For instance, after school each day, he had a new routine: picking up Kanna together with Michiru.
During this time, he also got more chances to talk with Kobayashi and Shin.
Kanna and Shin had smoothly become friends with Anya.
"Rei Ao-san, Miss Kobayashi, Miss Michiru, thank you so much for taking care of Anya!"
Yor bowed deeply to the three of them.
Due to her work schedule, she often arrived late to pick up Anya from school. So over the past few days, Rei Ao and company would keep Anya company with Kanna and Shin until Yor arrived.
And everyone knows how sensitive and fragile kids can be
Especially when they watch other children leave with their parents, leaving them behind all alone.
"No need to be so formal, Mrs. Yor. Anya is not only Kanna and Shin's good friend, she's also incredibly cutewe wouldn't have the heart to leave her waiting here alone."
"Thank you truly, thank you!"
Rei Ao's classic response made Yor even more grateful.
Since they lived along the same route, they all walked home together.
Yor and Anya were understandably curious about the groupespecially their relationship.
Through conversation, Yor learned that Rei Ao and Michiru were students at the same school and in the same class, while Kobayashi was working full-time and clearly old enough to be "Mom."
Yet Rei Ao always came with them and picked up two children.
That was strange.
Stranger still was the arrangement: Rei Ao walking in the middle, holding Shin's and Kanna's hands, while Shin and Kanna were also holding onto Kobayashi and Michiru's hands, respectively.
The scene was both warm and confusing.
"Um, Rei Ao-san, are you allrelatives, by chance?"
Yor, having warmed up a bit, finally asked.
"Nope." Rei Ao shook his head.
"Hehe, Rei Ao is Papa, and Kobayashi is Mama!"
Shin chimed in mischievously.
Not to be outdone, Kanna echoed,
"Mm, Rei Ao is Papa, and Michiru is Mama."
"EHH?!?"
Their comments left Yor stunned, both outside and in.
"S-So it's that kind of complicated relationship?!"
"No! Don't listen to Kanna's nonsense!"
Michiru's face turned bright red as she quickly clarified,
"Kanna is a child I took in. Rei Ao-kun and I are her guardians."
"Oww!"
Shin clutched her head.
Kobayashi had flicked her forehead hard.
"Shin, don't talk nonsense."
With a sharp glare, she explained calmly,
"Shin is a child I took in."
"Oh, I see"
A relieved Yor finally exhaled. She thought she'd accidentally uncovered someone's hidden family scandal.
""
Beside her, Anya blinked her large watery eyes. She really wanted to say,
"Shin and Kanna aren't normal kidsKanna's a dragon!!"
But she couldn't.
"Mrs. Yor, I've noticed you always come alone to pick up Anya lately. What about her father?"
Rei Ao asked, quite deliberately.
"Eh?"
Yor paused for a moment, then answered softly:
"Well Anya is actually adopted"
"Ah? No way, same as us?"
Michiru was surprised. All three kids were adoptedand they'd just happened to end up together?
Even more surprising was what Rei Ao had told her earlier: that Anya could read minds, just like Kanna and Shin had their own hidden traits.
Rei Ao nodded subtly, having confirmed what he needed.
As expected, since Anya shared Yor's surname, it meant Yor wasn't marriednot even in a paper marriage.
They chatted while walking, parting ways at the next intersection.
"Gurgle gurgle"
"What's that sound?"
In a certain household's bathroom, someone heard a strange bubbling noise.
But after checking around and finding nothing, they thought they'd misheard and left the bathroom.
Right after
"Gurgle"
The faucet at the sink began to loosen unnaturally
"Ahh, finally done!"
Mafuyu Kirisu collapsed onto the sofa, feeling free at last.
No tutoring for Rizu and Fumino today.
They had just finished their exams.
It was finally time to rest.
She would wait for the results.
If the girls had made significant progressunderstanding how to approach sciences and humanities properlythen future tutoring wouldn't be as intensive.
The tutoring group wasn't completely finished, but the test results would decide its future.
For now, though, today felt like a liberation.
Ever since the "truth reveal" at Rei Ao's house, the whole group had completely stopped holding back in front of her.
Cuddling, flirting, shamelessnesseverything was out in the open.
Some scenes and sounds were so mortifying that she couldn't even bear to sit still while there.
Mafuyu Kirisu was honestly worried she might lose control in front of Rei Ao.
"Time for a shower."
After resting a bit, she got up and headed to the bathroom.
