"Am I actually afraid?"
Dong! Dong!
Outside, the academy bell tolled six times, its deep peals offering no comfort to her turbulent heart.
She drew a long breath, forcing herself calm. The usual sharp confidence in her eyes wavered.
"So this is what it feels like to be a frog at the bottom of a well?"
A self-deprecating smile touched her lips; much of her pride fell away in that moment.
KLANG!
A sudden crash came from the balcony.
Julis snapped into combat stance, conjuring a longsword. In a flash she was at the window.
The curtain, lifted by a wave of heat, revealed a purple-haired boy scrambling to his feet on the balcony.
"Who are you?!"
Julis narrowed her eyes. "How dare you trespass in the girls' dorm?"
"W-wait! This is a misunderstanding!"
Ayato Amagiri waved his hands frantically, his uniform still dusty from climbing up.
"I was just"
"Spare me the excuses!"
Today's pent-up emotions finally found a target.
"A student of Seidoukan, stooping to peeping-tom levels of depravity
I'll petition the student council for a duel and have you punished!"
"I told you, it's not like that!"
Ayato gave a wry smile, his hand drifting to the school badge at his waist the activation switch for Ser-Veresta.
"Enough talk. You broke into the girls' dorm; you will be punished!"
She might not have been exposed, but that hardly lessened her fury.
Elsewhere
Morning light filtered through gauze curtains, painting mottled patterns on the floorboards.
Madam Yukinoshita's lashes quivered; slowly she opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was Rei Ao's handsome face at point-blank range.
His black hair was slightly tousled, yet those iridescent eyes were clear, gazing at her with a smile.
"Morning, Madame."
His voice was husky with sleep, his warm breath stirring the hair by her ear.
In an instant, memories flooded backheat, reckless touches, sensations that made her cheeks burn.
Color flared across her face.
Instinctively she tried to pull away, only to find Rei Ao's arm still locked firmly around her waist.
"P-please let me go."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes flitting away.
"Last night was an accident. We should forget"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow; instead of releasing her, he drew her closer.
With a low chuckle, his fingertips traced the bare skin of her shoulder.
"When you took the initiative to kiss me, it hardly looked accidental."
Mortification nearly stole her breath. Indeed, emotion had driven her past the point of control.
Clear-headed now, rationale returnedand with it, the urge to crawl into a hole.
"T-that was because"
She fumbled for an explanation, only to fall silent under his deep gaze.
Rei Ao bent to kiss her burning cheek.
"No need to explain, Madame. I know your feelings have been bottled up far too long."
His lips brushed her ear, voice low and coaxing.
"And I quite enjoyed seeing you express yourself so freely.
That is the real you not the politely reserved faade."
A shiver ran through her; Rei Ao plainly meant to start round two.
Panicked, she seized his hand.
"Yukino and Haruno?"
"They already know."
His answer struck her like lightning; her body went rigid.
"W-what?"
Rei Ao savored her shocked expression.
"Why else do you think they turned in so early last night?"
"Besides, this house's soundproofing isn't as good as you imagine."
Her complexion flipped from scarlet to white and back again.
She shoved him away, snatching up the sheet to cover herself.
"Y-you mean they"
"They're hardly ordinary girls any more. Heightened senses.
I'd guess from the moment you cried out my name?"
Propping his head on one hand, Rei Ao admired her mortified despair.
"Mmph!"
A strangled whimper escaped as she buried her face in her palms.
Her dignity as a mother, her authority as an elderutterly ruined.
How could she ever face her daughters again?
Rei Ao sighed and drew her back into his arms.
"Don't be like that."
He gently brushed the hair from her forehead.
"They love you and respect your choices. Besides"
A playful curve tugged at his lips.
"In this house we gave up on those hypocritical boundaries long ago, didn't we?"
She opened her mouth to protest, only to have it sealed by his kiss
a kiss that felt very much like a claim.
By the time he let her breathe, most of her resistance had melted away.
"Now then."
Throwing off the covers, Rei Ao rose from the bed, making no effort to hide his flawless physique.
"Let's have breakfast. I bet they're already waiting."
Hesitant, she looked at the hand he offeredthen finally laid her own in it.
~~~
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Chapter 720: What a Family should be like...
In the living room.
Yukino and Haruno were already seated at the dining table.
Haruno was spreading jam on her toast.
Yukino, by contrast, was absorbed in a bookthough she hadn't turned a page for ten minutes.
