Author's Note: In Chapter 709, Shana got mixed up with another book. Recently, that other book also added Shana, which caused the confusion. Since I currently can't get in touch with the site to make corrections for these two books, and more than 24 hours have passed, I can't change it anymore. Let's just pretend it never happened.
By the way, about my situation: a month and a half ago, my father lost his job. Because we can't make ends meet with our current income, my family is under financial pressure. I've started delivering takeout full-time and am planning to look for a stable job. Right now, I can only find time to write both books in the early hours of the morning each day. Under these circumstances, it's easy to mix things up. Rest assured, there's no ghostwriter involved.
Regarding the issue in the comment section (the one related to money): ever since I started delivering takeout, I haven't had the mental energy to check the comments. I only found out about the problem late, after a friend in a writing group pointed it out. I tried to make changes, but I can't get in touch with the site. Other people told me the site might be down; I haven't seen anyone take over or respond, and once 24 hours pass, edits are impossible. I've basically given upno more explanations or attempts to fix it.
As for the character Kimizuki Mirai, I originally planned for her to just be an NPC in the main story. I didn't intend to include her (in a romantic sense), but as I kept writing, I added her in on a whim. After finishing each day's writing, I was too tired to think much about it, so I never really followed up. If you find it unacceptable, there's nothing I can do at this point. I can't contact the site; others told me it's likely still down. I don't see anyone handling it, so I'm just going to lie flat and do nothing.
Please continue reading if you'd like. I'll do my best to write daily until I finish. But after that, I probably won't be able to start a new book. My family needs someone with a stable income right now, so that's the situation. I probably won't be replying in the comments anymoreI don't have the energy for it.
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(Bonus Chapter) Chapter 710: A Sudden Visit from Haruno, Alicia's Slothful Behaviour!
They chatted with everyone in the chat group for quite a while.
After closing the chat interface, Akiyama Mio exhaled a long breath. Then she lifted her gaze to the sky, which was gradually darkening.
Cherry blossoms looked particularly soft in the dusk, and at last, she found it in her heart to appreciate them.
Because she discovered that the people in the chat group were very friendlyapparently good people. Knowing the chat group posed no danger, she finally relaxed.
"Mio, wait for me!"
A familiar voice broke her thoughts.
Mio turned around and saw Ritsu dashing over, panting, her short hair bouncing in the breeze.
"II forgot to give you this!"
Ritsu held out a dainty paper bag.
"It's strawberry daifuku from Mugi! She said...uh...if there's anything supernatural bothering you, sweets can help you feel braver!"
Akiyama Mio took the still-warm paper bag, feeling a sudden sting in her nose. Whatever happened, she still had these friends who cared. Perhaps she didn't have to be so afraid from the start.
"Thank you"
Mio whispered, a genuine warmth coloring her voice this time.
Ritsu smirked, as usual throwing an arm around Mio's shoulder. "C'mon, let me walk you home! They say there's a pervert hanging around the area tonight, heh."
Mio couldn't help laughing. "And here I thought you'd made that up?"
"Busted~"
Ritsu stuck out her tongue.
"But I really am walking you home! After all, as club president, I gotta ensure my bandmates' safety!"
The sunset stretched their shadows long across the ground. Mio cast one last glance at the chat-group interface only she could see, then closed it. At least for tonight, she wanted to just be a regular high school girl, sharing strawberry daifuku with her best friend and forgetting those supernatural worries for a while.
Tomorrowshe'd worry about tomorrow's problems tomorrow.
At Yukinoshita's apartment
Cool air from the AC quietly filled the living room. Mabel lay sprawled on the sofa like a lazy cat. She wore a tank top with cartoon prints and short shorts, her long legs propped on the coffee table, occasionally wiggling her pink toes in time with the TV show.
"This is the last popsicle, and it's mine."
She waved the ice cream bar triumphantly, glancing at Alicia seated beside her.
"You've already eaten three!" Alicia protested.
Her freshly washed golden hair was still damp, cascading over her strawberry-patterned pajamas. She reached out to snatch the popsicle, but Mabel deftly moved her hand to dodge.
While they scuffled, the lock turned with a "click," and the door opened.
