Haruno: "???"
Haruno: "Shizuka, are you SURE you don't have a fever?!"
Shizuka: "I'M NOT SICK!"
Shizuka: "Listen, Rei Ao is just special. He said he can handle it, and I believe him."
Shizuka's words were firm, completely confident in Rei Ao.
Haruno fell silent.
For the first time, she seriously considered something:
"Was Shizuka getting manipulated?"
Rei Ao didn't seem like a manipulator.
But to convince a grown woman a teacher to break all of her morals in such a short time?
That was beyond ordinary.
Haruno: "So you're telling me he's REALLY that special?"
Shizuka nodded to herself.
Shizuka: "Yes. And honestly, you should see for yourself."
Haruno leaned back, processing everything.
If Rei Ao really had this kind of influence, she had to learn more about him.
For Shizuka's sake.
A small smile curved on her lips.
Haruno: "Alright, Shizuka. I'll come visit you soon. Let's go have some drinks and talk this out properly."
Shizuka: "Okay. Fine."
"Heh. This just got interesting."
Haruno couldn't wait to meet Rei Ao in person.
Chapter 191: Stare into the abyss and the abyss stares back
After dinner
A few people gathered in the living room to chat.
Mai felt relieved she'd kept an eye on Tohru, preventing her from cooking with any tail meat this time.
Before long, Mai went to take a bath. Tohru, Sora, and Ilia returned to their room, doing who knows what.
That left only Rei Ao and Rio Futaba in the living room.
They both sat there scrolling through their phones, perfectly capturing the modern young adult mood.
Just then, Rei Ao received a message from the other Rio Futaba.
Rio Futaba: "Did you see her?"
He could tell she was quite concerned about her other self.
Rei Ao: "I did."
Rio Futaba: "Where is she now?"
Rei Ao: "She's in my bed."
Rio Futaba: "???"
Rei Ao: "Haha, kidding. She's at my place, though."
Rei Ao laughed softly and turned to glance at the Rio Futaba on the sofa's other end. Then he got up and sat down beside her.
"Huh?"
Rio Futaba eyed him warily.
What's he up to sitting so close all of a sudden?
Rei Ao raised his phone and switched to the selfie camera so both their faces were in frame.
He explained,
"Your other self is worried about you, so I'm sending her a photo to show you're fine. You don't mind, right?"
Rio Futaba blinked.
Another version of me is worried about me?
It felt odd, but she only gave a slight shake of her head.
"Click!"
He took the picture, then sent it to the other Rio Futaba.
At that point, the "current" Rio Futaba looked at him curiously.
"Can I see your conversation with her?"
She asked bluntly.
"It's not that I want to invade your privacy, I'm just curious how she talks online. I'd like to study it."
"No problem."
Rei Ao handed his phone over without concern.
Rio Futaba spotted his earlier "in my bed" remark in the chat logs and tensed up.
Rei Ao noticed her body language and spoke soothingly.
"That was just a joke. Sorry if it startled you."
"Hmm."
Rio Futaba stayed silent.
Soon after, the other Rio Futaba sent another message:
Rio Futaba: "Looking at her dull, emotionless face, how could she possibly get anyone's attention?"
"???!"
The Rio Futaba reading the message felt a sting in her chest.
She normally wouldn't care about people's comments, but being put down by her own self was something else.
Rei Ao tried to calm her.
"Don't worry, she's just more outgoing than you."
But even as he reassured her, he typed his own message:
Rei Ao: "I think she's great. At least, I'm attracted to her."
"!!!"
Hearing that so directly, and with him saying it right in front of her while messaging her other self, made Rio Futaba feel a wave of embarrassment.
She couldn't handle any more strange back-and-forth, so she stood up abruptly.
"I'm tired. I'm going to bed. Good night."
With that, she left.
Watching her go, Rei Ao smirked. Then another new message arrived from the other Rio Futaba:
Rio Futaba: "You literally just confessed to me a short while ago, and now you say you're attracted to her too? You're such a womanizer."
Rei Ao: "Thanks for the compliment."
Rio Futaba: "I wouldn't call that a 'compliment.'"
Rei Ao: "Doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that I like Rio Futababoth of you."
Over on the other end, the other Rio Futaba, lying on a bed, said nothing in response.
"What a scumbag" she muttered, cheeks glowing bright red as she placed her phone against her chest, staring at the ceiling.
She could hear her own racing heartbeatproof that she was alive.
