In life, unexpected crises are bound to occur, and the key to surviving them is quick thinking.
Just as Valor instinctively reached into the bag for a piece of dog food, Allen leapt forward, snatched the bag, and nonchAllently pulled out a piece. He tossed it into his mouth, hiding the rest in his hand, then, without leaving a trace, slipped it into his pocket, casually chewing the empty space.
"Valor! You little thief, eating my snacks again!" Allen knocked Valor lightly on the head, feigning annoyance.
He couldn't help but internally give himself a mental high-five—all crises neutralized in a single move.
However, while Allen had suppressed Valor with mental communication, the other "actor" had no intention of cooperating.
As Allen smiled, preparing to stow the bag, he suddenly felt extra weight in his hand—and the bag in his grasp vanished along with it.
A white blur flickered before him, and in the next moment, the little fox returned to her aunt, dog food in mouth. After confirming safety, she dug her tiny head into the bag, and the sound of chewing carried clearly to the two standing nearby.
Oh no.
Allen wanted to cover his face.
Feeding a fox dog food was harmless—but feeding someone else's niece? That was serious—even a light punishment would sting. Now the situation was worse—feeding the girl in front of her aunt? There was no excuse for that…
His only hope was that the woman wasn't the one footing the bill—otherwise, the Galleons already in his pocket might fly away any second…
But the little fox delivered a fatal blow—after eating one piece, it grabbed another and jumped onto the woman's shoulder, offering it. Allen froze as the woman, without even glancing, took the snack and popped it in her mouth.
A few chews later, Allen saw surprise light up her face. She began chewing carelessly, half-squatting to pick up the bag from the ground.
Disaster!
Yet the outburst he expected never came. Instead, she wore a look of sudden realization.
What followed utterly shattered Allen's worldview: the breathtakingly beautiful woman grabbed a small handful of dog food and, with zero elegance or poise, gulped it down. The goddess-like grace she had vanished, replaced by a rough, almost masculine demeanor.
What the hell?
Was the dog food poisoned, or had her true personality just been revealed? The style was completely off!
Wasn't she supposed to be furious that her niece had been fed dog food, scolded Allen, and stormed off? Yet she chose the least likely option—picking up the food and eating it herself?
This defied all logic. As Allen questioned reality, the woman stepped forward and slapped his shoulder with casual familiarity:
"Should've said something sooner—made me work so hard pretending! We're on the same side, no need for all this formality."
Huh?
Same side? With who?
Allen's baffled expression earned a big eye-roll. She pointed at Valor and then at him:
"Still pretending with me, huh?"
Before Allen could respond, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.
Allen caught a whiff of her scent, suddenly pressed close—his mind racing: What the hell? This isn't good, right?
But instead of an embrace, he felt a sharp stab on his right chest.
After that, she quickly stepped back, a look of "just as I thought" on her face.
Allen felt the magical force surge at his chest, chAnnieling automatically into a familiar pathway—the only transformation-based inheritance he currently possessed, the Strategist Commander's pre-transformation method.
The external stimulus vanished quickly, and Allen's transformation completed halfway—the feathers spread across his body, and a pair of glossy wings emerged on his back.
Though Allen hadn't relied on this transformation for combat in some time, there was no doubt that his high affinity with the inheritance and his improved magical power positively influenced the process. The stimulus from the woman had revealed it all.
Of course, Allen had no time to admire himself. He quickly retracted the transformation, staying alert, while Valor let out a low growl, ready for battle:
"Hey, what are you doing?"
"Stop pretending. You've seen me transform before, little brother. Don't get worked up."
The woman showed no intention to fight, her expression relaxed, as if to say, who are you trying to fool?
"No need for pretenses. It's just the two of us now—what's the big deal? You're a monster, right? Don't see why you're sneaking into those schools anyway." She tossed another piece of dog food into her mouth with a casual eye-roll.
Monster? What the hell?
Come on, girl—what kind of thought process leads to this?
Allen almost believed her, seeing her expression that insisted there was only one truth. He had tested himself many times after crossing over—there was nothing unusual. How am I a monster?
"Little brother, you were too convincing. If I hadn't had a sudden realization, I'd have been fooled—you're a monster with Crow Tengu blood, right? I just hadn't recognized you."
Crow Tengu?
Wait… my brain's scrambled. Let me think.
Allen looked at Valor, then at himself, then at the dog food.
Seems… plausible. His partial transformation did resemble a Crow Tengu somewhat…
Seeing Allen's brief silence, the woman patted his shoulder casually:
"Now I see why you're so formidable. Knowing you're a little monster makes me feel much better—don't worry, there aren't many monsters left. We may be different species, but it's fine. I've got you!"
Allen hadn't fully recovered from the shock when she glanced at Valor:
"Tch, your companion is really strong—so envious, little one. Remember to come over this weekend!"
With a whistle, a pristine white bird descended. She and the little fox stepped onto it, waving goodbye.••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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