""
Eriri turned away with a huff. "Not because of anything. Just you and him"
"Seriously You're an old lady already, how could you still"
She blurted out her sour complaint, then realized she might have gone too far and clamped her mouth shut. Glancing over, she saw Sayuri didn't look angry.
"Well, yes, I am an old lady," Sayuri said calmly, still smiling, "but"
She beckoned Eriri closer. "Come, Eriri, how about we have a little heart-to-heart?"
" "
She wanted to refuse, but recalling the harshness of her words, she reluctantly shuffled over to sit downyet kept some distance between them.
Sayuri stood up, moved beside her, and pulled her close. Surprised by the sudden intimacy, Eriri blushed and tried to push her away:
"Mom, what are you doing? I'm not a little kid!"
"Hehe, in a mother's eyes, Eriri will always be her little girl."
Sayuri refused to let go. "Eriri, do you know why your mom's so happy lately?"
"No idea." Eriri shook her head.
Sayuri's lips curved mischievously, leaning toward her daughter's ear. "Because Rei Ao-kun recently took me to another world to have some fun~"
"Wha?!"
Eriri's heart lurched as if something heavy had dropped on it. "Huh?!"
Her face contorted with envy and confusion. For some reason, Sayuri felt a surge of joy at seeing that expression.
~~~
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Chapter 258: Ayase and Tsugumi (Bonus Chapter)
Rei Ao was leisurely chatting in the group chat, but unfortunately, Inori, the new member, hadn't said a word from start to finish.
Some of the group members had @-mentioned her a few times, yet there was still no response at all. Even Rei Ao began to wonder if she'd actually seen the group chat. Logically, all the chat info should have been transmitted to her mind immediately.
Still, he didn't think too much of it; he decided to just let things follow their natural course.
Meanwhile, in another world
On top of a tall building, the wind roared harshly, not the least bit gentle. But there on the edge, a pink-haired girl sat calmly, letting the wind blow through her hair as she quietly gazed forward. She wasn't watching the sunset's afterglowrather, she was curiously reading every message in the group chat.
Her name was Inori.
A girl with a soft pink hairstyle, deep crimson eyes, a divinely gifted singing voice, and astonishing beautyjust as Rei Ao had guessed. She'd already been aware of the group chat's existence but hadn't said anything because she didn't know if it was real or if it might be an enemy set on targeting her organization.
Inori's identity was unusual.
On one hand, she was an internet idol singer under egoist; on the other, she was a member of the resistance group called "Funeral Parlor."
Funeral Parlor's enemy was GHQ.
The relationship between these two factions traces back to an incident known as "Lost Christmas" in December 2029. In the area of Roppongi Fort, a new infectious disease called the "Apocalypse Virus" broke out. It was terrifying, with a bizarre onset mode, and had extremely high infectivity and lethality rates.
The virus was categorized into at least four infection levels.
Under a Level-4 Infection, the patient's body would be largely covered by purplish crystal-like formations, impossible to forcibly remove.
At Level 1, the patient might test negative or have just a tiny area of crystallization.
As the virus spread, the patient would gradually lose their mind, eventually slipping into unconsciousness at Level 4.
After dying, the patient's body would fully crystallize, and under physical impact, the crystals would break and vanish.
The virus itself keeps crystallizing within the body, eventually rupturing through the skin.
This dreadful virus caused massive turmoil in the Roppongi Fort area.
Local authorities were completely out of their depth, so a multinational security force was brought in. The Japan government relinquished its authority, and GHQ began a provisional rule over the country. Though local organizations and municipal bodies still operated, national administration and policy decisions came under GHQ's control.
Meanwhile, Funeral Parlor emerged in the Roppongi region.
After the Lost Christmas incident, Roppongi essentially became a zone outside any country's jurisdiction. Its residents weren't allowed to leave nor receive vaccinations. Funeral Parlor was born as an underground resistance group, hidden under Roppongi Fort, fighting GHQ in hopes of freeing Japan. They fought alone, risking their lives under the motto: "Offer a requiem for the ones cast aside."
Inori was one of them.
GHQ possessed advanced technology, so Inori acted prudently by not responding to the greetings in the group chat, a choice befitting her situation.
"Inori, Gai is looking for yousays there's an important mission for you."
Suddenly a female voice came from behind.
"Why do you always come to places like this? If your identity's exposed, it'll be dangerous."
