"Your starting point is admirable, Sis-in-law," Rei Ao acknowledged, "but that doesn't mean you're actually prepared to cross over into the unknown."
He took a seat nearby. Snap! With a casual snap of his fingers, the living room lights came on. Haruno didn't pay attention to his bare torso; her eyes locked on his face, determined.
"I'd do anything for Yukino's sake."
Rei Ao gave her an odd look. This woman was so much a sister-con that she might become dangerously clingy. But ironically, that was something he found convenient.
"It's in your blood, apparently. You and Yukino are clearly sisters. Both of you would give everything for each other."
"In fact," he said, "not long ago, Yukino almost gave up everything for youthough that turned out to be a misunderstanding."
"What?"
Haruno was perplexed, not following his point at all.
"Heh." Rei Ao smirked. "Heretake my 'card.' You may find it useful."
[Ding! You have selected to grant chat group subchannel access to: Yukinoshita Haruno!]
"You'll find an offer in there related to you," Rei Ao added.
""
Haruno fell silent. She felt an influx of knowledge in her mind that left her reeling. She quickly processed the "chat group's" existence, passing from shock to comprehension to a hunger for more info.
Soon enough, she discovered the "trade" reference Rei Ao mentioned. And then she saw the content: Yukino's trade request regarding her so-called "disappearance."
"Thatthat can't be"
Haruno was stunned. Everything traced back to her?
If she hadn't stormed off from her mother, gotten drunk at Shizuka's, and stubbornly kept her phone dead, Yukino would never have assumed she'd gone missing. She wouldn't have made a deal with Rei Aoa bizarre trade sacrificing her body for the sake of finding Haruno!
~~~
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Chapter 453: I harmed Yukino? Sis-con yandere? (Bonus Chapter)
"I'm the one who harmed Yukino"
Haruno's face was deathly pale. She felt horrible with guiltdangerous thoughts flickered through her mind. It was a bad sign. Rei Ao had to intervene.
"No need to blame yourself like that."
"My foolishness dragged Yukino down," Haruno said blankly, looking at him. "That's undeniable"
She couldn't forgive herself. This was probably the first step toward becoming a "sis-con yandere."
"Hey now, I'm not okay with how you're wording this," Rei Ao said, visibly displeased.
"Why do you act like being with me is some kind of tragedy? Yukino and I have confirmed our feelings for each other, you know."
"Because of my stupidity, she"
Rei Ao remained completely calm as he explained,
"What happened with you was just a chance for us to grow closer, that's all. Listen, I actually told Yukino I could help find you even without a trade. She insisted on it, though. Once it was over, we both understood we had genuine feelings for one another, and that's how we got together. Simple as that."
He reached out and patted Haruno's shoulder.
"I don't think you know Yukino as well as you think."
""
Haruno's shoulders began trembling noticeably.
"Heh hehe"
A low, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"Are you saying I don't understand Yukino?"
She could tolerate any other accusation, but not that she didn't understand her beloved little sister. Haruno prided herself on being the ultimate "sis-con," so how could she accept that?
Her gaze burned as she glared at Rei Ao.
"If you think you understand Yukino better than me, then tell me: where on her body is she most sensitive?"
She was firing a loaded question, determined to prove her "sis-con" credentials.
"This"
Rei Ao's expression went a little odd.
"You sure you want me to answer that?"
He wasn't unwillinghe just found it inappropriate to say.
"Hah." Haruno let out a cold laugh. "You can skip it if you don't know. For your information, I bathed with Yukino when we were little. I have a standard answer, you know~"
She tilted her chin up proudly. After being overmatched by Rei Ao the whole night, she finally felt a little smug. Yesthis is that familiar feeling of being in control The perfect Haruno is back!
But things didn't go as she expected.
Rei Ao beckoned to her with his finger.
"Huh? What?"
"Come closer. I'll tell you," he said.
"Eh?"
Haruno's eyes narrowed with suspicion.
"Huh, or do you want to use this chance to make a move on me, your sister-in-law? I'm soooo scared~" she said sarcastically.
Her tone was dripping with irony. Having joined the chat group not long ago, she'd quickly absorbed a bunch of info.
She knew how terrifyingly powerful and unbelievably perverted Rei Ao was. He was also shamelessly promiscuous! Yukino and Ms. Shizuka were just the tip of the iceberg, right?