Her gaze turned deep, and she whispered,
"Rei Ao I don't want to disappear"
Of course, Rei Aoon the other side of the screencouldn't hear those words.
Seeing no further messages, he got up and headed to his bedroom.
When he opened the door, the atmosphere inside felt different.
In the soft pink glow of the lamp, three figures knelt on the bed with their backs to him.
Tohru turned her head, her eyes sultry,
"Rei Ao, we're all ready for you~"
Sora and Ilia, both blushing, spoke in unison,
"Master~"
"Huh."
Rei Ao tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The trio's attire was even more enticing than Mai's bunny outfit, especially with their backs turned, revealing the most alluring angles.
He could guess Tohru was behind all this.
He loosened his collar.
"Tohru, you're a dragon that can never get enough, huh?"
Stepping into the room, he nudged the door shut with his foot.
Water showered down in the bathroom, then gradually ceased.
Mai grabbed a towel to dry the beads of water clinging to her smooth skin.
Wrapped in a bath towel, she emerged to find the living room empty.
On the table, she spotted an unmistakable hair bandshe remembered it belonged to Rio Futaba.
Taking it in hand and switching off the living room lights, Mai headed to Rio Futaba's bedroom door.
"Knock, knock."
Her pale fingers tapped lightly against the door.
Before long, Rio Futaba answered.
"Sakurajima-san? Is something the matter?"
She looked puzzled.
"Here."
Mai held up the hair band.
"This should be yours. Try not to lose it again."
"Oh! Right"
Rio Futaba noticed her hair was downshe'd left her hair tie in the living room.
She thanked Mai and took it back.
"No need for thanks. It's just a small thing. It's getting late, so let's both get some rest."
Mai then turned toward her own bedroom across the hall.
She didn't pause at all before opening the door, and an utterly mortifying scene unfurled.
The moment Mai opened the door, noise flooded out.
Though Tohru had magically reinforced the room's soundproofing, the soundproofing only worked if the door remained closed.
The instant it was open, any noise inside spilled directly into the hallway.
For a split second, Mai stood there, stunned.
She hadn't expected them to start so early!
Snapping out of it, she slammed the door shut, then turned around stiffly, remembering Rio Futaba was right behind her.
She saw Rio Futaba's eyes were wide, her mouth gaping in utter disbelief.
The noise had vanished with the door's closing, but it still echoed in Rio Futaba's ears.
And in that brief moment, she'd glimpsed a chaotic scene through the gap.
Her lips felt dry as she stared blankly at Mai.
"What exactly was that?"
she finally managed, still in shock.
"Er"
Mai felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.
Damn Rei Ao.
Couldn't he at least warn them before doing this?
But there was no way to explain what Rio Futaba had just witnessed.
She'd certainly heard Tohru's rather spirited screams.
Mai forced a strained smile.
"If I said it was all your imagination would you believe me?"
"..."
Rio Futaba said nothing, just kept her gaze locked on Mai, cheeks visibly flushed.
"Alright then"
Realizing it was useless to argue, Mai sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead.
"As you can see, things here are a bit complicated."
Truthfully, Rio Futaba had already been suspicious about Tohru's "maid" role.
She'd noticed Tohru was far too close to Rei Ao, but since Mai was his official girlfriend, Rio Futaba hadn't thought much about it.
Yet what she'd just witnessedand Mai's nonchalant admissioncompletely shattered her assumptions.
And now, remembering Sora and Ilia hovering around Rei Ao, Rio Futaba's mind spun in confusion.
"Doesn't it bother you?"
She couldn't help asking.
This was Mai's boyfriend, after all.
Mai hesitated, her eyes drifting.
"Not really no."
She resorted to repeating one of Rei Ao's usual lines: "You know we're all special. More than ordinary people, I mean. We can do supernatural things."
"Magic"
Rio Futaba muttered, recalling the living grimoire she'd encountered.
Could magic really justify ignoring all the standard morals and worldviews?
It made no sense to her.
Quantum mechanics couldn't explain this, either.
Overwhelmed, she turned away from Mai and stepped back into her room.
"I see. Let's just call it a night, then."
With that, she closed the door.
"Phew"
Mai let out a long breath.
Having to explain their chaotic household was an experience.
She now better understood the incredible composure Rei Ao had whenever he talked to Megumi, Yumiko, and others about their situation.
No wonder he's such a shameless, flirtatious jerk!
