"Thank goodness, you're both back!" The first to greet Pepe and Hinako was Leonardo da Vinci, currently the only openly acknowledged Servant at Chaldea. "Go get a medical checkup first—Dr. Roman is ready for you."
Kirschtaria Wodime was also delighted. Not only had his endangered colleagues returned safely, but this also meant Chaldea's Rayshift experiment was at least a partial success.
If a person could be rayshifted to the past but not return to the present, then, without a doubt, the experiment would only be half a success—and by stricter standards, a failure.
Although only two people, including the rescue target, returned, even Marisbury, observing from his room, felt relieved. It seemed his plans could proceed...
"Beryl sacrificed himself..." Pepe put on a serious and slightly sorrowful expression. "Before we found Hinako, we encountered a type of Phantasmal Species we'd never seen before. As the combat specialist, Beryl fought bravely, but battles of the Age of Gods are just too brutal for modern magi..."
Hinako blinked and expressionlessly glanced at Pepe, thinking his acting was pretty good. If Aoko had tasked her with this performance, Da Vinci would have seen through it right away.
"Sigh, that's understandable," Kirschtaria said with a sigh. "Though Mr. Beryl Gut's reputation wasn't great, his professionalism was commendable. If even he couldn't handle the situation, your escape and the retrieval of Ms. Hinako count as an outstanding achievement."
"But I still hope, after your checkups and some rest, you two can submit a report to me," Kirschtaria added seriously. "Forgive my nagging, but it is my duty."
"We understand," Pepe said with a relieved smile, and Hinako nodded beside him. "But we're exhausted. We hope the deadline for the report can be extended a few days."
Pepe pressed his palms together in a prayer-like gesture, closing one eye and giving Kirschtaria a wink.
This rather feminine gesture nearly made Kirschtaria shudder; he had to use reinforcement magecraft to control his physical reaction.
"...Very well, I understand," Kirschtaria said. "Just give it to me in two weeks. Until then, rest up."
The Chaldea mission report had already been written during the journey back to the Proper Human History timeline from Fairy Britain. Its contents were deliberated and finalized by Aoko, Hinako, and Pepe together. Now, with two weeks of paid leave from Kirschtaria, neither Pepe nor Hinako would complain—who'd choose overtime over leave?
In short, thanks to Aoko's scheming, the Chaldea higher-ups—Da Vinci, Marisbury, and others—didn't notice anything amiss, and everyone got away with it.
Aoko didn't pay any extra wages to Pepe and Hinako—after all, as Chaldea's major shareholder, she was already their real boss. She had quietly arranged for their direct supervisor to change from Marisbury to herself, but the paymaster stayed the same.
It sounded a bit convoluted, but it all made sense. Aoko was quite satisfied.
…
The next morning, Aoko left Chaldea with Artoria. Now that the Rayshift experiment had succeeded, as the major shareholder, she no longer needed to stay.
Artoria was insistent about seeing the emperor penguins again. Aoko couldn't resist her request—Artoria, usually so dignified, now looking a bit pitiful. So, she took a detour to the penguin colony, letting the King of Knights indulge in her penguin obsession once more before reluctantly boarding a ship and leaving Antarctica.
By the time they returned to Misaki Town in Japan, it had been a full month since they left—Aoko felt uneasy since she had confidently promised Alice to be back in three weeks at most.
"Alice!!" As soon as Aoko arrived at the Kuonji mansion, she shouted and pounced on Alice, who was reading in the parlor. "I'm having withdrawal symptoms from lack of Alice energy! Let me recharge!"
Alice glanced at her, deftly dodged to the side, and Aoko crashed into the sofa back with a thump!
"...Every time you're like this, it means you've done something wrong," Alice set down her tea and closed her book. "How did you let me down this time?"
"Don't say it like that~" Aoko crawled up, sidled over to Alice, and hugged her shoulders, speaking in a coaxing tone. "Things with Marisbury were complicated, so it took longer than I promised..."
"I broke our agreement. I'm sorry." Aoko, still hugging Alice's shoulders, put on her best sincere face, looking into Alice's eyes. "And now I want to make it up to you."
Alice stared at her for a while, then turned away and muttered, "...I want beef curry udon. Right now."
"No problem!" Aoko let go, stood up, and rolled up her sleeves. "There are still ingredients in the fridge, right? I'll make it now~"
Alice wanted to say something but felt a little reluctant to part with Aoko's warmth in the chilly mansion. In the end, she just nodded, picked up her book, and headed for the dining room.
Aoko secretly pumped her fist—looks like she'd passed this hurdle too! Usually, Alice's reaction like this meant she was no longer angry and was looking forward to Aoko's cooking... Though it'd be nice if Alice were a bit more honest.
Artoria had already returned to the Aozaki house to see Gray. No matter how mature Gray was, Artoria couldn't ignore her. Plus, she needed time to figure out how to explain Gray to Morgan, given their uncanny resemblance.