deprived of her divine knowledge, she simply gathered information from those around her. Beneath her monumental pride lay a surprising degree of flexibility; she was perfectly willing to acknowledge her own current limitations.
(I see. A healing agent...) She nodded along to Kaito's explanation while simultaneously imbuing the fruit in his hand with power. (Simply matching the original would be dull. Based on his tone, he expects something unique. As an Absolute One, I must exceed his expectations. I shall grant it a different boon, yet one that still enhances the physical form and magic power...)
She looked up at him, her expression serene.
"I see. My fruits are somewhat different, then. If consumed, they provide a significant short-term boost to one's physical and magical abilities."
"A short-term buff? That sounds incredible. Thanks for the info, Nebula. Do you mind if I ask a few more things?"
"Of course! If it is within my knowledge, I am yours to command!"
Kaito nodded upon hearing the effect, deciding to save the actual testing for later as he continued to interview her.
Nebula, the spirit born from the World Tree’s mutation... Kaito had been shocked at first, and her arrival had been so frantic that even Lilliwood-san had come running in a panic, but twenty-four hours later, a sense of normalcy was returning.
He felt truly lucky that Nebula turned out to be such an earnest, cooperative girl. She had already produced several samples of the fruit for him, which he intended to verify properly later.
According to Kuro and Lilliwood-san, she possessed staggering potential. Kaito found himself looking forward to seeing her grow. For now, she couldn't stray far from her main body, the World Tree itself, but Lilliwood-san mentioned that her range would expand as she matured.
It was certainly an irregular turn of events, but Kaito was relieved it seemed to be heading toward a peaceful conclusion. Lost in these thoughts, he began brushing Bell when Nebula approached him, a brush already in hand.
"Master, allow me to assist."
"Thanks. In that case, could you handle the fur on the back of his neck?"
"Certainly! Leave it to me!"
Nebula gave a determined little pump of her fist. It was a charming, innocent gesture that made Kaito smile.
As she began, he noticed her technique was flawless. It didn't seem like she was a beginner at all; she clearly had a natural talent for it.
"Bellfried, lower your head a bit more."
"Gau!"
What surprised Kaito most, however, was Bell’s compliance. It was a rare sight.
Unlike Rin, Bell was fiercely prideful. He almost never listened to anyone he wasn't personally attached to. His circle of trust was remarkably small—restricted mostly to Sieg-san, Illness-san, and Alice.
While Bell would obey if Kaito specifically ordered him to behave, he was otherwise very selective. In fact, he generally loathed taking commands from anyone he deemed weaker than himself, often greeting such attempts with a warning snarl. He only became submissive when faced with overwhelming power that he could sense instinctively.
"Master?"
"Ah, sorry. I was just impressed. Your brushing is much better than I expected."
"Fufufu, I told you to leave it to me. Since I am an Absolute One, a task such as this is child's play."
"I see. You're very reliable."
Nebula puffed out her chest with a proud "Ehem!" expression. It was so endearing that Kaito couldn't help but reach out and gently pat her head.
She looked startled for a split second, but a radiant, happy smile quickly spread across her face.
Serious-senpai: "You know, this is actually pretty fresh. Seeing how different her character feels depending on whether you're in her head or Kaito's... it's pretty entertaining."