Rei Ao spread his hands:
"I don't know exactly what was going on with him. But as Miss Fujiwara Chika pointed out, if we rule out collusion, then we're each telling our own truths."
He also hadn't lied. Out of everyone here, apart from Megumi, he really wasn't close to any of them. Did he indulge in messy "relationships"? Sure. But not with these particular people. Possibly with otherseven in other worlds. But those details had nothing to do with the matter at hand.
~~~
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Chapter 203: Yui and Yui's Mother Body Swap! What kind of Henta Anime is this?! (Bonus Chapter)
After analyzing the known information, Shinomiya Kaguya sighed:
"Given the situation, we'll end things here.
There is no conclusive evidence to support Aki Tomoya's accusations against you, and based on our assessment, it doesn't appear you have violated any school rules."
That was her conclusion.
It wasn't that the matter couldn't be investigated, but rather that investigating it served no real purpose. Aside from the time cost involved, even if they uncovered details, what difference would it make? So Kaguya merely added a caution:
"Perhaps there hasn't been any wrongdoing up until now, but I must remind you: from now on, you must abide by school regulations."
A hush fell over the group. Their gazes drifted, each person's thoughts unclear. The matter was basically settled, so they left the student council room.
"Ughmy detective game" Fujiwara Chika was still in her own world, sulking.
Shinomiya Kaguya shot her a cold look.
"Secretary Fujiwara, I don't recall dealing with school affairs being any kind of detective game."
"Aah!!"
Fujiwara Chika flinched. She'd nearly forgotten she couldn't act so carefree around "Kaguya-chan" when alone with her.
"I'm sorry, Kaguya-chan!!!"
Submissively admitting her mistake was the best move.
""
Kaguya withdrew her gaze, turning back to the paperwork, yet found herself unable to focus. Her mind was filled with that odd, unwavering look Kato Megumi had directed toward Rei Ao.
"Love"
Her softly rounded lips moved as she whispered to herself:
"Love?!"
Detecting the keyword "love" as if by radar, Fujiwara Chika darted over.
"Kaguya-chan wants to talk about romance? You can't leave me out of that!~"
""
Kaguya was at a loss. She'd only mumbled one word, yet the "bane of the Earth," Fujiwara Chika, had heard it. She was exactly the type Kaguya struggled with most.
Meanwhile
After leaving the student council, Hyodo Michiru turned to Rei Ao, Kato Megumi, Eriri Sawamura, and Kasumigaoka Utaha:
"I'm sorry about my cousin's accusations, Rei Ao-san, Megumi-san, Kasumigaoka-san, and Sawamura-san."
Eiri blinked in surprise. She hadn't known that Aki Tomoya had such a lovely cousin.
"Even if he was your cousin, it has nothing to do with you," Rei Ao replied.
"And even if it was his fault, you're not the one who needs to apologize."
Hyodo Michiru gave a bitter smile.
"I just never expected him to pull something like this"
Kasumigaoka Utaha spoke up:
"Anyway, with the truth out, there's no need to dwell on it."
But her gaze narrowed mischievously at Rei Ao:
"All we can say is, Aki Tomoya reported the wrong people."
Yes, the wrong people indeed, Eriri thought to herself. If he had accused Rei Ao, Kato Megumi, and Sakurajima Mai, that might have been on target. From Utaha's remark, Rei Ao of course understood the subtext, but merely gave a confident smile.
"Even if he'd accused me correctly, so what?"
As if he cared about minor "school rules." Kato Megumi, Eriri, and Utaha each had a knowing look. Right now, Rei Ao probably didn't care about world rules, let alone school ones.
"?"
To Hyodo Michiru, it felt like the four were speaking in cryptic code. The matter concluded, they each headed back to their classroomsUtaha left swiftly, Eriri seemed like she wanted to say something but ultimately stayed silent.
Service Club (Yui's)
Yukinoshita checked her phone for the time, raising an eyebrow. Yui was late. They had arranged an important matter for today. She had sent a message telling Yui to come to the Service Club, and Yui only replied "OK," but never showed up.
"Huh? You want me to go to the Service Club with you?"
Miura Yumiko stared in astonishment at Yui, who blushingly clung to her, asking her to come along to the Service Club. All throughout the meeting, Yui hadn't even greeted her properly, which Yumiko already found strange. Now Yui wanted her to visit that Service Club, which Yui surely knew Yumiko didn't get along with, especially its leader Yukinoshita Yukino? What was going on?
"Um, Yumiko, I'm just a bit scared Could you come with me, please?"
