In the morning, Kaito, who was the last lookout, woke up with faint dark circles under his eyes.
Or rather, he was gently shaken awake by Chiyo, who had been the second-to-last lookout.
Carefully getting up, Kaito first glanced at Mamako, who was sleeping soundly, her face beaming with happiness and contentment. Kaito looked up and sighed for a long time.
'This woman only started the fire but didn't put it out!'
'If the environment weren't wrong...'
'Cough, cough!'
Helplessly getting up, Kaito retied the string of his casual pants, adjusted himself, and slowly left the room.
...
Arriving in the living room, he put on his shoes by the door, picked up the cigarettes on the table, and was about to light one. He was feeling too frustrated.
"Oh? You didn't go rest?"
"No need... there's only half an hour left. Sleeping or not is the same."
The one sitting on the living room sofa, not yet back in her room, was Chiyo.
Kaito sat opposite her, lit a cigarette, and smoked. He glanced at her, then silently thought about how to ask about her situation.
Since he had promised Mamako to find out the reason, he had to try.
"Chiyo, about your situation, your mother actually told me."
After finishing his cigarette, Kaito spoke.
"...Kaito-nii, what are you talking about?"
Chiyo, who had been boredly reading a book unique to this world, froze for a moment, put down the book, and looked up at Kaito in return.
"First, about how you were born. I don't know if your mother told you, but in many worlds, pregnancy lasts ten months."
"Hehe, I know about that. My mother carried me for a full thousand days before giving birth, which is why she named me Chiyo."
Chiyo smiled slightly, looking very normal. Her tone, voice, and even expression were exactly the same as the normalized The Demon Who Became My Sister Chiyo that Kaito knew.
"Speaking of which, it seems my mother slept quite happily with you? When I called Kaito-nii to wake up, I saw her expression."
'Ah, this...'
'She even changed the subject?'
Kaito smiled helplessly, waved his hand to indicate she shouldn't change the subject, and looked at her seriously.
Instead of beating around the bush, it was better to be direct.
If she was the Chiyo he knew, then there wouldn't be any problem.
"Chiyo, have you regained your past life memories?"
Her body jolted instantly. Chiyo showed no visible change on the surface, but Kaito saw that jolt clearly.
It was the reaction of someone whose 'secret had been discovered'—shock and fear.
"Kaito-nii, I don't know what you're talking about. Although my birth was strange, I am definitely my mother's daughter now!"
"...I didn't say you weren't. It's just that regarding your past life, there's something you find inconvenient to talk about, right?"
"Well... sorry, I don't have any past life."
Chiyo's originally gentle smile gradually became fake, but she still denied the fact.
This was just as Kaito had guessed.
Perhaps her past life was somewhat unpleasant or too intense, so she dared not or didn't want to talk about it?
"Just tell me alone. Depending on the situation... I'll help you keep it from your mother. But your mother is worried about you, even asked me for help. I have to give her some kind of answer."
"About your past life, you with the goat horns..."
"Anyway, it doesn't matter who you were. You are you. Now you are Chiyo. It's just that you've regained your memories. There must be something you need to resolve, or some other difficulty."
"So... I need you to tell me. Not just for your mother's sake, but maybe I can even help you solve it."
After Kaito spoke, the atmosphere fell into silence.
Chiyo remained silent, her head bowed with a fake smile. Kaito couldn't ask again because he had said everything. Even if he asked more, if Chiyo didn't want to talk, she wouldn't.
So he could only wait.
Wait for Chiyo to be willing to speak.
Fortunately, things were moving in a good direction.
When Chiyo suddenly revealed a bitter smile, her eyes flickered with changing colors before returning to normal.
"Kaito-nii, you said you would help me. Can you really do it? Anything?"
"As long as it doesn't involve life, I can."
"But... it does involve life!"
Chiyo said somewhat playfully, leaving Kaito momentarily puzzled.
'Could it be an enemy issue?'
'Considering Chiyo's past life had only one head left, maybe Chiyo's enemy was the one who caused her state?'
'And because the enemy was too powerful, Chiyo had been unwilling to speak up?'
"It depends. Actually... I'm quite strong."
After hesitating for a moment, Kaito decided to continue listening.
"Hehe... well then... I'll tell you. Yes, I have regained my past life memories, right when I turned eighteen."
"At the same time as the memories awakened, my abilities and latent bloodline also fully awakened."
"Similarly... regarding my enemy, they must have sensed it too."
See? Just as Kaito had guessed.
The enemy must be very strong. Even after Chiyo's rebirth, they could still sense her. That meant the enemy was indeed formidable.
"So?"
"So, perhaps soon, when I can no longer control my fully awakened power, I'll revert to my original form. After that, the enemy will probably appear before me."
"Well, that's simple. If you can't handle it, I'll take care of it."
"Hehehe~"
Suddenly, Chiyo shook her head...
Her smile became mysterious. It didn't seem like she was worried about this, yet there was an enemy that did indeed seem to be coming...
"Kaito-nii, when I can't control myself in a month, come help me then, okay?"