That appearance made Mrs. Yotsuya a bit concerned.
"Miko, did something happen?"
"No."
Miko shook her head.
"Rei Ao-kun took me and Hana outbouncing around all over, and we ate a ton of delicious food."
Thinking about it made Miko feel embarrassed. She'd eaten that until her stomach was full to bursting. So perverted.
"Rei Ao-kun and Hana?"
Since she trusted both of them, Mrs. Yotsuya didn't think too deeply about it. But seeing the dinner she'd prepared, she felt a little helpless.
"With all this food, it'll likely go to waste."
"Mmm, sorry, Mom. I didn't let you know in advance."
Miko bowed her head in guilt, mostly because she never expected to eat that until she was stuffed. It was all due to Rei Ao-kun's prowess. Not only Miko herself but also gluttonous Hana had left with bulging bellies.
Eventually, they even fused with each other, feeling one another's every sensation. Miko had clearly seen how much Hana enjoyed Rei Ao-kun's "excalibur." Naturally, she felt pretty much the same. She was so caught up in everything she forgot even to let her mom know.
"It's fine. It's just some food. As long as you had a good time, Miko."
Mrs. Yotsuya patted her head and said, "If you're tired, go rest."
"All right."
Before heading back to her room, Miko recalled something important. She took out two protective-crystal amulets.
"Mom, these are new charms from Rei Ao-kun. You keep one on you, and leave one at home."
"Huh?"
Mrs. Yotsuya took them and then removed the old one from around her waist.
"Wait, I still had mine on me."
"This one's new and way more powerful than the old one."
Miko then described what happened at the shrine today, explaining the function of these new protective charms in detail.
"An evil spirit that became a 'god'?"
Mrs. Yotsuya's eyes showed her surprise. It sounded so fantastical, but she believed her daughter, and believed Rei Ao. Under Miko's instruction, she learned how to use the new charms.
"This is incredible. Even an ordinary person like me becomes something like a superhuman because of it."
She marveled at the power of the charms Rei Ao had given them. But at the same time, her expression turned troubled.
"Rei Ao-kun's done so much for us. How should we thank him?"
Her golden gaze moved slowly to settle on Miko, and Mrs. Yotsuya smiled teasingly. "Perhaps the only way is to marry you off to him."
"Eh?!"
Thin-skinned Miko's face turned red in a flash. Seeing her mother's half-smile, Miko realized she was being teased.
"Ugh, if you want to marry him, do it yourself, Mom!"
Grumbling in embarrassment, she rushed off to her room.
" "
Behind her, Miko never noticed how those words wiped the smile from Mrs. Yotsuya's face.
Marriage.
For her, that was probably not an option anymore. Not to mention she'd once nearly married, only for a car accident to take both her fianc and their unborn childsome kind of curse.
Let alone the fact that having such an already-grown daughter further decreased her chances of remarrying. Though raising Miko all alone had indeed been tough, Mrs. Yotsuya was content. She didn't mind whether she got married again. It was just
She stared at Miko's receding figure for a long while.
"Sigh"
Mrs. Yotsuya let out a deep sigh. Once Miko was married, she'd probably be left alone at home.
"I almost wish Miko would slow down growing up."
People can feel lonely, after all. Even she was no exception. She'd been strong, enduring all the rumors to raise a girl who wasn't even related to herbut she was still human.
A woman who, to this day, had never known a partner's love.
~~~
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Chapter 362: Did Everything and Everywhere with Everyone (Bonus Chapter)
"I'm back~"
Tohru, who had just finished shopping for groceries, returned home and happened to see Rei Ao, who'd arrived back as well.
"Sweetheart~!"
Like a gust of wind, she flew into Rei Ao's arms, demanding a kiss of love. She didn't even care when a large bag of items dropped to the floor. The two just stood there, hugging and making out.
That left Emiliawearing light clothing and searching for somethingat a loss, not knowing where to look. She sat there, fidgeting uncomfortably.
She'd assumed they'd show affection quickly and then stop, but they ended up staying locked together for a good ten minutes, showing no sign of haltingif anything, they were getting more intense.
Emilia was dumbfounded. "Don't they need to breathe?"
That entirely normal thought popped into her head. But apparently these two truly didn't. One was extremely powerful, the other a dragon. They could literally go into outer space if they wanted, so a mere lack of oxygen was no obstacle.
Finally, with her face burning red, Emilia couldn't hold back any longer.
"Ahem."
She made a small cough with her fist against her mouth, but it was no use. Resigned, she coughed more forcefully.
"Cough, cough!!!"
