"Thank goodnessthank goodness"
He murmured. Then:
"But Falin, are you sure you're all right? Nothing feeling off? Your memory's intact?"
"I'm fine, Brother."
Falin smiled.
"It's justsome things feel different."
Marcille noticed that as she spoke, Falin's fingers absentmindedly brushed over an unfamiliar pendant around her neck. A delicate ruby-like pendant inscribed with strange markingsMarcille was certain Falin had never worn it before. Must have appeared since last night.
Chilchuck wanted to probe further, but Laios was lost in relief. He began explaining how they'd been prepping for the rescue expedition. Marcille seized the opportunity to nudge Falin aside.
"Falin, you sure seem focused on that person"
She meant Rei Ao.
"Because Rei Ao-san is my savior,"
Falin said with a serene smile. Marcille frowned.
"It's not just gratitude, is it?"
At this, she noticed a tiny blush tinge Falin's cheeks, and she gaped.
"Falindon't tell me"
But Falin only answered with a faint, enigmatic grin, her fingertips tracing the red pendant.
"He said it would protect me."
Marcille felt a jolt of unease. True, he did help them immenselybut the arrangement was supposed to be Marcille's side paying the 'price.' She worried because Falin's tone, shy and daydreamy, was definitely not mere gratitude.
"Falin, listen to me."
Marcille dropped her voice, sounding serious.
"Whatever you feel about Rei Ao, be careful. We're from entirely different worlds!"
"I know,"
Falin interrupted, her eyes shining with resolve.
"But Marcille, after all thatwould you seek any other partner?"
"...?"
Marcille's expression shifted. Becauseshe wouldn't. She had already yielded her purity to that man.
~~~
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Chapter 633: Yukinoshita Mama's Worries... (Bonus Chapter)
"Anyway"
Falin returned to her usual tone, raising her voice so the others could hear.
"I really appreciate everything you all did for me.
Especially Marcille. Without her, I wouldn't be standing here right now."
Laios nodded, still excited.
"Yes! We must celebrate!"
He turned to Chilchuck:
"Chilchuck, go to the marketget good liquor and lots of food!"
"I"
Chilchuck still seemed to want the full story. Clearly, Marcille and Falin were hiding something. But in the end, he just sighed, spreading his hands.
"All right, well, better this than feeding ourselves to the dragon in that labyrinth. I prefer this ending."
He headed for the door. While Laios enthusiastically discussed how to celebrate, Marcille caught sight of Falin unconsciously touching that pendant again, her gaze wandering somewhere distant as though listening to a voice only she could hear.
Falin's expression gave Marcille a serious case of alarm bells. That's the look of a woman in love. But falling for someone from another worldwould that even end well?
Marcille had originally been prepared to live out her days alone, yet now she felt unsure herself.
At the Yukinoshita Household
Early morning. The Yukinoshita Mama set down her coffee. Her fingertips, upon the tablet's financial reports, traced a third diagonal line. The blue line representing the Yukinoshita family's quarterly earnings dipped steeply, dropping almost vertically in the latest quarter.
"Yet another company terminated their contract"
The Yukinoshita family had been repeatedly targeted. The mother had already noticed a looming crisisbut she was powerless. If this went on, the Yukinoshita businesses could be swallowed up.
She massaged her temples, trying to tamp down her frustration and figure out some breakthrough strategy. Right now, the entire family's hopes rested on her.
Tap, tap! The sound of brisk footsteps.
She quickly switched her facial expression with an actor's speed. But she realized her shift came half a second too late for her elder daughter Harunoenough time for Haruno to catch on.
"Mother, you're up very early today."
Haruno came downstairs in silk sleepwear, hair still bearing pillow creases, yet her eyes were bright as a fox closing in on prey. Her gaze swept over the pile of documents and coffee-stained cups at her mother's side.
"Did you have nightmares?"
"I'm just getting oldersleep's gotten lighter."
The mother calmly placed the tablet face-down on the table. Haruno's lashes flickered almost imperceptibly.
"And you? You don't have to deal with business matters now, so why not sleep in?"
Haruno tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
"Suddenly I'm craving Mont Blanc from that shop in Ginza. Would you like to come?"
As she spoke, her gaze moved over her mother's taut shoulders, showing signs of long-term tension and perhaps even more strain recently.
"You youngsters enjoy that stuff. It doesn't suit me."
