Mai had already steeled herself to resist her mother's disapproval.
But things didn't turn out as bad as she had imagined.
"If that's your decision, I won't stop you… Besides, I'm not in a position to stop you," Mrs. Sakurajima said, her voice tinged with bitterness.
Her lips curled into a faint, wry smile.
Not only had she shown her most embarrassing side to them, but she had also co to realize they lived in completely different worlds.
And beyond that…
Mrs. Sakurajima had a secret—one she couldn't reveal, a reason why she shouldn't interfere.
Staggering to her feet, she t Mai's uncertain gaze with a forced smile.
"I hope you two will be happy."
With that, she turned and walked away, the sound of her high heels clicking softly against the floor.
She knew her limits.
Dragons? Sentient swords?
These fantastical things didn't belong in her reality.
Curiosity might lure so people in, but Mrs. Sakurajima was a realist.
From what little she had learned, she understood there were things that were better left unknown.
Sotis, knowing more doesn't improve your life—it makes it worse.
And so, without fanfare or drama, she quietly left.
Click.
The sound of the door closing broke the silence.
Mai stood frozen, struggling to process what had just happened.
"She… agreed to let us be together?"
Just like that? No conditions?
Still skeptical, Mai turned to Rei Ao for confirmation.
"You heard correctly," Rei Ao replied with a soft chuckle, pinching her nose affectionately. "Your mom gave us her blessing."
"That's amazing!"
Tears of joy welled up in Mai's eyes. She threw herself into his arms, clinging to him tightly as she pressed her cheek to his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
While he held her close, Rei Ao's mind lingered on Mrs. Sakurajima's final expression.
It felt as though she had left sothing unsaid.
The tender atmosphere between them began to deepen.
Monts like these had a way of quickly growing more intimate—especially between young lovers.
Mai, nestled in his arms, began to shift closer, her lips brushing—
"Rei Ao Oniichan!"
The sword-girl suddenly popped up in front of them, her curious eyes fixed on the pair.
"What are you doing?"
Her innocent curiosity was like a splash of cold water.
"Uh…"
The warm, romantic mood instantly dissipated. Mai blushed furiously, hurriedly pulling away from Rei Ao.
She smoothed out her wrinkled dress, trying to regain her composure.
"I'll… I'll go reheat the food," she muttered, grabbing the plates and rushing into the kitchen.
Rei Ao, however, remained calm.
"Is sothing wrong?" he asked the sword-girl, his tone casual.
She fidgeted with her fingers before hesitantly replying, "Rei Ao Oniichan, I… I don't have a na yet."
"You want to give you a na?"
Her eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly, like a little chick pecking at grain.
Everyone else had a na, and she wanted one too.
Rei Ao ruffled her hair gently.
"Instead of , why not let your mom give you a na?"
The girl's expression fell. "But… Mommy doesn't seem to like ."
Her shoulders slumped in disappointnt.
"It's not that," Rei Ao reassured her. "Kobayashi just needs ti to adjust to your sudden appearance. Once she wakes up, I'll have a proper talk with her. Don't worry."
His words seed to soothe her.
"Mm! I trust you, Rei Ao Oniichan! Thank you!"
"Bump~"
Before he could say more, Tohru nudged her head into his hand, her tail swishing expectantly.
Rei Ao imdiately understood and used his other hand to pat her head.
"Mm~ Rei Ao's head pats are the best!"
Tohru closed her eyes, a blissful smile spreading across her face as she savored the mont.
…
That Night.
"..."
Mrs. Sakurajima lay on her bed in a sheer silk nightgown, gazing at the ceiling.
She replayed the events of the day in her mind, unable to describe them as anything but surreal.
She had arrived with the determination to separate Mai and Rei Ao.
But instead, she had exposed her most humiliating side and witnessed a world she never thought existed.
With everything that had happened, it seed she no longer had the authority to control Mai's life.
In hindsight, she thought, maybe this was how it was ant to be.
At so point, she had stopped seeing Mai as her daughter and started treating her as a cash cow.
"This is fine… maybe this is for the best…"
"What's fine?"
"!!!"
Mrs. Sakurajima froze.
Rei Ao's face suddenly appeared in her view.