One article of clothing at a time fell to the floor.
When the last piece was removed, she prepared to step into the shower
"Gurgle"
Suddenly, her ears picked up the sound of bubbling water.
"Huh?"
She turned toward the sound, confused. It was coming from the sink.
"Drip drip"
For some reason, the faucetclosed tightlyhad started leaking.
She leaned closer to check and tighten it, but
Creak!
The faucet twisted unnaturally, as if crushed by invisible force.
"!!!"
Before she could react
BANG!!!
The faucet exploded.
Water sprayed out violently, drenching her in an instant.
"KYAAA!!!"
Kirisu screamed, shielding her face from the pressure.
But something was wrongthe water felt alive, wrapping around her entire body.
"Guh!!"
Her whole body, nose and mouth, became submerged.
Her feet lifted off the ground as she was engulfed by a massive blue water sphere.
"MMPHH!!!"
A surge of suffocating pressure hit her.
Kirisu's expression twisted in pain and panic.
~~~
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Chapter 529: Water Spirit... Gonna get Got?
"Ah!"
A faint scream caught Rei Ao's attention.
"Hm?"
Just as he was picking up a bite of food during dinner, he paused.
"What's wrong?"
Mai asked, seeing him stop mid-bite.
"It seems like Ms. Mafuyu's in a bit of trouble. I'll go check. You all go ahead and eat."
Clack.
His chopsticks hit the table as he spokeand then he vanished without another word.
"Ms. Mafuyu?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
Tohru suddenly exclaimed loudly,
"Aiya~ I've got a feeling Ms. Mafuyu is about to get claimed by Rei Ao."
"Huh?!"
Emilia was baffled.
What the heck did that mean?
Was Rei Ao some kind of walking hormone dispenser or something? Just "claimed" like that?!
"Urgh!"
Gasping, drowning in suffocation, Mafuyu Kirisu's flailing movements were growing weaker.
Her consciousness was fading.
She had no idea what was happening.
But it felt like she was about to drownright here in her own home.
"Is my life going to end like this?"
Unwilling emotions flooded her chest, but she was powerless to resist.
Her greatest regret at this moment wasn't even dying
It was that she wouldn't get to see how well Fumino and Rizu did on the test.
Her eyes slowly closed, filled with that very regret.
Suddenly
A hand pierced into her fading vision.
It tore through the water sphere she couldn't escape.
Pop!
The sphere burst.
Water splashed across every corner of the bathroom.
Splashhh
Soaked and naked, Mafuyu collapsed from the shattered sphere.
"You never know, Ms. Mafuyu. Trouble finds you even at home. I can't tell if that's lucky or unlucky."
Rei Ao quipped as he caught her in his arms.
He didn't avert his gaze either.
He always appreciated beauty with respectand boldness.
"Cough, cough, cough!!!"
Now able to breathe again, Mafuyu coughed violently, spraying a mouthful of water right onto Rei Ao.
It took her a while to recover.
She looked at him, dazed.
"Am am I dead?"
"Ms. Mafuyu, don't say something so ominous. You're very much alive."
Rei Ao smiled lightly.
"But I do have to warn youyou might have just died of embarrassment."
"???"
Mafuyu blinked.
The cold sensation on her skinand the way Rei Ao was looking at her like he was admiring a paintingsuddenly made it all click.
Blushing violently from head to toe, she started trembling as if something were building up
"KYAAAA!!!"
She finally screamed.
"Don't look at me!!!"
She flailed her arms trying to cover his eyes.
"Whoa, whoahey, stop moving around like that. If something goes off by accident, that's on you."
Rei Ao warned her with a twitch in his lip, feeling himself gettingwell, brushed against far too enthusiastically.
But Mafuyu wasn't listening at all.
With a resigned sigh, Rei Ao made a decision: go big or go home.
He spun her around effortlessly like a doll and lifted her up like a koala, supporting her by the waist and thighs.
Now Mafuyu was clinging to him tightly.
"Smack!"
He gave her a solid pat.
"Don't move. Now I can't see you. But more importantlyshouldn't we be paying attention to that thing instead of you?"
"!!!"
The slap stunned her like a jolt of electricity, but she actually managed to listen.
She followed Rei Ao's gaze
And there, beneath the broken, overflowing sink, was a strange, humanoid figure made of blue water.
The form resembled a little girl and stood on top of the pooled water. A thin water membrane surrounded her, making it look like something out of a movie.
But the cold water still dripping down her body told Mafuyu this wasn't CGI.
