"What is this, why is that person here, in that state?"

  Hastily closing the bedroom door, Amashiro clutched his throbbing head trying to remember what on earth had happened.

  Just a few hours ago, he'd invited him to the Tusita mansion, dined together, invited him for drinks to wash away their mutual grudges... and yet—

  "...Despite that appearance he turned out to be quite a lightweight, got completely smashed...

  Wait, what happened after? Something happened...

  Ah, sending him home blackout drunk seemed wrong, so I brought him here to sleep it off.

  Then laid him on the bed and I went to the sofa..."

  — Mrow.

  Lost in thought, Arsha rubbed against his feet.

  "Ah, sorry sorry. Breakfast time, isn't it.

  Sorry about that. Bringing home some strange man, making breakfast late too."

  He fed the cats and set out fresh water.

  Norgaar and Arsha came to eat right away, but Isha was nowhere to be seen.

  Maybe she doesn't feel like eating now? he thought—then from somewhere came a scratching, clawing sound.

  Wondering where she was, he looked around—the sound was coming from the bedroom.

  'Of all places to be!'

  He lamented, but thinking about it, wherever Isha chose to be in her own home, she was blameless.

  In the first place, it was Mengen who'd gone and gotten naked in someone else's house without permission.

  No memory of it, but it's not as if Amashiro had undressed him—probably some drunk habit or other, undressed himself.

  "Why on earth would I undress a man?!

  I'd heard of people who strip when drunk, but... does anyone normally go that far?

  More importantly, what kind of thing is he showing my daughter?"

  Getting slightly worked up, he opened the bedroom door—Isha trotted out and headed to eat. Celeste passed her going in.

  Leaving him naked seemed wrong, and catching a cold here would be a problem. Thinking he'd at least throw a blanket over him, he picked up the blanket that had apparently been kicked to the floor, and looked at Mengen's back—facing away, lying on his side.

  Looking at him like this—furry all over, wolf's head, magnificent fluffy tail...could pass for a large dog, he thought.

  'This is this, but... might actually be kind of cute(?)'

  He was thinking something outrageous when—

  Mengen rolled over, landing face-up.

  "Mmmnn..."

  — THUD.

  "Wh—

  WHYYYYYY ARE YOU SHOWING ME THAAAAAAT?!"

  ...An absolutely not cute—rather, terrifying(?) sight to shriek at.

  Such was the morning at the Amashiro household.

  "Ughhh... head...

  Hm? Morning already...

  ......

  MORNING?!"

  Waking with a furrowed brow from headache, Mengen noticed the surroundings had already brightened and hurriedly tried to get up—but not yet fully awake, he stumbled and fell straight off the bed.

  "...ngh, hm?

  W-why am I NAKED?!

  More importantly, where the hell is this?!"

  The pain of hitting the floor snapped him fully awake—Mengen finally registered that he was completely bare, and in an unfamiliar room.

  And scattered around the bed were various articles of his clothing—his shirt among them, torn to shreds without mercy.

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  Trapping someone in this state to give them humiliation?—the moment he thought it, came a knocking sound.

  "Mengen-san? Are you awake?"

  "...? Who's there?"

  "It's me. Amashiro... no, Celeste."

  "Celeste... you, so you really did—!"

  So yesterday's events were all to deceive me, and this was the true purpose!—just as he blazed with fury—

  "I have a pretty good idea what you're thinking, but you're wrong.

  I'm coming in—cover the front at least, would you?"

  Fury rising at such brazenness—but he did want to hear what purpose lay behind this outrage, so he hastily grabbed the blanket on the bed and wrapped it around his waist.

  "Come in."

  The bedroom door opened and Celeste entered.

  Dressed in a relaxed style different from his usual attire, he held a small glass bottle in his hand.

  "Good morni—"

  "YOU—!"

  Launching himself at the casually-greeting Celeste, he grabbed his collar with full force.

  "GWEK."

  "Where is this?! So you DID plan to abduct me?!

  Stripped me naked to humiliate me?!"

  "No, that's wr—let go—gwek...

  Let GO, you IDIOT!"

  — FLICK.

  "GUWAAAH?!"

  Mengen, attempting to restrain Celeste by the collar, felt tremendous pain explode in his nose—involuntarily releasing Celeste, he could only clutch his nose with both hands.

  For Canisade with their acute senses, a direct flick to the nose was nothing short of devastating.

  "Oh honestly, LISTEN to people!

  Are you always this short-tempered?!

  Calm DOWN already!

  ...Mengen-san?

  ...Are you okay?"

  Unable to answer, Mengen was rolling on the floor writhing in agony, both hands covering his nose.

  "...A nose flick. Does it really hurt that much.

  Should've gone for a kick to the nether regions instead."

  ...Celeste—Amashiro—casually saying something that would make Mengen faint if he heard it properly.

  He had a rather vicious streak.

  "Uggh... y-you..."

  "Yes yes, sorry about that.

  Shall we calm down now? Mengen-san.

  I haven't done anything as bad as you're imagining, and had no intention to.

  More importantly... hahhh, still got plenty of energy, don't you.

