The next day, Inaba Tsukiyo woke up following her usual routine, only to find that someone had climbed onto her bed while she was sleeping.
Upon closer inspection, she realized Tachibana Koneko was sleeping beside her, wearing only a light shirt, curled up quietly next to her like a kitten.
It seemed that Tachibana Koneko had settled her business while Inaba Tsukiyo was asleep, but instead of going home, she had come here.
"Seriously... is she becoming dependent on me? I'm starting to wonder if you're a Cat Demon. Otherwise, why would your name contain 'Koneko' (Little Cat)?"
Rubbing Tachibana Koneko's little head, Inaba Tsukiyo was about to get up and make breakfast when she suddenly realized something was amiss.
Besides Tachibana Koneko, it seemed there was someone else sleeping next to her, and this person was holding onto her arm.
Inaba Tsukiyo looked to the other side and saw a completely naked, black-haired, straight-haired Little Loli sleeping there, clutching her arm with a look of contentment on her face.
"..."
If someone with a loli complex saw this scene, they would certainly be very satisfied, but she herself was a Loli, and she didn't know this Little Loli.
It was just... why did she feel this unfamiliar Loli was so familiar? As if she had seen her somewhere before.
Ah! This wasn't some cliché pick-up line; Inaba Tsukiyo genuinely felt like she had seen her somewhere, but she couldn't figure out who the other party was.
The black-haired Little Loli seemed to have been disturbed by Inaba Tsukiyo's movement. She groggily rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking at Inaba Tsukiyo with sleepy eyes.
As she moved, her beautiful long hair cleverly covered certain important parts of her body.
Even though she wasn't fully exposed because of this, the way she was covered felt even more... H!
"Master? Master, you're awake. Hehe~ When I first woke up yesterday, I found that Master was already asleep. So, I didn't disturb Master and, as usual, accompanied Master to sleep."
As she spoke, the Little Loli tapped her chin with her index finger, tilting her head as if deep in thought.
After a while, the Little Loli finally thought of the proper word to describe her inner thoughts.
"This should be what they call 'attending the bed' in human society, right? Hehe~ I wonder how I did, Master."
"You wait a moment. I'm a bit unclear about this situation. Please wait for me to sort things out before we talk."
Inaba Tsukiyo waved her hand, signaling for the other party to be quiet for a moment. She needed to think carefully about what was going on.
As the drowsiness faded, her thoughts quickly became clear. Inaba Tsukiyo soon grasped why she felt this Little Loli was so familiar.
"Could it be... you are, Mikazuki Munechika?"
Thinking of a certain possibility, Inaba Tsukiyo asked tentatively.
The only person she could think of who would address her this way, besides Mikazuki Munechika, who had been kept in Imaginary Space all this time, was no one else.
The Little Loli... no, Mikazuki Munechika, hearing Inaba Tsukiyo's address, broke into a brilliant smile.
"Indeed, even without my reminder, Master, you were able to guess my identity. I am Mikazuki Munechika, who accompanies Master."
Mikazuki Munechika lightly hopped to the bedside, and with a turn of her body, a magnificent black kimono appeared on her petite frame.
"Truly... I... I never imagined I would be able to meet Master in such a form. Although I have accompanied Master for a hundred years, watching Master lose her beloved, watching Master venture into one world after another, watching Master encounter one person after another. I have only watched Master as an observer, and my greatest wish was merely to accompany Master."
Mikazuki Munechika said with tears in her eyes. In the past, she wouldn't even dream of having a human body and meeting Inaba Tsukiyo in a form other than a weapon.
Inaba Tsukiyo looked at Mikazuki Munechika with a touch of melancholy. She had originally only wanted to see if a lifeless weapon could take on a human form like Bella, but... it seemed she was wrong.
Mikazuki Munechika... was not lifeless. Although in the past she was just a weapon, she had awakened without Inaba Tsukiyo's knowledge.
Weapons can have spirits; this is a description of weapons from a certain world. Just like special weapons such as the cursed sword Muramasa, other weapons can also awaken a weapon spirit under certain specific conditions.
A herrscher core, of course, cannot grant a lifeless object human form, but Mikazuki Munechika herself had a soul; she simply lacked a vessel for her soul, a means to materialize her appearance.
Inaba Tsukiyo was very happy. Facing this companion who had accompanied her for hundreds of years, she felt genuinely joyful, happier than ever before.
"I'm very glad to see you, partner. Thank you for your companionship all this time."
"Master!"
Mikazuki Munechika excitedly hugged Inaba Tsukiyo, tears streaming down her face. She buried her head deep in Inaba Tsukiyo's embrace, experiencing a warmth she never thought possible.
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