That did the trick. The pair paused. Tohru shot Emilia a glare of complaint:
"Why're you interrupting us? So set on being a third wheel?"
"???"
Emilia was outraged in silence. She didn't want to be a light bulb. The two of them had come in, ignoring her presence entirely. If she hadn't stopped them
Her eyes drifted to Rei Ao's belt that Tohru had undone.
Crack!
She swiftly redirected her gaze, cursing to herself. Who knew what might happen next?
Rei Ao patted Tohru on the shoulder reassuringly and said, "Let's make dinner first."
"Gotcha~!"
The moment Rei Ao spoke, Tohru demonstrated to Emilia what it meant to "switch faces" instantly. Her sweet smile and voice gave Emilia goosebumps all over. Tohru grabbed the large bags of ingredients and headed to the kitchen.
Rei Ao, for his part, quickly refastened his belt and walked over to Emilia. He had barely sat down when Emilia scooted away from him as though he were some evil spirit.
"Am I that scary?"
"Sorry, but I'm afraid of being assaulted by a pervert."
Emilia responded righteously. She had already discovered the secret of this household: Mai, Tohru, Futaba, Sora, Iliaall had undeniably intimate ties to the man before her. To Emilia, that was unquestionably unfaithful behavior, so she'd branded Rei Ao a lecher.
"Pfft."
Rei Ao wasn't angry at her words. Instead, he pointed to the couch cushion under Emilia's backside and said calmly, "We've used this sofa as a 'heater.'"
"!!!"
A chill ran down her spine, a sense of cleanliness overcame her, and she instantly stood up, steadying herself against the coffee table. But Rei Ao then pointed at that table:
"We did it there, too."
"!!!"
Like encountering a poisonous snake, Emilia recoiled in horror, stepping away rapidly. Right before she backed into the wall, Rei Ao spoke up again:
"And the wall as well."
"Yaaah!"
Emilia let out a yelp, barely managing to keep from slamming into the wall and toppling over. Just when she thought she'd escaped all the filth, Rei Ao delivered the final blow:
"I remember how, while we were in the middle of it, Tohru crawled one full lap across the floor."
"???"
Emilia looked down at the floor, freezing in place. There was simply no escape!
After a while, she clenched her fists. Her eyes shimmered with indignant tears as she glared at Rei Ao in anger.
"You You're not just a lecheryou're the ultimate lecher!"
It seemed she was too polite to think of a sharper retort. Rei Ao didn't care how she judged him. Having teased her a bit put him in a good mood.
His gaze fell on the pile of papers Emilia had been looking at earlier. Spotting his line of sight, Emilia's eyes widened, and she quickly cried out, "Don't touch that!"
Too late. Rei Ao had already picked them up, and he replied with mild exasperation, "No need to act so alarmed. Sexual intercourse is sacred for humanity's reproductionwhy are you so disgusted?"
"You"
Those words left Emilia speechless. Yes, reproduction was sacredbut the way Rei Ao and Tohru seemed to do it anytime, anywherethat was too filthy!
"Ugh!"
Rei Ao, flipping through the pages, wore a look of surprise. "So you're thinking of getting a job?"
They were job listings. Having only been here a day or two, she was already thinking of work. As expected of a hero: her adaptability and learning speed were astonishing.
"Hmph!"
Arms folded, Emilia snorted with disdain. "Don't underestimate me. Once I find a job and start earning a wage, I'll move out of this place."
She didn't want to keep seeing or hearing "unclean stuff" day after day. Unfortunately, even if she did find a job, she wouldn't be able to draw her wages immediately. Every night for the foreseeable future, she'd have to endure the "dirty sounds" that, to her, defiled the night.
"Heh."
Rather than putting her down, Rei Ao offered encouragement: "Well, do your best, then."
Then he changed the subject abruptly: "So what did Raphiel talk with you about?"
" "
Thrown off by the abrupt shift to a serious topic, Emilia took a few seconds to recover before she answered testily, "Nothing much. She asked me some stuff about the Holy Cross Continent, explained this world's rules, and had me sign some kind of agreement."
"That's just the standard procedure."
"Of course I know thatbut doesn't it mean I can't kill the Demon King now?"
"You want to kill me?"
"Huh?"
Emilia blinked, looking at Rei Ao in confusion. A surge of magical power washed over her, making her entire body tremble.
"Demon King?!"
Her expression changed drastically. She never expected she was staying in the Demon King's home. This was bad! She automatically drew her holy sword, but Rei Ao casually pinned it between his fingers.