"Isn't Yukino home? Why's the"
Alicia's words died in her throat when a woman entered through the entryway. The moment she stepped inside, the air in the room seemed to freeze. She wore a perfectly tailored white business suit, and her black hair fell to her waist like a waterfall. Her facial features resemble Yukinoshita, but with a faint, unreadable smile.
Mabel only lifted her eyelids, continuing to lick her popsicle as if nothing had happened. Alicia, on the other hand, straightened abruptly, as if electrocuted. She frantically tugged at her rumpled pajamas, cheeks flushed.
"Oh dear, looks like I came at a bad time. Did I interrupt your fun?"
The woman's voice resembled Yukino's cool tone, but tinged with teasing amusement.
"Wh-who are you?"
Alicia stammered, fingers fiddling with the hem of her nightwear. She was mortified at being seen in such a lazy stateshe'd actually picked up Mabel's slothful habits, and it felt so unlike herself!
The woman didn't immediately answer. She gracefully stepped out of her high heels, walking barefoot. Her eyes flitted between Mabel and Alicia, finally resting on the scattered snack wrappers and melting ice cream on the table.
"Sis, please don't scare my roommates."
Yukino's voice came from the hallway. She'd just finished some laundry, hands still damp, wearing a white loungewear set layered with a pale-blue apron.
"Yukino's sister?"
Alicia's eyes went wide, flicking between the two obviously related faces. Indeed, the newcomer was Yukino's older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno.
Haruno chuckled lightly, then abruptly pinched Alicia's flushed cheeks.
"What a cutie. Prettier than in the pictures. I'm Yukinoshita Haruno, big sister to this frosty little sis."
Her cold fingertips carried a faint perfume scent. Alicia froze, forgetting even to resist.
"What are you doing here?" Yukino frowned, removing her apron and drying her hands as she walked over. "And why show up unannounced? Not even a text."
Haruno made an exaggerated show of clutching her chest. "Because I missed my dear little sisterisn't that reason enough?"
"Enough. I don't care for your phony jokes," Yukino retorted bluntly, her gaze turning even colder.
Haruno's smile faltered slightly. Glancing at Alicia, who watched curiously, and Mabel, who seemed wholly unconcerned, she said softly, "Can we talk alone? It's about Mother."
Yukino's body visibly stiffened. After a moment's silence, she nodded and led Haruno to her bedroom. As they disappeared, Alicia heard Haruno call back, "Turn up the AC a bit, or your skin will suffer~"
"So that's Yukino's sister, huh" Alicia murmured, nervously twining a lock of hair around her finger. "They look so alike, both beautiful."
But that sister felt intimidating, and they obviously didn't seem close.
Mabel finally finished her popsicle, yawning lazily. "Yukino mentioned their relationship used to be terrible. It only improved slightly after both became that Rei Ao guy's girlfriends."
"Eh???"
Alicia almost leaped off the couch. "They're bothwith Rei Ao? But that's"
"What's so surprising?" Mabel gave her a strange look. "Isn't almost everyone in the group?"
Alicia's face reddened again, this time all the way to her ears.
"T-that's differenttheir relationship is"
Rolling her eyes, Mabel sighed, "We're just getting started. The group even has mother's around."
~~~
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Chapter 711: What do you think of Mother?
Inside the bedroom.
Yukinoshita Yukino sat on the edge of the bed, her fingers unconsciously gripping the bed sheet.
Haruno took out a tablet from her bag, pulled up a few photos, and handed them to her.
"These were taken secretly by me."
In the photos, Mrs. Yukinoshita was wearing her signature kimono as usual. But her usually immaculate up-do had a few strands fallen loose.
She was looking down at some documents, and even makeup couldn't hide the dark circles beneath her eyes. Tension at the corners of her mouth betrayed a fatigue unlike anything Yukino had ever witnessed.
Yukino felt her heart clench abruptly.
She had never seen her mother like thisalways so composed and dignified, now looking sovulnerable.
"Since last month, several companies have teamed up with foreign enterprises to launch a systematic attack on our Yukinoshita family's business," Haruno said calmly.
"Three major projects have been forced to halt, and Mother has been handling it all alone. She has no easy breakthrough."
"Why out of nowhere"
Yukino's voice trembled.
"How do they dare"
"They obviously dare."
Haruno sneered. "In an ordinary person's eyes, the Yukinoshita family is big. But from a broader perspective, we're small."
Yukino's fingers dug into the sheets.