Yui forced a timid expression, requesting a favor. Service Club?
In fact, the text from "Yukinoshita Yukino" surprised her. She was amazed her daughter had joined such an unorthodox-sounding group. Yes, you read that right: though the figure in front of us appears to be Yui, she's actually Yui's mother inhabiting Yui's body. The story goes back to that morning:
Yui had looked flushed and dizzy all morning.
"Yui, what's wrong? You feeling unwell?" asked Yui's mother, worried, stepping closer.
"Mm, Mom, II feel faint"
Yui's voice was limp, as though lacking energy. Realizing something was off, Yui's mother reached out to check her forehead temperature. The moment her hand touched Yui's brow
"!!!"
The world flipped. Everything spun. Yui's mothersaw herself!!!
"Mom? Nome?"
Yui blinked, touching "her own" face, but found that she was standing opposite it.
"Eh?!!!"
Mother and daughter gasped in horror. Somehow, they had become each other. What on earth was going on? They were seeing their familiar faces in the mirror, yet it felt bizarre. Rather than simply "transform," it looked like a body swap. Thus, Yui's mother ended up attending school in her daughter's body. She barely knew any of these students. The entire morning, she had only talked to Miura Yumiko, who approached her, evidently quite close to Yui.
Now, upon discovering her daughter had joined some suspicious "Service Club," she felt compelled to investigate for Yui's sake. But she had no clue where that Service Club was located, so she had to rely on Miura Yumiko, who apparently knew about it. She planned to see what kind of group it was and gauge whether it was safe for her daughter's mental well-being.
~~~
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Chapter 204: Service Club, Yui's Mom mind in Shock!
"Yumiko, you're not fond of the Service Club, are you?"
Yui's mother, in Yui's body, posed this question to Yumiko, testing the waters.
If Yumiko disliked it, there had to be a reasonmaybe she could glean some useful information from it.
"Ugh."
At the mention of the Service Club, Yumiko let out a disgusted huff.
Placing her hands on her hips, she snapped,
"Of course I don't like itstaying in that place is totally uncomfortable."
Because the Service Club belonged to Yukinoshita Yukino.
Just thinking of Yukinoshita's perpetually icy face put her in a sour mood, let alone having to hang out with her. If her anger flared, they would probably clash. Yumiko knew full well that her real issue was not liking Yukinoshita; Yui's mother had no idea.
"!!!"
Hearing the clear animosity in Yumiko's voice, Yui's mother tensed inwardly.
As expected, that Service Club is probably no good!
She clenched her fists.
"I have to check if that club is safe!"
She didn't want her daughter involved in some shady activity, possibly getting bullied.
"Yumiko, could you come with me to take a look? I'm begging you!"
Though she felt embarrassed at her age, Yui's mother forced herself to ask. She needed to get a good look.
"You"
Seeing "Yui" cling to her so childishly, Yumiko felt a vein throb on her forehead.
"Fine, fine, I'll go with youbut don't expect me to speak up for you or anything!"
"Thank you, Yumiko!"
Yui's mother broke into a yamato nadeshiko-like smile.
"???"
That ladylike smile felt alien to Yumiko. Since when did Yui go from a cutesy vibe to this refined style?
They headed toward the Service Club together. Once they saw no one else in the hallway, Yumiko asked casually,
"So, Yui, about Rei Aohave you figured out what you're gonna do?"
"Hm?"
Yui's mother froze in confusion. Rei Ao? Who's that? It sounded like a guy's name.
"!!!"
She recalled how lately her daughter had been acting like a girl in love.
Could it be?
Yumiko saw "Yui" go silent, guessing that she was still indecisive. Feeling impatient, she prodded:
"C'mon, Yui, is this something that needs so much time to think through?"
"If you can accept that Rei Ao-kun's gonna be shared among others, then be bold and go confess. If you can't accept that, then quit thinking about him."
"???"
Yui's mother's eyes widened. Shared?
She wondered if she'd misheard. She forced a smile:
"Y-Yumiko, you're joking, right? Haha"
"Hah?"
Yumiko spoke seriously:
"Since when did I joke around? Didn't you see it this morning? Rei Ao already did it with Mumei and four othersyou've got zero opinion about that?"
"???"
Her thoughts churned. She felt short of breath.
It seemed her daughter was in love with some ultimate player?
Examining Yumiko's blond hair and fierce expression, Yui's mother wondered if she was a delinquent ("gyaru"). She'd heard about the messy daily life of teenage delinquents nowadays. Anxiety flared in her; she absolutely didn't want her daughter fooling around with random people and ruining her future.