That was a second female voice. Inori turned around to see a black-haired girl wearing cat-ear accessories pushing a wheelchair, and seated in the wheelchair was an orange-haired young woman.
"Tsugumi, Ayase"
Inori called out their namesboth were Funeral Parlor members.
Shinomiya Ayase: One of Funeral Parlor's main combatants, lively and competitive, a wheelchair user, and pilot of the humanoid mecha "Endlave."
Tsugumi: Ayase's younger sister, in charge of intel operations for Funeral Parlor, an outstanding controller. During combat, she wore tight-fitting clothes with electrode sensors all over, enabling her dance-like actions to provide highly efficient support to the front-line fighters. She also often worked as a hacker, breaching enemy systemsvital to their missions.
As for "Gai," that referred to Gai Tsutsugami, the young leader of the Funeral Parlor, who was also Inori's savior.
Inori stepped away from the building's edge and abruptly asked, "Tsugumi, Ayase, do you think it's possible there are other worlds beyond ours?"
It was an oddly scientific yet sci-fi, almost philosophical question. The two were momentarily at a loss. Exchanging glances, Tsugumi spoke first, sounding slightly annoyed:
"Who knows. Anyway, whatever's out there has nothing to do with us."
Ayase casually added, "Maybe. But even if there is some better world, it won't change our reality."
"Alright, let's head back."
"Mm."
Inori followed them back to Funeral Parlor's base, her gaze lingering on the group chat, a question stirring in her heart:
Can't we really change our circumstances?
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell rang at Rei Ao's house.
"You are?"
The one who opened the door was Tohru, who looked uncertainly at the three people standing there. Of the three, she recognized Mafuyu Kirisubut not the two nervous-looking girls, Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu.
"They're my students. We arranged with Rei Ao about 2.5 hours ago to meet," Mafuyu Kirisu explained. Despite the anxiousness stemming from her last incidentsomething that clashed with her professional standardsshe had no choice: this was the first time her students had come, and she had to be responsible for them, offering them a sense of security. Even if it meant avoiding seeing Rei Ao or even speaking to him if possible.
Just then, Rei Ao walked over.
"Tohru, they're here by appointment with me."
"Ohh, alright."
Tohru opened the door. "Please come in."
~~~
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Chapter 259: The Tutoring Begins!
"Here you go."
After leading them into the house, Tohru served tea to the three visitors.
"Thank you."
Furuhashi Fumino looked around the room with curiosityspacious, tidy, and spotless. Then her gaze fell on Tohru.
Could this be Sakurajima Mai, the student Teacher Mafuyu mentioned?
"Welcome, everyone," Rei Ao greeted, openly expressing his hospitality.
"Pleased to meet you. Thank you for having us!"
Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu bowed politely. They covertly sized up Rei Ao. It was their first time meeting him, and their impression was excellentmainly because he was handsome, giving off a very pleasant vibe. In this day and age, people really do care about looks.
"And Miss Mafuyu, you don't mind supervising this, do you?" Rei Ao asked.
"Uhh"
It wasn't really about her time or trouble; it was his gaze that made her skin crawl. Worse still, she couldn't control her eyes constantly flicking toward a certain part of Rei Ao's bodyever since that day, she couldn't erase that mental image.
Close her eyes, and it popped right backa total lack of shame on her part, she admonished herself. As a teacher, she considered it a massive failure. Now even facing her own students, she felt guilty and furtive, but with Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu present, she had no choice but to try to remain calm.
"Cough. It's no trouble"
"Let's get down to business then. Shall we begin? Where's Ilia?"
"Huh, here she comes," Rei Ao said, turning with them to see a petite Ilia walking over.
"She's so cute!" Furuhashi Fumino exclaimed, eyes sparkling.
Ogata Rizu nodded inwardlyIlia was indeed a very cute girl.
"Hello, I'm Ilia. I'll be serving as your tutor from here on."
Ilia showed no shyness and immediately assumed a teacher-like stance.
!!!
Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu perked up at once. Their time under Ilia's instruction was about to begin!
At first, they were half-doubtful. They'd already met all sorts of teachers and tried countless methods, none of which had worked. Although they outwardly clung to the hope of improvement, in truth their spirits had been worn down by repeated failures. Possibly, the one who truly had no expectations for them wasn't Mafuyu Kirisu but themselves.