Haruno continued: "Mother doesn't want me getting tied down by the Yukinoshita enterprise. She never intended for me to step in."
Yukino bit her lip, imagining what her mother's face would be like saying thather pride and obstinacy, refusing to show weakness even in dire straits.
"So your reason for coming here is"
Yukino locked eyes with her sister. Haruno took a deep breath and made the proposal she had turned over in her mind many times:
"First, I want Rei Ao-kun to get involved."
"Second"
She paused, her voice turning oddly gentle:
"I think Rei Ao-kun should make a move on Mother, like he did with Mrs. Koharu and Ms. Ai Sakurajima."
"???"
Yukino froze, as if struck by lightning. Her first instinct was to reject Haruno's preposterous idea. But Haruno placed a hand on her trembling one.
"Hear me out, Yukino.
"Number one: it ensures Mother's mental and physical well-being.
"Number two: you know what Rei Ao-kun's capable of. He can restore her youth, free her from the mortal coil."
Haruno's eyes flickered with a vulnerability Yukino had never seen in her sister.
"This way we can actually be a real family for once. Don't you want to see what Mother's smile looks like?"
A childhood memory flashed through Yukino's mindher mother's eternally upright posture, never turning back. If there were another possibility
"This is insane" Yukino mumbled, but her tone had lost its firmness.
Haruno smiled like she'd already won. She knew that once Yukino started hesitating, her resolve was wavering.
Next came her trump card. Pulling out her phone, she played a short video.
"Watch this before you decide."
In the video:
Mrs. Yukinoshita stood alone on a rooftop. Night wind tore at her hair. Gazing out at the brilliant city lights, she slowly sank to her knees, burying her face in her handsdisplaying a collapse nobody, not even her daughters, had seen before.
Yukino's irises shrank sharply, and a tear of heartbreak slipped down her cheek.
At that moment, a startled cry came from the living room.
"Rei Ao? You suddenly"
The bedroom door opened quietly.
A tall figure leaned against the doorway. His black hair still short, his iridescent eyes shining mysteriously, wearing that lazy smile.
"Sorry for barging in on sisterly bonding," Rei Ao's voice was smooth and comforting like warm honey. "But I think since you're discussing me, the person in question should have a say, right?"
Yukino and Haruno both froze. Rei Ao smirked softly, walking over to sit next to Yukino, sliding an arm around her shoulders as though it were the most natural thing.
"By the way"
His gaze slid over the tablet in Haruno's hand.
"Those who dared bully my future mother-in-law vanished from this world one second ago."
Silence thickened in the room. Haruno recovered first and blinked.
"When did you get back?"
Rei Ao smiled. "Just now." After leaving Mikoto and the others with a few matters, he'd returned.
Yukino finally found her voice.
"You you're really willing to accept Mother? She's so stubborn, so proud"
Gently wiping the tears from her face, Rei Ao said:
"Yukino, have you forgotten my abilities?"
He paused with a sly grin.
"Though, I'm more interested in Haruno's other suggestion."
Haruno laughed aloud.
"Aha, I knew it. You had this idea from the start."
Rei Ao stood, stretching languidly.
"Well, ladies, let's pay a visit to Mother tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Academy City was far from calm after Rei Ao's departure.
Morning light slipped through a gap in the curtains, cutting golden geometric shapes across the bed sheet.
Mikoto Misaka, sitting on the bed, stared at the nanoscopic 'Hovering Particle Lines' floating near the ceiling. These devicessmaller than dustprojected real-time images of the entire Academy City onto her iridescent pupils.
Rei Ao was gone, but someone still had to run the city. He'd left that to Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki. The Hovering Particle Lines were little helpful tools he'd left behind. Of course, their biggest "boost" was still the power from his blessings that had greatly raised their personal abilities.
In a corner of the room, Shokuhou's blonde hair crackled with arcs of electricity from Mikoto's swirling power, yet no harm befell her. Originally, Mikoto would have just cast lightning down from afar to deal with a few troublemakers. Now it was easier than ever.
[Name]: Mikoto Misaka
[Level]: 60
[Abilities]: [Electro Master], [Rei Ao's Blessing]
The blessings from Rei Ao didn't just enhance one's strength, but transformed the nature of their abilities. Even a regular Level 5 was no match for her now.