Her eyes kept drifting toward their mother's bedroom.
"Click!"
The instant the bedroom door opened, both sisters froze.
A sly spark flashed in Haruno's eyes, while Yukino's knuckles turned white.
Rei Ao emerged holding Mrs. Yukinoshita's hand. She was wearing a high-necked sweater.
Even though it was early summer, she was still trying to hide the marks on her neck.
Her gaze wavered, not daring to meet her daughters' eyes.
"G-good morning."
Mrs. Yukinoshita's voice was a full octave higher than usual.
Haruno flashed a dazzling smile. "Good morning, Mother~ Did you sleep well?"
An utterly ordinary questionnow thick with innuendo.
The tips of Mrs. Yukinoshita's ears turned crimson.
She murmured a reply and hurried over to the coffee machine.
Yukino drew a deep breath and closed her book.
"Mother, if you'd like some coffee, I can"
"No!"
Mrs. Yukinoshita's refusal was far too abrupt.
Realizing her loss of composure, she lowered her voice.
"I-I'll make it myself."
An awkward, helpless silence descended on the room.
Yukino bit her lip and sat back down.
Haruno propped her chin on her hand, her gaze flicking between their mother and Rei Ao.
Rei Ao himself seemed perfectly at ease. He took the seat at the head of the table and began peeling an apple.
With her back to everyone, Mrs. Yukinoshita prepared the coffee.
She could feel three pairs of eyes on her:
One amused, one conflicted, and one so scorchingly hot it made her knees weak.
Her hands trembled; she nearly knocked the cup over.
This is absurd!
She scolded herself inwardly.
I'm their mother, the head of the Yukinoshita family
That title suddenly felt hollow.
The Yukinoshita family, as such, no longer existed.
And after everything, she wasn't even sure she remained the dignified matriarch she used to be.
"Madam."
Rei Ao's voice sounded suddenly at her ear, making her nearly jump.
At some point he had come up behind her, taken the pot from her hands, and poured the coffee himself.
"Easycareful not to burn yourself."
His voice was low; only she could hear.
"They just need time to adjustsame as you."
Mrs. Yukinoshita looked up at him. Depths she couldn't fathom gleamed in his iridescent eyes.
A strange reassurance welled inside her. She nodded faintly.
Rei Ao smiled, clasped her hand, andunder Yukino's and Haruno's astonished gazesled her to the table.
"Alright."
"I think it's time to make this official."
He lifted their interlocked fingers.
"From today on, we're truly a family."
Mrs. Yukinoshita stared at him in shock.
She hadn't expected him to be so direct.
Flustered, she tried to pull her hand back, but he only tightened his grip.
Yukino set her teacup down with a sharp clack.
Despite all her mental preparation, her composure was unraveling.
The impact was simply too great.
Even if her relationship with her mother wasn't real, a lifetime of feelings toward her was.
Haruno, meanwhile, looked utterly delighted.
"I knew it!" She clapped her hands, laughing.
"Ha-ha, that's so like you, Rei Ao-kun~"
Beneath the table Yukino kicked her hard, stopping any cruder remarks.
Too lateMrs. Yukinoshita's face was already red enough to drip blood.
"Haruno!"
Rei Ao chided, flicking her forehead.
"Behave."
Haruno stuck out her tongue, but the grin remained. "Sorry, sorry~ I just didn't expect Mother to be so candid."
"Haruno!"
This time both mother and daughter spoke at once.
Rei Ao shook his head helplessly, then looked at the silent Yukino.
"Yukinoanything you want to say?"
Yukino inhaled, meeting her mother's eyes.
"I"
Her voice trembled.
"I only hope you can be happy."
"If Rei Ao-kun can make you happy, then"
She paused, searching for the right words.
"I respect your choice."
Whatever lay beneath that formal statement was hard to read, but Mrs. Yukinoshita still felt a wave of warmth.
She opened her mouth gingerly. "Yukino I"
"Oh, come on, why so serious~"
Haruno suddenly stood, circled the table, and took her mother's other hand.
"I noticed ages agothe way you look at Rei Ao-kun is totally different!"
Mrs. Yukinoshita glared at her, half-shy, half-angry. "Haruno!"
"But"
Haruno leaned in, voice dropping, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes.
"Is Rei Ao-kun that good in bed?"
"Sis!"
Yukino shot to her feet; the chair screeched across the floor.
Her own cheeks were scarletwhether from fury or mortification, even she didn't know.