She bolted upright in bed, only for him to take a step back and casually wave at her.
"Good evening, Mother-in-law."
"It's you?" she stamred, baffled by his sudden appearance.
"How did you get in here?"
She glanced at the door and windows of her bedroom. All of them were tightly shut.
"Mother-in-law, there's no need to be surprised," Rei Ao said, sitting on a nearby chair. "You already know I'm not an ordinary person, don't you?"
"You…"
"Rather than worrying about how I got in, let's talk about sothing else," he said, his words trailing off as his gaze dropped lower.
"Huh?"
At first, Mrs. Sakurajima was too stunned by his sudden appearance to notice anything.
But when she followed his line of sight, she rembered: she was wearing a sheer silk nightgown, and underneath—nothing.
From Rei Ao's expression, it was clear he could see everything.
Flustered, she grabbed a nearby blanket to cover herself, her face and ears turning red with embarrassnt.
Desperate to shift the awkward atmosphere, she quickly changed the topic.
"Rei Ao-kun, what brings you here at this hour?"
She hoped addressing business would bury her earlier embarrassnt.
Rei Ao, of course, had a purpose for coming.
"Did you hide sothing from Mai before you left?"
"…What are you talking about? I don't understand," she replied, shaking her head.
Her response seed plausible.
But Rei Ao caught the subtle change in her expression and the wave of tension and fear emanating from her.
He smiled faintly. "Mother-in-law, I have the ability to tell when soone is lying."
"And you… are lying."
"!!!"
Mrs. Sakurajima's face turned pale.
"Why do you have such an ability?"
"Haha, just kidding."
"That was rely a bluff. I only sensed the negative emotions you were emitting," Rei Ao explained casually.
The re ntion of supernatural powers had been enough to break her guard.
"Now that we're here, why not share your secret with ?"
"..."
Mrs. Sakurajima realized she had been outmaneuvered.
She lowered her shoulders in defeat, letting out a resigned sigh. "I suppose this secret wouldn't stay hidden for long anyway."
Straightening her posture, she adopted a rare serious expression.
"Rei Ao-kun, the truth is… I'm not your mother-in-law."
…
anwhile…
"Is Master not ho?"
Just as Satania had ntioned earlier, she had co to visit Rei Ao for training—dragging along a reluctant Vignette, who wanted to earn so money.
Despite having been through this before, Vignette was still shy and hesitant, even wanting to leave.
But Satania had already knocked on the door, and Mai answered.
Hearing that Rei Ao wasn't ho, Vignette breathed a sigh of relief.
But the next mont…
"Mai, is soone looking for ?"
Rei Ao's voice ca from behind.
He had returned just in ti to overhear Mai explaining his absence.
"Master!!! I've co for training!"
Satania excitedly pulled Vignette inside.
Facing Rei Ao, Vignette tugged at her skirt, her face slightly flushed.
"Sorry for disturbing you, Rei Ao-kun. If this isn't a good ti, we can leave…" she said, hoping to escape.
Satania grabbed her hand, tilting her head in confusion.
"Vigne, didn't you say you wanted to earn so money?"
"..."
That was the obstacle to her escape.
Mai was also unimpressed.
She knew their so-called training and money-making sche involved eavesdropping, and after today, she was completely worn out.
So, when Rei Ao glanced at her for input, she raised her hands in a big "X."
However…
Rei Ao smiled.
"Sure, but you'll have to stay in the living room tonight."
"Yay! I'll get the blankets!" Satania cheered, thrilled at the idea of getting stronger and surpassing Raphael and Gabriel.
"..."
Vignette looked like she was about to cry.
She had been trapped by Satania again.
"???"
Mai's eyes narrowed, questioning Rei Ao silently: You're not planning anything crazy, are you?
Rei Ao returned a reassuring look: Of course not.
Even if Mai wasn't available tonight, there was still a certain "stealthy dragon" in the house…
…
The situation quickly beca strange.
Kobayashi had taken over Tohru's room, while Tohru joined Rei Ao and Mai in the master bedroom.
On the couch in the living room, two little demons huddled together, trembling.
Tohru's dragon intensity was sothing to behold. Once she got started, her insatiable passion left even Mai stunned and self-conscious about her own limits.
~~~
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