The mother stood, tightening the belt of her robecarefully blocking any view of the computer screen.
"Fine,"
Haruno shrugged and headed to the bathroom to wash up. Only after Haruno's footsteps faded did the Yukinoshita Mama allow herself to slump back into the armchair. Outside, cherry blossoms began to drift from the trees.
"Sigh"
Right now, both Haruno and Yukino were in some way connected to Rei Ao. Though she knew Rei Ao's special abilities could effortlessly solve the Yukinoshita household's predicament, she wouldn't mention it. Yukino and Haruno each had new paths and futures; she didn't want them to be burdened again by the family's troubles.
Still, Haruno, already aware of something unusual, wouldn't sit idle. She intended to investigate the Yukinoshita family's circumstances, well aware that the mother's pained expression could only come from two possibilities: something about Rei Ao, or the collapsing Yukinoshita enterprises.
On the Other Side
"I'll be going then."
After returning from the other world, Rei Ao dropped Sumika off at her home before departing. Standing at her doorway, Sumika watched him for a long while before finally pulling her gaze away.
The events of yesterday were something she'd never forget. Not only had she and Rei Ao affirmed their relationship, but there had been that unexpected multi-person party, with elves included! She'd never imagined herself doing something so crazy.
Just remembering the way she'd behaved that night made her cheeks burn. Slapping both sides of her face to calm down, Fujimiya Sumika opened the door to her apartment. The entry light turned on with a click.
She had barely settled on the sofa when:
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Her phone buzzed relentlessly in her pocket. Unlocking it, she saw the 99+ unread messages popping up like a barrage of magical bullets. At the top were 47 missed calls from Sawae, the latest just five minutes ago:
"If you don't answer this, I'm calling the police!!!"
"Uh-oh,"
Sumika muttered, quickly scrolling through. She'd completely forgotten about having no cell service in the other world. The instant her messages went "read," the phone rang.
"Fujimiya. Sumika."
Sawae's voice boomed so loudly that Sumika had to hold the phone away.
"Do you know what I've been through since yesterday?!"
"S-sorry."
Sumika said helplessly. She really had worried Sawae to the extreme. Hearing her voice, Sawae let out a sigh of relief.
"Stay put!"
She hung up. Ten minutes later:
"Open up!"
Doorbell ringing and Sawae's shout came together. Sumika hurried to unlock the door. A blur of lemon-yellow hair tackled her in a fierce hug, bringing with it the scent of citrus shampoo mixed with sweat.
"I thought you'd gone missing!"
Tying her hair in its signature topknot, Sawae had a few strands plastered to her forehead, her white T-shirt damp on the back.
"Tell me: Why was your phone out of service?"
Sumika, guilt rising, avoided looking Sawae in the eyes.
"Well Rei Ao-kun and I went somewhere kinda remote."
She wasn't sure how much to reveal.
"Remote enough you had zero reception?"
Hands on her hips, Sawae widened her eyes.
"Wait, you two went off together?!"
Her voice spiked eight decibels. Sumika quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, dragging her into the living room.
"C-come on, Sawaedon't be so loud. People could hear."
Sumika's cheeks glowed as red as a ripe apple, her fingers twisting her shirt hem. Seeing her friend's flustered look, Sawae's eyes glintedlike a cat about to pounce on juicy gossip.
She plopped onto the sofa cross-legged.
"Start talking, details, all of 'em. That's your compensation for making me worry so much."
"E-eh?!"
Sumika exclaimed.
~~~
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Chapter 634: Avenge me Master! Satania's Defeat!
Meanwhile
Rei Ao returned home. The moment he opened the door, he sensed something was off today.
"Uwaaaahmy demon pride has been gnawed away!!!"
A wail of despair echoed from the living room, mixed with dull thudding noises. Rei Ao paused, looking puzzled, then headed inside.
A razor-sharp gaze greeted him from the hallway.
It was Sakurajima Mai, arms folded, leaning against the wall.
Her dark hair fell around her shoulders, but her eyes glinted with displeasure.
"Oh? You actually remembered to come back?"
Her voice was an octave lower than usual.
"Your date ended?"
A very familiar note of jealousy. Rei Ao knew exactly how to handle it. He simply swept Mai into his arms and placed a series of soft kisses on her, dissolving her sour mood. This approach worked wondersespecially with several pairs of eyes watching from the sidelines.
"Still mad?"