By reflex, she let go of Yumiko's hand.
"Hm?"
Yumiko frowned.
"Yui, you're acting really off today."
"Huh? I-Am I? Haha"
Yui's mother gave a strained laugh, then turned her gaze resolutely on the door bearing the Service Club sign. They had arrived.
"Sigh."
Yumiko sighed:
"Why are you still hesitating this much over that? If you don't make up your mind, Rei Ao-kun's gonna be eaten up by other girls with nothing left for you."
"Uh"
Yui's mother could only recoil at the idea of multiple girls sharing a guy. She truly couldn't get her head around this "delinquent logic." But the more pressing matter now was the Service Club.
Her eyes grew serious. She wanted to see firsthand what this "Service Club" was actually up to. If it was doing anything illegal, she'd call the cops right away.
Taking a heavy breath like she was about to confront an abyss, she knocked on the door.
"Come in."
"?"
Yui's mother was startled that the voice belonged to a cool-sounding girl, not a boy. Could there be other victims here?
Subconsciously, she labeled Yui (her daughter's body) and this mystery girl as fellow victims.
Clack.
She opened the door. But the chaotic scene she'd imagined didn't appearshe actually breathed a sigh of relief. All she saw was a black-haired girl with icy eyes staring straight at her.
"Yui, you're late."
"!!!"
So this must be the one who messaged herYukinoshita Yukino.
She hadn't had time to speak yet when Yumiko cut in irritably:
"Hmph, Yukinoshita, even if you're the Service Club president, you can't just boss Yui around!"
President? Yui's mother paused. So this girl had founded the Service Club? She wondered why a high schooler would create such a mysterious clubthings might not be so simple.
Yukinoshita Yukino clearly sensed Yumiko's hostility, but her expression remained unruffled:
"I'm not bossing her. This was something we arranged earlier, and she's late."
"You"
Yumiko looked ready to lash out again, but Yui's mother didn't want any conflict. She quickly interjected:
"Ahem, Yukinoshita-san, could you please tell me why you called me here?"
"Hm?"
The moment she spoke, Yukinoshita's gaze centered on "Yui."
"Huh? Isis there something on my face?"
""
Yukinoshita fell silent, then shook her head:
"No, it's just I never imagined you would forget about this."
In truth, she was also noting how "Yui" now addressed her as "Yukinoshita-san" instead of "Yukinon." She didn't know why, but decided to respect that choice. Nevertheless, the sudden formality caused an indefinable pang of discomfort in her chest. She steadied herself:
"She'll be here soon."
"She?"
Yui's mother and Yumiko both wondered who else was coming. Not long after, the "she" Yukinoshita mentioned arrived: Kawasaki Saki. Having thought it over and wrapped up her personal matters, Saki finally made her decision.
"Yukinoshita, I want to learn the truth."
Sitting across from Yukinoshita, Kawasaki Saki spoke solemnly. She wanted to understand this world's real nature.
""
Yukinoshita Yukino gazed at her for some time, then let out a tiny sigh:
"If that's what you want, I'll share with you whatever Rei Ao said I can."
Miura Yumiko silently sized up Kawasaki, perhaps discerning something. But Yui's mother stood there, baffled. There's that name "Rei Ao" again. They all look so seriouswhat exactly are they talking about?
Yukinoshita resumed:
"This world isn'tordinary."
One sentence, and Yui's mother found herself listening attentively. As Yukinoshita explained to Kawasaki Saki, Yui's mother heard bizarre knowledge flowing into her earsman-eating beasts, terrifying demons, etc.
Yukinoshita spoke with earnestness; Kawasaki listened in shock; Yumiko seemed composed, like it was no big deal. Yui's mother merely wondered if they were a bunch of so-called "chuunibyou"and that "Rei Ao" a scumbag tricking these chuunibyou girls. Maybe her daughter had also turned into a chuunibyou?
But then Kawasaki, remembering firsthand how frightening monsters could be (even if that female spirit/Succubus hadn't tried to eat her, there might be man-eating creatures out there), asked fearfully:
"How do we fight those monsters?"
She was extremely alert now, having witnessed such things herself.
Yukinoshita answered:
"Some people in this world have the special powers needed to deal with them."
"Then Yukinoshita-san, can you teach me?"
Kawasaki pressed anxiously.
"I'm sorry; I don't have that kind of power."
Yukinoshita gave a helpless shake of her head. She'd considered acquiring abilities to protect herself, but as an ordinary human, she only knew one potential waythrough Rei Ao, via a "trade." She refused to go that route.
