"Why would you think that?"
Holding the cat, Shade instinctively took a step back out of guilt. The Ship Girl smiled and stepped forward instead:
"Since you won't admit it, shall I guess how Miss Olanord became a demigod?"
Shade was so embarrassed that he could barely speak, making the blue-eyed girl smile even more brightly. She reached out and lightly tapped his chest with a finger, using truly very little force:
"I know what you want to know, but some things can't be told to you just yet. Still, I can reveal a little—you'll find the method very soon, Master~"
"Why use that form of address? Very soon..."
Shade immediately understood:
"Was it really the door grown from that seed? Does the real Time Corridor allow me to reach the past without needing a specific key?"
The Tree Father's reward included a way for Shade to visit Adele again, and that method was related to the seed capable of growing a door. Since he could visit Adele in "the Past," then of course he could also visit Blaney in the "normal" past.
"You figured that out yourself. I didn't say anything."
The blue-eyed Ship Girl said with a smile, then leaned forward and gently kissed him:
"This is my reward."
"Did Teacher Feilianna and Miss Violet give you some mission that made you cross such a vast stretch of time to come here?"
Shade asked again. The Ship Girl's expression was very gentle:
"Yes. My mission is to take care of you in their place."
She opened her arms and gently embraced Shade, eventually resting her head on his shoulder:
"The Demigod Witches didn't give me a reward. They said I could take whatever reward I wanted. So, would you be willing to give me a kiss, Master?"
"Of