Rei Ao grinned.
"If you are, I'll just have to take you to the bedroom and make it up to you."
"?! "
Mai still got shy easily. Her cheeks reddened, and she shot him a glare.
"Pervert!"
"Better go comfort your precious student first."
With that, Mai slipped free from his embrace, genuinely worried he might drag her off for another "round." After all, not only were Futaba and the others home, there were also two "outsiders" around.
"Master! Master, where are you?! My pride as a demon is in tatters!"
The heart-wrenching sobs rose againfrom Satania.
"Sigh"
Mai waved a hand in exasperation.
"Your little demon apprentice has been wailing all afternoon. Vigne's practically on her knees at this point."
Rei Ao walked into the living room, half-smiling at the scene. There was Satania, collapsed on all fours, her red twintails splayed around her, looking like a wounded animal. Scattered around her were empty melon bread wrappers. Vigne knelt beside her, patting Satania's back in distress.
"Satania, calm downGabriel wasn't doing it on purpose, I'm sure"
"She totally was!"
Satania's tear-reddened eyes shot open, snot and tears staining her face.
"Gabriel planned it all alongshe stole all my melon pan, wooo!"
But the moment she caught sight of her beloved Master, her eyes lit up. Crawling forward on hands and knees, she grabbed onto Rei Ao's leg.
"Master! You're finally back!"
She looked up at him, cheeks drenched, voice trembling.
"Gabriel bullied meshe snatched all my melon breadsob."
Rei Ao stooped down, scooping up Satania as though she were a child, then moved to the sofa. Tohru and the others politely made room for him. Satania's small frame felt especially delicate in his arms. He patted her back gently, sensing her sobs gradually subside.
"All right, all right. Didn't I teach you not to cry like a baby?"
At that, Satania's weeping became quieter, just sniffling. Rei Ao settled down on the sofa with Satania still in his arms, motioning Vigne to sit too.
"Sowhat happened this time?"
Vigne laced her fingers together guiltily.
"Well, these past few days, Satania's been challenging Gabriel tovarious things."
"A duel! A battle of demon vs. angel dignity!"
Satania corrected, poking her face out from Rei Ao's embrace. Vigne sighed.
"Yesa duel. From video games to sports, even cooking contests But Gabriel kept'bending the rules' and winning."
"She cheated!"
Satania waved her fists angrily.
"On the first day, we played console gamesshe sneakily used her angelic power to make my controller glitch!"
"On the second day, we racedright at the finish line, she laid banana peels so I slipped!"
"And todaytoday"
Her voice turned tearful again. She buried her face in Rei Ao's chest.
"Today we competed to see who'd buy the last melon bread at the convenience store. She actually used her angel halo to trick the clerk into thinking she was a celebrity, so she got priority! That was limited-edition melon bread!"
"Pfft!"
Hearing all this, Sora couldn't help laughing. Futaba and Tohru also struggled not to laugh out loud.
Satania, at least, was consistent at landing in these comedic messes.
Rei Ao didn't laugh, though. He understood Satania's single-mindedness. Continuing to pat Satania's back, he glanced at Vigne:
"Vigne, what's your opinion?"
Vigne's face showed a rare look of helplessness.
"Honestlythis time, I do think Gabriel went too far. She knows how much those limited-edition melon breads mean to Satania."
She paused, lowering her voice.
"I suspect she planned it days in advanceapparently Gabriel was waiting at that store."
Satania whimpered louder:
"Master, you gotta help me get justice That fallen angel's just mocking me!"
Rei Ao glanced over at Mai, who shrugged as if to say "Up to you." An idea began forming in his mind. He looked down at Satania, still red-eyed, and gave a small, knowing smile.
"Satania, want revenge?"
Satania jerked upright, her ruby eyes wide.
"M-Master, you have a way?"
"Of course. Your Master can do anything."
His hand wiped away her tears.
"Not only will I get even for youI'll let you personally teach Gabriel a lesson. How's that?"
Satania's eyes sparkled. She squirmed excitedly on his lap.
"Really? You're not lying, Master?"
"When have I lied to you?"
Rei Ao teased, pinching her nose lightly.
"But I'll need your cooperation to stage a littleperformance."
Vigne leaned in, intrigued:
"How exactly do you plan to do that?"
"That,"
Rei Ao said, a note of mystery,
"I'll keep under wraps. Vigne, you can come along if you want."