"Damn you, Rei Ao!"
The memory of the earlier scene made her fume.
She stomped to the bedroom door, ready to storm in and scold them.
But when she opened it, she jumpedTohru's face was right there.
"???"
She was startled to see Rei Ao, riding Tohru as she hovered near the door.
Mai pointed at them in shock.
"You you guys!"
Rei Ao smiled.
"What about us? Tohru, bring Mai in. Let's see how long she can last."
"Mhm! Mhm!"
Tohru nodded, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and grabbed Mai's wrist, hauling her into the pink-lit room.
"!!!"
Mai felt herself dragged into the depths.
Bang!
The "door to the abyss" closed behind them.
From behind the smaller, secondary door just down the hall, a single eye watched the scene.
She gazed upon the abyssand the abyss gazed back at her!
~~~
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Chapter 192: A Fool trying to fight a God, Amatori Biba (Bonus Chapter)
"!!!"
For a moment, Rio Futaba stood behind her firmly closed door, her back pressed against it, face burning and heart pounding.
She felt like she was on fire.
Under the corridor light, she finally got a proper look at Tohru's sinuous, seductive figureand the kind of perfect physique Rei Ao possessed to pull off such a bold move.
Before this, she'd only heard about these things in passing or from health class, but seeing them with her own eyes completely overwhelmed her.
Especially the thought, "Should I leave?"
Recalling what she had witnessed earlierTohru's situation, Mai's acceptance, and so onshe felt for the first time that she might be in danger.
It was contradictory.
When talking normally, Rei Ao was humorous, frank, and easygoing. But when he and Tohru got into it, he seemed wild and primalso much so that even the proud Tohru turned into someone almost mindlessly entranced.
"Does that really make people act so differently?"
The more she thought about it, the redder Rio Futaba's face grew. An unprecedented sense of confusion took root in her mind.
Iwato Station
This was a required stop for the Koutetsujou (Iron Fortress) on its way to the Kongoukaku stronghold. Under the leadership of Yomogawa Ayame, the Koutetsujou arrived here largely unscathed.
Now, on the Koutetsujou, no one dared to try using their social standing to pressure Ayame anymore. Every troublemaker who attempted such things had been dealt with or exiled by Ayame, whose demeanor had changed considerably. After multiple purges, Ayame believed that only those worth protecting remained on the Koutetsujou. In turn, all of them revered Ayame with great respectafter all, it was thanks to Ayame and Kajika's displayed abilities that they'd repeatedly been saved from attacks by the Kabane.
She was enshrined in their minds as a "priestess of the gods," and Kajika was seen as a "divine emissary."
Once the Koutetsujou stopped at Iwato Station, Kajika hurriedly sought out Ayame.
"Ayame-sama, Mumei's gone!"
Mumei was her friend, so Kajika was worried.
"Mumei"
Ayame recalled the things Rei Ao had taught her. He'd given her a broad explanation not only about "ways to make love" but also about Mumei's backgroundand the broader situation in her own world.
From Rei Ao's account, Ayame knew that Mumei was the younger sister of Amatori Biba, the shogun's eldest sonindeed, Biba's subordinate and pawn. Given her background, Mumei was unlikely to meet any real danger.
Still, Ayame mused, "Kajika, don't worry too much. Mumei has a special status, so she won't be harmed easily. But we should be on our guard."
According to Rei Ao, Amatori Biba was no ordinary figure; Ayame suspected Mumei's disappearance might be linked to him. They had to stay vigilant at any sign of trouble.
Sure enough, Mumei's departure was tied to Biba. She left together with another Hunter: a curvaceous, orange-haired woman named Horobilike Mumei, she was also a Kabaneri.
Walking side by side, Horobi studied Mumei's downcast expression. Eventually, she broke the silence:
"Mumei, you've got something on your mind, haven't you? Our young master won't like it if you show up before him looking like that."
Mumei remained silent. She did have a lot on her mind. She sensed her big brother was scheming something terrible. Not long ago, she'd noticed some of the Hunters had infiltrated the Koutetsujou.
Mumei had a bad feeling that the Koutetsujou was part of her brother's plan. She didn't want him targeting the people on boardespecially her friend Ayame.
First, because Mumei truly had come to view them as companions, no longer treating her like an outcast.
Second, because she was keenly aware of just how strong Ayameand Rei Aoreally were. If Biba clashed with them, Biba would die.