"With self-control like that, you'll cause a ruckus outside."
Rei Ao arched an eyebrow. "I'm not the Demon King of your world, but I can help you train your self-control a bit."
Emilia then remembered that the demons here weren't from the Holy Cross Continent.
" "
Clenching her teeth, Emilia asked in confusion, "Why help me?"
"Heh, no special reason. I just find it entertaining to tease a pretty girl like you."
With that, a wave of magic energy assaulted her senses again.
"!!!"
Emilia's hair practically stood on end, much like a startled cat.
"You!"
Seeing the mischievous gleam in Rei Ao's eyes, Emilia's fury mounted. She was being toyed with!
~~~
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Chapter 363: Adorable (Bonus Chapter)
Late at night.
""
Emilia lay under the covers, wanting to cry. It was so noisy she couldn't sleep at all!
"Damn it!"
She felt feverish all over and couldn't get any rest, cursing Rei Ao in her heart. Yet all this only strengthened her resolve to earn money and move out.
In reality, Futaba, Mai, and the others were also at a loss. All they could say was that Tohru truly deserved to be called a dragon. They had no choice but to wait until Tohru was finished so they could sleep.
Meanwhile, at another location
"!!!"
In Hyodo Michiru's apartment, on her bed, she suddenly jolted awake, hugging Kanna in her arms.
"Tohru!"
Woosh!
A chill draft blew in. Michiru stirred with a shiver, sensing something off. She reached over to turn on the light. Sleepily, she noticed Kanna had somehow gotten up and was now on the balcony, gazing out at the city night.
"Kanna?"
Michiru pulled on a jacket and left the bed to stand by Kanna's side.
"Kanna, aren't you sleeping?"
"Michiru, I just sensed Tohru's presence."
Kanna pointed her small hand in a certain direction.
"Over there."
"Eh?"
Michiru woke up fully at once. She followed Kanna's finger off into the distance.
" "
After a moment of silence, she asked, "Kanna, do you want to go find your friend?"
"Mm."
"Alright."
Taking Kanna's little hand, Michiru gently said, "Then let's go find her together."
"Michiru"
Kanna fixed her eyes on Michiru for a moment, then suddenly embraced her.
"Thank you."
"Hehe~"
Once again, Tohru had reached the peak of her life's happiness, clinging to Rei Ao in contentment.
"All done, so can we sleep now?" Mai asked dryly.
"Oh, oh, yeahsleep, let's sleep," Tohru said, wearing a satisfied expression.
Futaba, Sora, and Ilia let out sighs of relief. If Tohru went on any longer, they really wouldn't get any sleepand maybe some of them would have ended up joining in. Mai was the most exhausted of all, the air still heavy with a lingering aroma that made her blush. Plus, Rei Ao was being naughty with that part of his, pressing right against her. In the darkness, she clutched it with slender fingers, warning him irritably, "Don't start anything. We've got class tomorrow."
"Heh, I'm not starting anything. But don't provoke me, Mai, or tomorrow you can forget about going to class," Rei Ao chuckled.
"Hmph"
Mai let out a snort, not daring to say more, lest Rei Ao go full beast mode. As the breathing in the room began to calm
"Hmm?"
Tohru suddenly sat up.
"Kanna?"
She grabbed Rei Ao's hand. "Rei Ao, I just sensed the presence of my friend from the dragon realmKanna."
Mai: "Your friend? Another dragon?"
"Mm. Kanna's a not-yet-grown hatchling at fourteen thousand years old."
"Fourteen thousanda hatchling"
Mai and Futaba both twitched their eyelids, unsure how to even respond to that statement.
Rei Ao, of course, recalled Kanna, from Dragon Maid.
"She's in this world now?"
"Yes, and I feel Kanna's scent getting stronger. It seems she's coming this way."
Although she didn't know precisely why Tohru was in this world, Tohru guessed Kanna must be following her scent.
"Normally, I use magic to hide my presence. But in the middle ofahemwith you, when my emotions get too worked up, I can't help releasing some of my scent."
"???"
Mai twitched her mouth. "So you're saying that underaged dragon buddy of yours tracked the smell of yourbedtime activities and came looking for you."
"It looks that way at present."
Tohru felt no shame. She climbed out of bed, adding, "Don't worry. I'll just convince her to go back where she came from."
"Hold on."
Rei Ao spoke up.
"I'll go with you to meet her."
"Kanna, you're sure your friend's scent is here?"
Michiru looked at the apartment building they had arrived at. Unsure whether to ring the doorbell so late at night, she asked Kanna once again.