"R-Rei Ao w-what is that?!"
She asked through sobs and coughs.
"A water spirit. That's the thing that nearly killed you just now."
[Creature]: Water Spirit
[Level]: 33
[Abilities]: 'Heal,' 'Purify,' 'Water Element Control'
[Description]: A powerful but extremely timid and sensitive elemental spirit.
Rei Ao looked at the data and didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
Who would've thought Mafuyu, of all people, would run into something like this at home?
And of course, this creature wasn't weakbut its personality was like a sensitive child.
He had a good guess what had happened:
The water spirit had accidentally crossed over from another world, panicked, and hid inside the plumbing. By pure coincidence, it caused a pipe to burst in Mafuyu's bathroom and, startled by her presence, nearly lashed out with a full power outburst.
Now, the little thing was huddled in a self-made water shield, trembling with fear.
If anything, Mafuyu was the helpless one in this scenario.
""
Mafuyu's brain was still frozen.
A water spirit? What was Rei Ao even talking about?
Seeing her dazed again, Rei Ao acted decisively
"Smack!"
The mix of pain and numbing shock snapped her out of it.
"Space out again and I'll spank you harder."
"???"
Mafuyu looked at him, utterly bewildered.
Was this really something a student should be saying to his teacher?!
"Anyway, let me fix your bathroom first."
Rei Ao raised a hand.
"Hwoooosh"
A chill made Mafuyu instinctively cling tighter to him.
She watched in stunned silence as frost poured from Rei Ao's fingers.
Crackcrackcrack!
The broken, gushing pipe was gradually sealed over with layers of crystal-clear ice, stopping the leak.
Then, with a single tap of his finger, Rei Ao punctured the water spirit's protective bubble.
Just as the little creature tried to flee in panic, he grabbed it by the scruff of the neck.
"Eeep!!!"
The water spirit shrieked and struggled violently.
Tiny water arrows began forming around her.
"Hold still. Otherwise, I'll erase you from this worldgot it?"
Rei Ao's voice was cold, and his aura surged.
"Eeep!!!"
Immediately, the water spirit went limp like a ragdoll.
He now held her easily by one hand.
With the culprit under controlit was finally time to deal with Mafuyu Kirisu.
~~~
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Currently You can Read 200 Chapters Ahead of Others!
Chapter 530: Contracted Spirit...
Having secured the troublemaker, Rei Ao turned his gaze toward the stunned Mafuyu Kirisu.
With one hand, he gave her a firm squeeze.
"KYAA!!"
Mafuyu yelped in a mix of embarrassment and outrage, staring at him in disbelief.
"Y-you... how could you treat a teacher like this?!"
Rei Ao rolled his eyes.
"I did just save your life, and I'm dealing with the situation here. Don't you think maybe you should get down and put some clothes on so we can talk properly?"
"Of course, if you insist on talking like this, I won't mindbut once I get fired up, it might be hard to stop."
"!!!"
Only then did Mafuyu fully realize her mortifying situation.
"Ugh"
She instinctively tightened her hold on Rei Ao, covering herself so he wouldn't see everything below.
"C-can you carry me to my room first?"
"Eh?"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled. "I figured I'd just close my eyes and set you down."
"E-Eh?"
Mafuyu froze.
Right, that would've worked too.
"Well, then"
Just as she tried to backpedal, he gave her another squeeze.
"KYAA!!"
"Haha, I'll be a gentleman and carry you to your room then."
He didn't give her a chance to protest.
A while later
After yet another round of squealing, Mafuyu finally got dressed.
Now fully clothed but dying of embarrassment, she sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting.
"I-I'm ready"
Having been touched and seen completely, she couldn't even bring herself to look at Rei Ao.
"I don't think you need to be that shy, Ms. Mafuyu. Aren't I technically your online boyfriend?"
"!!!"
She glared at him, flustered.
"That relationship was fake! How can you mix that up?! And even if it were real, a boyfriend still shouldn't"
She trailed off. She couldn't say it.
She'd already been completely taken advantage of!
Rei Ao shrugged.
"Then how about thisI won't take advantage of you for free. Be my wife instead."
"Huh?!"
Mafuyu looked like she'd just heard the most outrageous thing in the world.
"How can you say something so flippant?!"
"Why not? That's what I said to Mai and the others too."
""
That shut her up instantly.
After a long silence, she sighed and steadied her expression.
"Let's put that topic aside. For nowlet's talk about this."
