Chapter 61: Trust

Chapter 61: Trust

Once Shirou was finished placating his sisters, particularly Miyu, he transferred ownership of the EMIYA Card to Thomas before inviting him, Vivi, and Astolfo to stay the night.

As he had planned to spend at least a few days searching for Install Cards before returning, Thomas ultimately accepted Shirou's invitation. The temptation of sleeping in a bed or atop a futon was pretty compelling, but he also wanted to ask about the 'Bounded Field' within which Shirou's house was built. Thus, while Astolfo and Vivi changed into animal pajamas to have a slumber party with Illya, Miyu, and Chloe, Thomas split off from the group, joining Shirou in his forge.

Before Thomas could ask about the forge or how Bounded Fields worked, Shirou surprised him by stating, "I should apologize. You clearly had your own thing going on, but now you've gotten wrapped up in our problems..."

Exhaling a faint, exasperated sigh through his nose, Thomas said, "Don't worry about it. While I never expected this development, I knew Zelretch would do something to pull me into his world. This just takes me out of my comfort zone and forces me to think outside the box."

Adopting a faint smile, Shirou replied, "Still, without you appearing like this, we would have been trapped, not knowing how to move forward. I know Chloe has been restless since we moved to Amazon Lily. And now that she intends to travel with your group, I'm certain that Illya and Ruby will follow suit..."

Furrowing his brows, Thomas asked, "Seriously, man? Give me a break..." This chapter is updated by nov(e)(l)biin.com

Nodding his head, Shirou revealed, "Illya was actually the Captain of our crew, the Prism Pirates. She and Chloe also serve as foils for one another, so she wouldn't feel comfortable letting her travel without supervision."

Before Thomas could protest, Shirou's smile became wry as he added, "Look on the bright side. With Illya around, you'll have access to Ruby's knowledge and several additional Install Cards. More importantly, they can replenish Chloe's Magical Energy in your stead."

Realizing the truth within Shirou's words, Thomas replied, "You make a very good point. The problem is that our ship is already pretty cramped, especially the female quarters. Unless Illya or Ruby can create a space like this one, there isn't much room to accommodate additional people..."

Nodding his head, Shirou replied, "That shouldn't be an issue. This space was created by Miyu and Sapphire using the Medea Install Card. It takes weeks to produce a sanctuary like this, but expanding the dimensions of a room only takes a few hours."

Returning a nod of his own, Thomas said, "Well, that answers my first question..." Then, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to know, he tentatively inquired, "Now, you said Illya was the Captain of your crew? Does that mean she has an even higher Bounty than you...?"

Shaking his head, Shirou answered, "She used to. However, after my rampage in Marie Geoise, my Bounty increased from 313,000,000 to 713,000,000, Dead or Alive. Illya's was 337,000,000 previously, but it has since increased to 500,000,000 alongside Chloe's and Miyu's. Unlike me, however, they are wanted 'Alive Only.'"

"..."

Taking advantage of Thomas's silence, Shirou explained, "That's one of the reasons I considered becoming a Shichibukai. I wanted to have their Bounties frozen and prevent people from hunting us. Unfortunately...no, never mind. I'd rather not talk about it..."

Recalling how one of the Celestial Dragons had wanted to 'collect' his sisters like some kind of trophy or action figures, a murderous glimmer reflected across Shirou's eyes. If not for his body's condition, he would have burned Pangea Castle, the heart of the World Government, to the ground...

After his lengthy conversation with Shirou, Thomas spent more than an hour relaxing in the residence's massive, open-air bath. Vivi and Astolfo had already gone in before him, using it as an opportunity to get to know Illya, Chloe, and Miyu, so he had the entire bath to himself, soaking up to his chin as he contemplated everything that had transpired over the past forty-eight hours.

As troublesome as recent developments were, Thomas would be lying if he said he wasn't at least a little excited. Just the prospect of becoming a 'True Mage' made his heart beat faster, not simply because it guaranteed his freedom, but because he would potentially be able to traverse all the worlds he had given up on to enter One Piece. As for the matter of Chloe, well, she wasn't entirely wrong when she said he was putting on a front...

Though they were around the same height, Chloe, Illya, and Miyu gave off a markedly more 'mature' impression than Benienma. Had Thomas been around the same age as Shirou, he might have played along and allowed his gaze to wander while Chloe was taunting him. Since he was already in his mid-thirties, he couldn't just let himself get riled up by some wannabe succubus...

Fortunately, even though he dozed off for a few minutes, Thomas's bath went uninterrupted. He half-expected Chloe or Astolfo to sneak in on him, but that was, evidently, an undue concern. The two pink-haired imps were having fun chatting in Miyu's room, so Thomas spent much of the evening alone since Vivi, despite her mature appearance, was only a few months older than the trio of lolis. She had also spent the last two years of her life undercover, so having a 'girl's night' where she could relax and cut loose was something she desperately needed...

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After a lonely but peaceful night's slumber, Thomas rose well before the Sun, dragging his feet as he made his way outside to get in a few hours of training. Before leaving, Chiron had recommended him to get between 6-10 hours of training whenever he wasn't busy with other things. Reaching the peak required a certain mentality, so he would never reach his goal if he allowed himself to become complacent and slacked off when he could have been training.

With such thoughts in mind, Thomas released a long yawn before giving himself a few light smacks to wake himself up. As he did so, something pointy pressed against the small of his back as the now-familiar voice of a young girl remarked, "You're full of openings. If I were an enemy, you'd be dead right now."

Though he initially tensed, circulating his Magical Energy for protection, Thomas relaxed when he heard the voice, lazily responding, "Lucky me..." before turning around to find Chloe standing behind him in her incredibly skimpy, red and black Archer attire. In her hands were a pair of black and white shortswords that Thomas couldn't readily recall the names of, but he didn't pay them any mind, asking, "What's up? Don't tell me you were up all night watching me..."

"You wish," replied Chloe. "I just sensed you were awake and decided to see what you were up to so early in the morning. Mind telling me where you're going?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Thomas lazily replied, "Daily training..." before turning around and continuing on his way. When he did so, Chloe briefly adopted a skeptical look, asking, "Seriously...?" before hurrying to catch up when he didn't stop to respond...

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(A/N: It's okay, Tom. Every badass needs a loli.)