With Old Master Timefield's masterful sleight of hand — the public misdirection that concealed his true moves — Geno had been thrust squarely into the spotlight. Journalists and paparazzi, both open and covert, were constantly angling to extract some newsworthy tidbit from him.
Though Geno had very nearly made a full recovery, Old Master Timefield — out of concern for Geno's safety — had publicly announced that Geno had sustained serious injuries while protecting him, and was declining all outside visitors and interviews.
This was completely unacceptable to the reporters who had just caught wind of the story and descended like sharks scenting blood.
Like the one in front of him right now.
"Excuse me — Mr. Paparazzo. Don't you ever get tired?"
Staring up at the paparazzo dangling from his bathroom ceiling, Geno could swear he had never in his life encountered anyone this deranged.
"Hey, a man's gotta eat. Being a paparazzo means having the spirit to get down and dirty and never fear the filth — or the fall."
"...That wasn't a compliment. Arnold, handle this, would you? Oh, and wipe the camera."
At his words, the butler Arnold stepped in with several broad-shouldered attendants and hauled the mysterious intruder down.
"Don't you dare delete it! Do you know how hard I worked to get those shots?! That's my bonus you're erasing!!"
Watching the paparazzo thrash and flail even as he was dragged away, Geno felt a wave of secondhand embarrassment wash over him.
Less worrying than the man's mental state, frankly, was the question of how he'd gotten in here in the first place.
Was the security at Timefield Estate really this bad?!
"If this keeps up, I'd rather just go out for a walk."
As the old saying goes — idle hands find their own trouble. Since paparazzi were swarming both inside and outside, he might as well take his chances outside.
Besides, lying in a hospital room with people watching his every move was absolutely killing him.
"Alice, do you want to come with me?"
Back in the hospital room, Geno turned to his nominal fiancée — who was currently peeling an apple for him.
"Hm? Go out? But I have my Ether studies class later, so I'm not sure I can..."
Alice's reply came with a hint of hesitation. As the young mistress of the Timefield family, her daily schedule was packed to the brim.
Even now that Holy Star Girls' Academy was on break, she had a mountain of coursework to work through.
"Alice, go with him."
"Grandfather?"
Old Master Timefield came walking through the doorway, leaning on his cane, a warm smile on his face as he looked between Geno and Alice.
"Young people should act like young people. If all you do is study, you'll squander the best years of your life."
Hearing that, Alice looked puzzled.
"But Grandfather, weren't those lessons your idea? Didn't you say they were 'essential qualities for a future heir to the Timefield family'?"
"Ahem — did I say that? You must be misremembering. In any case, the next few days of lessons have all been cancelled. Take some time to relax — with Geno, naturally."
Old Master Timefield's face went slightly red. He could hardly admit out loud that he'd cancelled all her classes specifically to give her and Geno more time together to develop their feelings.
He already knew that the true mastermind behind the Ether-resistance bracelet technology wasn't Geno, and he had taken Geno on as an adopted grandson all the same.
But that hadn't made him any less determined to hold on to Geno as a grandson-in-law.
He was old — and his Corruption symptoms were severe. He didn't have many years left.
His one dying wish was to see the Timefield family's legacy secured, and to see his granddaughter settled with someone worthy.
At that thought, Old Master Timefield's gaze drifted to Geno.
Where once he had valued Geno for his brilliance and talent, now what he valued was his character and his strength.
As for the matter of his Ethereal identity... that was a problem for another day. In the worst case, the two of them simply wouldn't have children for the time being — he was a broad-minded old man, after all.
Most importantly, Alice herself had to want it. And he could see it plainly — this little girl wasn't indifferent to Geno. Not in the slightest.
She just had no idea. Pure as the driven snow, completely oblivious.
"Ah, child. You're the spitting image of your father when he was young — just as dense."
"Hm? Why are you bringing up Dad all of a sudden?"
Alice's rabbit ears perked straight up. She had a feeling that whatever her grandfather had just said wasn't exactly a compliment.
"Nothing, nothing. Go enjoy yourselves. With Geno around, I'm not worried about your safety — no need for bodyguards tagging along. Just remember to check in every now and then."
With that, the old master left the hospital room once more, leaning on his cane, Arnold walking at his side.
He could give Alice a holiday. His own schedule was a different matter entirely.
"What did Grandfather mean by that?"
"No idea. Who cares — since the old man said so, let's just go out and have a look around, shall we?"
Geno couldn't figure it out either, but the one thing he was certain of was that the old man hadn't given up on playing matchmaker between Alice and himself.
"Mm, you're right. It's a holiday — no point overthinking it. But where should we go? I'm honestly not that familiar with Weifeidi."
Alice set down the apple she'd been holding and pinched her smooth little chin, slipping into a thoughtful pose.
The Timefield family's main roots were in New Eridu proper. The Weifeidi estate was just a retreat the old master used to recuperate.
So while Alice visited occasionally to stay with her grandfather for a stretch, the vast majority of her time was spent at the family's main residence in New Eridu.
As for what to do — Geno himself had a rather good idea.
"Obviously, we ask a local. Don't forget about your new friends."
Geno held up his phone and gave it a little wave. He might not have a great sense of direction himself, but his friends more than made up for it.
No sooner said than done — he rang up Lucia and Yuzuha on the spot. Both of them cheerfully agreed to take Alice on a tour of Weifeidi's most famous urban legend hotspots.
"...Urban legends?!"
Alice's expression froze. The little cowlick on top of her head shot bolt upright.
She was genuinely fascinated by urban legends and ghost stories — just as Lucia had said yesterday — but actually going to the places where those legends were said to have happened was a completely different matter. That, she was not so sure about.
It was just as Arnold the head butler had once noted: the young mistress of the Timefield family was far too easily frightened, which was precisely why he had recommended that she try exposing herself to urban legends as a form of desensitization therapy.
The suggestion had certainly piqued Alice's interest in ghost stories — but as for desensitizing her to being scared, it seemed to have produced entirely the opposite effect.
"Then it's settled!"
Geno grabbed Alice's arm with unbridled enthusiasm and, paying absolutely no mind to her protests, pulled her straight out of the hospital at a run.
These past few days cooped up in the hospital had very nearly driven him out of his mind. He was finally getting out.
Of course, the two of them hadn't forgotten to throw together some reasonable disguises — they were the talk of the town right now, after all.
"So... this is your disguise. Why does it give me the distinct feeling that you're protesting your innocence a little too loudly?"
Inside a café, Yuzuha sat with Kamanosuke cradled in her arms, looking across the table at the two of them — bundled up head to toe in perfectly matching outfits — with an expression full of teasing amusement.
____
👻🔥Seek: Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: JJK: Naoya Zenin Reborn as a Woman
Let's hit these goals:
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 extra chapter for the public!