According to the chat logs, he had plenty more companions, including a so-called "Mabel" who was apparently his "plaything," or some other weird label.
She couldn't fathom how many people he'd "conquered." He might be safe from disease or consequences, being nonhuman, but still The idea shook her. She wanted to save her sister from this monstrous scoundrel. But all she could do right now was toss out these sarcastic jabs.
Rei Ao, however, didn't get angry.
"So, you gonna listen or not? If not, I'll just go to bed."
"Oh, I'm listening. Why wouldn't I?" Haruno retorted. She refused to believe Rei Ao knew Yukino better than she did. Stepping forward, Haruno let him lean in close to whisper straight into her ear.
"It's the chrysanthemum."
"Huh?"
At first, Haruno didn't catch on. Then Rei Ao continued,
"You heard meher chrysanthemum."
He made sure she heard it loud and clear.
"Touching that spot gets Yukino to make this teary-eyed, pitiful face She'll pretty much do anything you ask when you go near it. Even just the lightest touch can make her whole body tremble in a very adorable way."
His explanation made Haruno's mind go blank. Damn it! Even if I used to bathe with her, I never touchedthat! But Rei Ao? They were intimate in ways Haruno never could be.
"Now you see you've got nothing on me. I know Yukino better than you do."
That smug grin on his face made it clear he was reveling in her frustrated, speechless expression. It was, evidently, quite satisfying to him.
"Y-you jerk!"
Haruno's teeth ground audibly. She hadn't expected him to say something so explicit.
"Anyway, Yukino and I are in love. Enough with your meddling, sister-in-law. Get some rest."
With that, he turned and headed for the guest room.
""
Haruno stood rooted, staring after him with an aggrieved look. Judging by the present situation, the best she could do was offer Yukino her blessings. A deep sense of helplessness flooded her.
"A trade" she muttered.
Staring at the "trade" function in the newly revealed chat group, Haruno couldn't snap out of her daze.
Morning.
"Madam, good morning."
Rei Ao greeted Mrs. Yukinoshita, who'd just come out of her room.
""
She felt awkward and conflicted. In truth, she wasn't sure how to face himthis was the first time in her life as the Yukinoshita household's matriarch that she felt so cornered by one person.
Seeing her silent, Rei Ao patted her shoulder.
"Madam, Yukino's still resting. Let her sleep until she wakes up on her own."
"Mm."
Mrs. Yukinoshita nodded automatically. Even if Rei Ao hadn't said so, she wouldn't have dared open Yukino's door after last night. She didn't want to witness any further embarrassing scenes.
It still baffled her how on earth it could've been so intense that her quiet, elegant daughter ignored her mother's and sister's presence in the house. Even from another room, she'd heard enough to make her face burn.
~~~
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Chapter 454: Mabel needs discipline, Visiting MgRonald? (Bonus Chapter)
"Madam, you don't mind if I enter your room, do you?"
Rei Ao asked suddenly.
"Of course not."
She didn't refuse, so he stepped through her room until he reached the broken window. He glanced back at her.
"Now then, I'm going to take this creature's corpse away. You'll need to have your room re-sealed and repaired."
Mrs. Yukinoshita blinked in surprise.
"You are leaving already?"
"Yes. Now that you're all safe, I've no reason to linger here as an uninvited guest."
He turned back and gave her a faint, gentle smile.
"I'm sure my presence here has caused you a lot of unease and pressure. Like I was commandeering your home, right?"
""
She had no words for him.
"Next time we meet, I hope you can be a little more relaxed."
He glanced at her hands, folded over her lower abdomen, and remarked with a slight laugh,
"You don't have to cover up on account of my so-called X-ray vision. I'm not in the habit of peeping without reason."
"!"
She stiffened and couldn't meet his gaze. Ever since she'd first seen him, her hands had been placed over her midsection. At first glance it looked natural, but in truth, she'd done it because she couldn't forget his remark about being able to "see through things."
Rei Ao didn't linger on that. After turning away, he took the demon's corpse below the window and vanished.
"Gone"
Mrs. Yukinoshita still wasn't used to his sudden entrances and exits; it was too surreal. A burst of amazement and relief washed over her.
"Haa"
Once he'd left, a weight lifted off her shoulders, and her hands finally dropped from her stomach. Remembering his parting words, she let out a faint, self-deprecating chuckle.
