Lounging on a couch was Tamamo. Her fox ears twitching as she watched a random TV show, a bag of chips crinkling in her hand as she reached into in bag. She wore a loose white T-shirt, completely at ease.
"I'm back, Tamamo," Maria greeted cheerfully upon quietly opening the door.
Tamamo's face lit up instantly. "Human, you're finally back! That other human ignored me entirely. I'm glad to have my trusted servant has return."
Maria went to hug her, a gentle warmth in her eyes. "You must've been lonely, Tamamo."
Tamamo struggled slightly against the embrace. "Hmph, I'm not lonely. And that doesn't mean you can touch me, human."
Maria released her with an amused smile on her face. "So, did you find anything, human?" Tamamo asked.
Maria's smile widened. "I did." She reached into her bag, pulling out several bottles and setting them on the coffee table.
"A few faeries I helped pointed me toward these springs."
She placed a glass bottle filled with a mellow yellow liquid on the table. "This one induces semi-permanent amnesia."
Next, a bottle with cloudy black liquid. "This one makes you remember your deepest, most repressed embarrassing memories."
Then a bottle with a concrete-colored liquid. "This one cure petrification."
A bronze-colored liquid followed. "This one turns flesh to gold."
Finally, she held up a bottle containing a clear, water-like liquid. "This one can lift most curses. It should bring Kaito's consciousness back."
"Great. Let's test it right away," Tamamo said in excitement.
They went to Kaito's room. He lay on the bed, still and unresponsive, a helmet-like contraption on his head with a single green light blinking rhythmically.
"What's that machine?" Maria asked, pointing at the device.
Tamamo yanked the contraption off Kaito's head and tossed it aside. "It's a device to communicate with Kaito, but so far, it's only talked to his swords."
Tamamo opened Kaito's mouth and was about to pour the entire bottle of clear liquid into it when a psychic force stopped the bottle midair and gently moved it out of her hand.
"Kaito will choke if you do that, Tamamo," Maria said calmly. "And only a small sip of it will work."
Maria used her psychic powers to levitate a single, small bubble of the clear liquid from the bottle and float it into Kaito's mouth. After a short period, Kaito's body began to twitch, and a soft groan escaped his lips. His eyes slowly opened, filled with a deep, disoriented confusion.
"Maria? Tamamo?" he muttered, his voice hoarse. He looked entirely distracted, but he was finally awake.
"It worked," Maria said, her voice filled with relief. She gently hugged him in joy.
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Kaito sat in front of a table overflowing with food and drinks, the joyous cheers of a tavern surrounding him. Yet, his gaze was completely distant, his mind clearly somewhere else.
"It's good to see you again, Maria. You as well, Tamamo," he said, a faint smile on his lips.
Ysoria leaned in, her brow furrowed with concern. "Hero, who are you talking to?"
Kaito blinked, his focus snapping back to the fantasy world for a moment. "Ah... Ysoria, it seems my consciousness back on Earth has awoken, and it's split."
"Ysoria is a Saint I'm traveling with on my journey to defeat the Demon King in this other world."
Nysera teleported next to Kaito and began to touch his body, examining him with various magic.
"Can you cut that out, Nysera? I'm trying to focus," Kaito muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Hey, stop, that tickles!" He tried to grab Nysera's hand but only grabbed empty air as his arms was uncoordinated.
"Thanks for the chip, Tamamo, but I don't feel hungry at all, or thirsty for that matter. Strange," Kaito said distracted once again.
He then suddenly flinched. "Wait, Yumi, what's that machine? It's only for checkups? I see. I have to agree with Shikabanehime on this one, it looks really scary."
He gestured with his hand, as if speaking to someone on his other side. "So, yeah. I'm currently controlling both bodies, but my consciousness is still one. I can still feel and see both sides at the same time. I'm not sure how to describe it better."
He turned to Rin, who was watching the whole spectacle with detached amusement. "Hey, Rin, can you grab Nysera for me?"
On it!" Rin replied. She reached for Nysera, but her hand passed right through the girl's body as she turned intangible. Rin shrugged and returned to her seat. "Welp, I tried."
"Focus on one? Alright." Kaito closed his eyes for a long moment, trying to focus on one connection between his two realities. Ysoria and Rin watched in silence. Nysera, meanwhile, continued her examination of Kaito without a care in the world.
Kaito opened his eyes again, a sigh of frustration escaping his lips. "It didn't work. It seems my consciousness is synced. I can move my bodies separately if I focus, but my mind is still aware of both."
"It seems I need to defeat the Demon King before I can fully return to Earth."
He flinched once more. "Wait, Tamamo. I don't think drinking more of that liquid would help."
He then turned to Ysoria, Rin, and Nysera. "I'm confident that I can take down the Demon King, even in the state that I'm in."
Rin calmly sipped her tea. "Don't worry, Hero. After I truly master my time-splitting slash, I can easily defeat the Demon King by myself."
Ysoria's eyes hardened with determination. "I shall support you regardless of your state, Hero."
Nysera simply nodded, her voice flat and unwavering. "For my research."