However, when Ilia began her tailored lessons, specifically addressing their weak points and guiding them with a custom approach, something changed.
Ilia first focused on Furuhashi Fumino's science subjects. Fumino was amazed that the math problems, which would normally make her head spin and put her to sleep whenever she heard or saw them, were suddenly making senseshe found herself genuinely absorbing Ilia's explanations!
Meanwhile, Ogata Rizuwho typically grasped math concepts at a single glance, to the point that she never really listened to the teacher in classnow found herself unintentionally paying attention to Ilia's method. And that intrigued her: She was actually listening. How unusual!
This, of course, was largely due to Ilia's magic-assisted instruction.
Seeing Furuhashi and Ogata both immersed in their studies, Mafuyu Kirisu's eyes shone with sudden hope. "Could this work?" she wondered, a flicker of anticipation lighting up within her.
The living room lapsed into a studious hush. Even Tohru, passing by, kept her voice down, not wanting to disturb them.
Eventually, Futaba Rio emerged from her bedroom and made her way to the bathroom. Even though she tiptoed as quietly as possible, Mafuyu Kirisu noticed.
"Huh?" Teacher Mafuyu, spotting Futaba Rio, felt a sense of dj vu. "That'sFutaba Rio?"
She called out the name. Wasn't that her student?
""
Futaba froze momentarily and replied coolly, "I'm Futaba," then slipped into the bathroom to take a bath.
"Ah?" Mafuyu Kirisu was momentarily stunned. She couldn't have mistaken someone else for Futaba Rio. Apart from lacking glasses, that was absolutely the same face!
"Rei Ao, why is Futaba Rio here at your house?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh! That was definitely Futaba Rio!" said Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu, now paying attention as well.
"I saw her too," Ogata Rizu added. She recalled Futaba Rio for her strength in science.
Rei Ao was already prepared for this scenario. He'd come up with a temporary identity for Futaba. "That's Futabashe's Rio's younger sister."
"Her younger sister?" Mafuyu Kirisu was astonished. Futaba Rio had a twin sibling identical to her?
"Futaba Rio has a twin sister?" Furuhashi Fumino asked, equally perplexed.
Explanation might have gotten complicated, so Rei Ao simply picked up his phone and dialed Rio's number, opting for a video call. Within a few seconds, it connected.
"What is it?" Rio, wearing glasses, looked puzzled on-screen. She wondered why Rei Ao was calling rather than messaging via the group chat.
Rei Ao: "Well, Miss Mafuyu is at my place, and she's skeptical about your 'sister' Futaba. Can you clarify for her?" As he spoke, he offered the phone to Mafuyu Kirisu.
Taking the phone, Mafuyu Kirisu indeed saw Futaba Rio on video. Judging by the setting behind her, it obviously wasn't the bathroom. Meanwhile, from down the hall in Rei Ao's place, the sound of running water indicated that the "other" Futaba was bathing right now.
" "
Rio quickly grasped the situation. Willing to cooperate, she said, "Teacher Mafuyu, whoever you saw at Rei Ao's place must be my sister, Futabaplease don't misunderstand."
"Oh Right."
Hearing Rio say so herself blocked any further doubts Mafuyu might have had.
"Ehh? That's really Futaba Rio!"
"She's exactly the same, aside from the glasses," Furuhashi and Ogata murmured, leaning over for a look.
Rio, seeing them, felt a bit curious. "What are you two doing at Rei Ao's house?"
"We're here for tutoring, hehe." Furuhashi scratched the back of her head sheepishly.
"" Rio didn't doubt the tutoring claim, but she strongly suspected that Rei Ao had deeper motives. Considering what he might already have done with Futaba, Rio had every reason to suspect he was "hunting." Yet she couldn't say anythingshe could only encourage them: "Good luckbye."
She ended the video call.
~~~
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Chapter 260: A Secret?
"Never thought Futaba Rio would have a twin sister."
Furuhashi Fumino felt a surge of curiosity. It was her first time seeing genuine twinstwo people exactly alike.
"Don't just think it's you. I'm her teacher and I had no idea either,"
Mafuyu Kirisu sighed, looking somewhat helpless.
Next to her, Ogata Rizu tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Why is Futaba Rio's younger sister staying at Rei Ao's house?"
Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu also grew curious after she raised the question.
Rei Ao answered calmly, "Futaba is renting a room here. Because I got along with Rio pretty well, so the rent is cheap in every respect."