"I've really been overthinking. Someone like me, getting worried about being seen by someone like him"
She'd calmed down enough to realize she was well over thirty, hardly someone a young man would bother checking out. Next time we meet, I'd best try to relax, she thought.
Gazing at the shattered glass, her eyes grew thoughtful. Now there were several new matters demanding attention: the future of Yukino, the future of Haruno, and the future of the Yukinoshita family as a whole. Everything had changed because of Rei Aoand she herself had lost her composure in front of a younger man for the first time in her life.
As for Rei Aocurrently quite on Mrs. Yukinoshita's mindhe'd returned home.
There, he spotted Mabel sprawled lazily on his couch, belly full, watching TV. He felt a vein pop in annoyance.
"Mabel, you finished breakfast and didn't go back to Yukino's placeso you're lazing around my house now?"
"Wah!!!"
She nearly jumped out of her skin at his sudden voice, shrieking as she bolted upright.
"Aaah, n-no, please, no more 'rod discipline'!"
"Huh?"
Mai and the others appeared, hearing the commotion.
"Oh, Rei Ao, you're back."
"Yeah."
Rei Ao shot a glance at Mabelwho was trembling, terrified he'd whip out a stick and "educate" her againand sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Mabel, could you be any more pathetic? If you're my so-called 'sslave'my 'plaything'then at least show a bit of courage, or it's an embarrassment to me as your master."
"Ugh, II'm just scared."
Blinking in pitiful tears, she asked him meekly, "S-so you're not going to discipline me again, are you?"
"Mmm"
Rei Ao nodded slowly. Seeing that, Mabel finally relaxed. But a second later, he broke into a mischievous grin.
"No, I am going to discipline youand to the max, with plenty of 'rod discipline.' Look forward to it, Mabel."
"Huh?!"
His stern tone shattered her fragile relief, sending her from heaven to hell in a heartbeat. Mabel's face went pale.
"Rei Ao-kun, I think you've really freaked her out this time," Futaba said, poking Mabel's shoulder. There was no reaction.
"Leave her be," he shrugged. "If I don't knock some sense into her occasionally, she'll just run riot. She needs to be taken down a peg."
In other words, his announcement was more or less a "crime forecast" or, more precisely, a "rod-discipline forecast." After issuing it, he no longer concerned himself with Mabel, who would remain terrified about being punished at any moment.
He turned his attention to Emilia, who was watching from a distance, munching on watermelon.
"Emilia. Come with me for a bit."
"Huh? No way, no way," she said, shaking her head like a rattling drum. "I finally have a day off!"
She'd been working for a week, and her newfound appreciation for rest meant she was reluctant to give up her precious free time.
""
Rei Ao had to laugh.
"You've only been working a week, and you've turned into a wage slave already?"
She couldn't really deny that. With all the knowledge she'd picked up about this world, she knew exactly what "wage slave" meant, and that's basically how she'd been living.
"Well," Rei Ao continued, "this is important. You and I are going to see the Demon King from your world."
"Oh the Demon King, huh"
Emilia paused mid-scoop of her watermelon. She didn't seem particularly roused at the mention of a Demon King, not like she used to be.
Now, she was calm; after all, she knew the Demon King couldn't cause any major trouble in this world. Not when there was Tohru the dragon andmore importantlyRei Ao, both far more powerful.
Plus, Rei Ao had apparently already met Satan (the Demon King) and warned him. That should've left him docile. She shrugged, deciding:
"Fine, I'll go with you. Laughing at the Demon King's sorry state will be worth giving up my day off."
"Get dressed, then," he said.
Emilia slipped into her room. But half an hour passed and she still hadn't come out.
""
Growing impatient, Rei Ao finally pushed her door open.
"Hey, does it really take this long to change clothes?"
Emilia, half-undressed in front of piles of clothing, jumped at his sudden entrance. Their eyes met.
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow, looking her over quite seriously.
"You've got a pretty good figure."
"Eek!!!"
~~~
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Chapter 455: Sasaki Chiho
"Hmph!"
Ever since Rei Ao saw what he shouldn't have, Emilia had been extremely quiet.
She didn't speak to him at all, and she kept a few steps behind him while they walked, glaring at his back with lingering annoyance and embarrassment. Rei Ao didn't seem to mind, though.
Suddenly, he stopped.
"We're here."
"What?"