Mrs. Yukinoshita had both hands over her blazing face. She'd never imagined her daughters would discuss her like this.
More absurd stillshe actually found herself seriously considering how to answer.
Rei Ao chose that moment to haul Haruno back into her seat.
"Enough," he saidpart scolding, part amused. "Stop teasing the lady."
Haruno pulled a face but finally settled down, stuffed a slice of toast in her mouth, and mumbled, "Anyway, welcome to our big happy family~"
Mrs. Yukinoshita didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Clearly this "family" included more than the four of them.
Who were the people Rei Ao had mentioned in that chat group?
Those women from other worlds What were they to him?
She had her suspicions.
As if reading her thoughts, Rei Ao gently squeezed her hand.
"Don't overthink it. We'll have plenty of time to sort everything out."
Yukino had finally calmed down. After a moment's hesitation, she picked up a cup of coffee and walked over.
"Your coffee's getting cold."
That simple sentence broke the last barrier.
Mrs. Yukinoshita's eyes grew hot as she accepted the cup.
Haruno leaned in too, snuggling against her shoulder.
"So now we're really sisters? Really sisters?" she asked, blinking at Yukino. "In every sense?"
Yukino glared, mortified. "Shut up, Haruno."
~~~
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Chapter 721: Julis Impromptu Live Streams!
Rei Ao watched the affectionate tableau before him, satisfaction glimmering in his eyes.
He stretched out his arms and drew all three women into an embrace.
Only yesterday such a gesture would have been unthinkable; now it felt utterly natural.
"All right," he whispered against Yukinoshita Fuyuka's burning ear, "this is how a family should bedon't you agree?"
Nestled against Rei Ao, Fuyuka felt the different body-warmths around her.
The shame and awkwardness in her chest slowly gave way to a strange serenity.
Yes
It was absurd, it defied common sense, and yet it felt inexplicably right.
Perhaps she thought, this is what Rei Ao meant by 'no need for hypocritical boundaries.'
They could redefine what love and family meant.
What made her heart race even faster was the realization that she was already looking forward to this "new family's" future a feeling she had never once experienced in the old Yukinoshita household.
Somewhere else
Julis stood alone on an open training ground,
rose-colored hair swaying in the night breeze.
Her emerald eyes were fixed on Amagiri Ayato, who wore a bitter expression across from her.
One finger hovered over the school-crest-shaped Multiverse Communicator.
"Duel," she said sharply, and at the same time switched the group chat to livestream mode.
[Ding! Julis has started a livestream!]
Marcille: "Whoa, an impromptu stream?"
Hiiragi Shinoa: "Where is this? Nice scenery."
Yotsuya Miko: "Julis-san, is something wrong?"
Kasuga Hijiri: "That stance are you about to fight?"
Julis ignored the questions, turning her camera on Ayato.
Julis: "Everyone, behold. I've caught a Peeping Tom skulking near my dorm balcony."
The zoom tightened: Ayato's mortified face came into focus.
He wore Seidkan Academy's uniform; a black-sheath katana hung at his waist.
"Peeping Tomactivate your duel crest. I'm teaching you a lesson."
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding!" Ayato raised both hands.
"I was only"
"Only what?" Julis sneered.
"Lurking outside a girls' dorm for the view?"
Busujima Saeko: "Why does this look so familiar"
Yomogawa Ayame: "Ugh, reminds me of someone."
Akame: "Stella."
Stella: ""
Frieren: "Heh, Stella ran into a peeper toosame dorm balcony setup."
Kato Megumi: "Both flame users as well. Rei Ao's credibility just rose again."
Frieren: "Behavior overlap: 90 percent."
Julis glanced at the scrolling feed, eyebrows knitting.
Julis: "Stella-san had this happen as well?"
Stella: "Ugh don't mention it."
Sakurajima Mai: "She clobbered the guybut he ended up playing Cupid."
Akiyama Mio: "Eh? Stella-san, y-you have a boyfriend?"
Izawa Shizue: "Fate's odd. Stella later fell for Rei Ao-kun."
Akiyama Mio: "Wow, the group admin?"
Stella: "A-anyway, it was an accident, and I was never actually peeped on. All thanks to the chat group."
Julis's cheeks flushed.
Julis: "Don't lump me in with that. I wasn't peeped onbut the act must be punished!"
She faced Ayato. "Under academy rules, I officially challenge you to a duel!"
Ayato sighed. "Can't we just talk? I only"
