Alice stood before Isis-san and me, wearing an indescribable, complicated expression. Isis-san, meanwhile, was still cradling the little fox in her arms.
Animals and monsters had fled from Isis-san her entire life because of her Magic Power of Death, so seeing this fox comfortably nestled in her arms made her look genuinely overjoyed.
"She’s probably—no, she’s definitely..."
"Kyuu!?"
"She’s totally smitten with you and Isis-san, yet she acts like I’m the bogeyman, ssu. It’s actually a pretty novel experience for me to be the scary one while Isis-san is the favorite, ssu."
Just as Alice said, the fox was incredibly attached to Isis-san and me. However, whenever Alice even slightly reached out a hand, the creature reacted with visible dislike and clung tighter to Isis-san.
When Alice withdrew her magic power in response, the fox merely tilted its head in curiosity. It seemed the creature could see her magic power and found it frightening. But even with her magic power suppressed, the fox remained wary. Whenever Alice tried to touch her, the creature showed clear signs of reluctance—a reaction completely different from the warmth it showed us.
"But getting back to the point, this little one is definitely a Mystic Silver, ssu."
"A Mystic Silver? You mean that top-tier monster you mentioned before? But if I recall, you said they were..."
"Yes. I told you that a Mystic Silver is a type of Magic Power Disaster—a monster that has gone berserk due to an overload of magic power. I’m honestly surprised myself, but given her traits, there’s no other explanation, ssu."
"I see... a Mystic Silver. That explains why her magic power structure was so chaotic... It was a miracle she was even alive."
Isis-san nodded in understanding. I remembered her saying earlier that it wouldn't have been strange if the creature’s body had collapsed long ago.
"Exactly, ssu. Normally, her magic power would have gone into a total frenzy, and she would be rampaging while shrouded in intense Magic Power Light. But this child is an exception among exceptions. Through some incredible instinct, she managed to control and suppress the magic power that should have caused her to explode. Normally, restructuring the magic power of a berserk monster is impossible, but a few things clicked together perfectly: her own natural talent, Isis-san’s skill—which is arguably the best in the Demon Realm when it comes to magic power manipulation—and Kaito-san’s magic power, which has that extremely unique adaptability. Those three factors miraculously aligned to create the stable state she's in now, ssu."
"That sounds like... a massive discovery, right?"
"It’s more than just massive, ssu. A ten-tailed Mystic Silver is completely unprecedented. The fact that she stabilized instead of self-destructing is enough to overturn all previous research on the subject. On top of that, this child doesn't fear the Magic Power of Death at all. She probably underwent some kind of internal change when she absorbed Isis-san’s or Kaito-san’s magic. Honestly, it’s enough to make even me want to hide under a rock, ssu."
It really was an exceptional case. Alice looked genuinely troubled, which was a rare sight for her.
"I can't even really study it, since Mystic Silvers are so rare and usually blow up immediately. They never sit still long enough to let someone poke around in their magic power structure, so I'm basically stumped, ssu. Well, I’ll figure out that part later. For now, I’d like to keep an eye on her growth, but... Isis-san, what do you plan to do with her, ssu?"
"Um... what should I do?"
"I wonder if she has any parents?"
"They might have existed once, but they likely fled or died of shock the moment she transformed into a Mystic Silver. Even if they were alive, this child has basically become a completely different species now; they wouldn't recognize her as their own. Then again, depending on her origin, she might have been born directly from magic power and never had parents at all, ssu."
Isis-san nodded at Alice’s words, then looked straight into the fox’s eyes.
"What... do you want to do?"
"Kyu..."
The fox seemed remarkably clever, appearing to understand our words to some degree. In response to Isis-san’s question, the creature clung even more firmly to her. I could feel the fox’s emotions through my Sympathy Magic—it clearly didn't want to leave her side.
"Then... would you like to... come with me?"
"Kyu!"
"She’s wagging her tails happily, ssu."
"Yes... she’s so cute."
Isis-san had clearly taken a shine to the little fox, and she began happily stroking its head. Watching them, an idea came to mind.
"Isis-san, why don't you give her a name?"
"A name... Hmm."
Isis-san closed her eyes for a few moments, deep in thought. Then, she slowly opened them and spoke to the fox.
"How about... Vulpecula?"
"Kyu!"
"Looks like she likes it. You could call her Vul for short, ssu."
"Kyu-kyu!"
"She’s nodding as if she understands... She really is smart."
"Yes. I look forward to being with you... Vul."
"Kyu!"
And so, a new family member joined Isis-san’s household: Vulpecula, the unprecedented ten-tailed Mystic Silver.
???: "Serious-senpai~ It's all over, and things are about to shift into heartwarming mode, ssu."
Serious-senpai: "Oh, so the lovey-dovey stuff is finished and we're moving on to heartwarming? Well, if that's the case..."
???: "No, no. I mean the Serious Development is over, and now it's time for heartwarming."
Serious-senpai: "...Pardon me?"
???: "The Serious Development is done. It's all heartwarming from here."
Serious-senpai: "..................What?"