  Honestly, I'm envious.

  Whatever that is—cover the front already. Nowhere to look."

  Saying this, Celeste held out the blanket that had fallen in the scuffle.

  "Tch...

  After insulting me this far, what are you planning?"

  "Heh, 'me' is it.

  I'm not planning anything.

  'Insulting'—you undressed yourself, you know?"

  "Wha..."

  The sudden informal speech and the unbelievable content hit Mengen with a double shock.

  "Anyway, drink this first.

  Glad it didn't break."

  Celeste opened the cap of the glass bottle he'd dropped earlier and held it out—Mengen didn't take it.

  "Truth serum?"

  "OH COME ON!

  This is my apartment—my home on Earth!

  In someone's home with your lower half hanging out, everything on display—and now it's 'truth serum'?!"

  "E-Earth?"

  Hearing that, Mengen looked around the room in surprise.

  No time to properly notice before, but looking carefully—completely unfamiliar style of room.

  "Is this... truly Earth?

  That Earth, said to be beyond the sky...?"

  — Mrow.

  At that moment, Isha appeared at the door, peering into the room and meowing.

  "That's...?

  H-Her Majesty the Queen?

  No, different...?"

  "Ah, Isha-chan, you were there?

  Weird man in the room? Yep, yep. Pervert uncle, aren't you.

  Getting naked in someone's home, showing strange things to someone's daughter~

  Ooh~ what a bad man~ shall we get him~"

  Celeste pretending to chat with Isha while teasing him—Mengen had fallen into a confusion where he no longer knew what was what.

  "Could that be... the creature called 'cat'?

  Th-that was... actually true?

  The royal family... in their previous lives, were your... cats?"

  "That's right.

  Well, I didn't intentionally bring you here to prove it, but it worked out as proof, didn't it?"

  "But... even so..."

  Into his not-yet-fully-cleared head, too many things crowded in at once—unable to escape the confusion, one thing alone caught his attention.

  "...Why have you been calling me 'you' this whole time?"

  "Haaa? That's what you're focused on?

  Someone who exposes himself in another person's home, commits violence, and calls me 'you'—I don't feel like using polite speech, obviously! What 'Marc'—stupid dog!"

  "St-stupid?

  ...What's a dog?"

  Another unfamiliar word leaving him at a loss—Celeste held out the bottle again.

  "Just drink it. Hangover cure.

  Honestly, someone that lightweight getting carried away like that."

  "Hangover cure?"

  "Headache, nausea from the alcohol. Drink that suppresses it.

  Drink it and shower. I'll get you a change of clothes."

  "Shower?"

  "A BATH! Not water exactly!

  Just drink that! I went out to the convenience store specially this morning to buy it!"

  "Ah... right..."

  Something with a sweet-sour, strange taste—drinking it down, feeling something seep through his body—Celeste held out a towel.

  "Bathroom's this way.

  Here's the shower.

  Turn this and you can adjust hot and cold ratio."

  "Wh-hot water without heating it?"

  "Yep.

  Well, Alabaster Hall was built to Earth standards so I didn't know other housing situations, but you have taps in Tusita too?

  Think of it as about a hundred years more advanced than that."

  "A hundred years..."

  "Well, overall there's about a two-hundred year gap.

  Anyway, once you shower I'll dry your fur, so wait here when you're done.

  Shampoo and body wash are... ah, pet shampoo might be better?

  Yes, right. Pet shampoo is probably gentler on Antero skin.

  Here—use these on your whole body."

  Remembering that human shampoo and body wash shouldn't be used on pets due to pH differences—thinking furry Antero might be similar—Celeste handed over pet shampoo with a pet shower brush, and adjusted the shower temperature.

  "Ah... right..."

  "Okay, I'm heading to Tusita to check the time—enjoy the shower."

  After Celeste closed the bathroom door and briskly headed off somewhere, Mengen stood dazed for a while.

  "Earth... it was real..."

  "Excuse me? Lord Mengen's change of clothes?"

  At Alabaster Hall, butler Reinbardt was bewildered by the strange request from his master—who'd been so drunk just moments ago yet had somehow sobered up completely and returned properly dressed.

  "That's right. Your uncle, you see...

  Actually, lend me your ear a moment."

  What is it? Reinbardt tilted his ears—and heard a shocking truth.

  "Your uncle—did you know he strips when he drinks?"

  "Eh... WHAT?"

  "Shh.

  He sobered up at my Earth apartment and I was going to bring him back, but—clothes scattered everywhere, shirt torn to pieces... it was something.

  The shirt's probably unusable, other clothes might have torn somewhere too—anyway, contact Mengen house and arrange it.

  We'll sleep well over there and be back by early morning tomorrow.

  Understood? It concerns your uncle's honor, so handle it properly."

  "Ah, yes. Leave it to me."

  "Oh... and..."

  "Yes?"

  "Still got plenty of energy, your uncle."

  "...? Yes. He's not at an age where health would be..."

  "No, that's not what I mean."

  "...?"

  Watching Celeste's back as he returned to Earth leaving behind those cryptic words, Reinbardt was left wondering what on earth he'd meant.