The air still held the remnants of the night before
The subtle sweetness of expensive champagne mixed with the fresh, clean scent of post-shower skin.
Rei Ao lounged shirtless against the plush headboard, lean and sculpted, radiating the kind of lazy satisfaction you'd expect from a lion after a feast.
Two delicate, pale arms wrapped around himone on each side.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and Machida Sonoko clung to him like sleepy, affectionate cats.
Utaha's signature jet-black hair was a beautiful mess across Rei Ao's chest. She tilted her face slightly, wine-red eyes glowing with dreamy warmth.
One hand traced slow, featherlight circles along his abs, fingertips following every groove and ripple.
The heat beneath her touch sent shivers through her body.
Sonoko, meanwhile, rested her cheek on Rei Ao's other arm, her mature and seductive features still glowing with leftover warmth from the night before.
Her fingers explored with more curiositybrushing, tracing, testing reactions with a quiet boldness.
Rei Ao pulled them both a little closer, arms tightening around their waists.
He turned his head slightly.
Planted a soft kiss on Utaha's forehead.
Then a quick peck on Sonoko's cheek.
"Time to get up," he said, his voice low and husky, still rough from the nightbut calm, commanding, impossible to ignore.
"Mmm"
Utaha pouted, letting out a small whimper.
Her red eyes misted over instantly, like a kitten that had been scolded.
She clawed him lightly in protestonly to be met with a pulse of heat under her touch.
She bit her lip and muttered in a sultry, half-joking tone, full of sass and mock accusation:
"Heh men really are all the same."
"You were the one who couldn't get enough last nightlike you were trying to tear me apartand now we're suddenly in your way?"
Her words were unfiltered and bold. Not at all like the usual snarky-yet-cool Utaha-sensei persona.
Even Rei Ao was caught off guard by her bluntness.
He felt a metaphorical sweatdrop form at his temple.
"Ahem"
He cleared his throat with an awkward chuckle.
"It's not that you're in the way. Someone's looking for me."
"Someone?" Sonoko perked up, brushing the haze from her eyes and slipping back into sharp professional mode.
"You mean one of the new members in the chat?"
"That ghoul girlKirishima Toukaor the shrine maiden, Miyamizu Mitsuha?"
As one of Rei Ao's earliest allies, and someone who knew about the group's secrets, she kept a close eye on every new membereven if she wasn't in the main group chat.
She already suspected the ghoul girl had a complicated past and unresolved baggage.
If it was her, reaching out for a deal wouldn't be surprising.
"It's neither of them," Rei Ao said calmly.
With a thought, a translucent private chat window floated up in front of himvisible only to his eyes.
Not the main group chat.
A direct message.
From someone named: Shin
Rei Ao's gaze lingered and a small, amused smile played on his lips.
~~~
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Chapter 856: Papa is Here!
Kobayashi's Apartment Living Room.
The air was heavy with awkwardnessso thick it could stop time.
You could still smell the splash of tea in the air.
The scorched scent of a dropped laptop lingered faintly.
And three adult women stood frozen, each radiating the same stunned aura:
"Who am I? Where am I? What did I just hear?!"
Kobayashi was frantically wiping her wet keyboard and the soaked carpet with tissues, her face a mix of disbelief and panic.
"Am I seriously so overworked I'm hallucinating?"
She was starting to question her own sanity.
Michiru had finally stopped her dramatic coughing fit, though her cheeks were still burning red.
She avoided looking at the three tiny troublemakers at the doorespecially Kanna, who was still staring at them with big, hopeful eyes.
Yor sat as elegantly as ever, trying to maintain composure
but the tea stain on her skirt and her trembling fingertips gave away just how rattled she really was.
She glanced at Anya, trying to find even the slightest hint that this was all some elaborate prankbut came up empty.
Anya wanted a dad. That part was real.
But how they got here...
Right when the silence became so suffocating it felt like it could crush an entire apartment
Ding dong!
The doorbell rang. Crisp. Clear. Heavenly.
It shattered the frozen air like a divine lifeline.
"Ah! I'll get it!"
Kobayashi practically jumped in relief.
That doorbell was her escape rope.
She didn't even bother drying her hands, just wiped them on her apron and rushed toward the entrance.
But someone beat her to it.
A small blur of silver dashed forward like a bullet from a gun.
Straight to the door.
Shin-chan.
"WaitShin?!"
Kobayashi froze midreach, hand stuck in the air.
Why is she more excited than me?!
Everyone instinctively followed the silver streak with their eyes.
The soft sound of the door opening.
Barely audible murmuring.
Thenlight, fast footsteps coming back, almost too eager to contain themselves.
And Shin-chan reappeared at the entrance to the living room.
Her face glowed with pride like she'd just saved the world.
Her silver hair swayed gently with each step.
But what really stunned everyone
Was the adult-sized hand she was dragging behind her.
Large. Strong. Undeniably male.
She tugged him in like she was showing off a rare treasure, and with the biggest, brightest smile on her face, she declared:
"Kanna! Yor! I found us a dad!"
The man she pulled in was tall, well-built, and ridiculously good-looking.
Rei Ao.
Dressed in a sharp, dark outfit that fit him like a glove, he gave off the relaxed vibe of someone who didn't need to try hard to stand outhe just did.
He seemed to draw in the room's light, not in a blinding way, but like gravity.
His multicolored eyes were calm, deep. The faintest trace of a smile played at his lipsimpossible to read.
His gaze swept across the room.
The wreckage. The frozen women.
Kanna's wide, curious stare.
Anya's gaping mouth.
Then finally back to the little girl clinging to his hand, eyes begging for approval.
He nodded.
Then his voicelow, warm, and impossibly smoothcut through the silence like a charm spell:
"Sorry to barge in, everyone."
Time stopped.
Kobayashi stayed frozen in her halfbent pose.
The tissue in her hand dropped to the floor.
Michiru's mouth openedbut nothing came out.
Yor swayed ever so slightly, her "perfect lady" mask cracking under the weight of pure shock.
Kanna's ahoge perked up like an antenna.
She tilted her head, clearly impressed with Shin's choice.
Anya clapped a hand over her mouth, emerald eyes sparkling.
It's the guy the one I can't hear thoughts from!
Just like Kanna and Shin.
He's not normal either!
Rei Ao's presence felt like throwing a kettle of boiling water into a volcano.
Without missing a beat, Shin pulled him to the couchthe only piece of furniture not completely destroyedand sat him down like she was leading royalty to his throne.
The plush cushions dipped under his weight.
He sat naturally, like he belonged there.
Like everything around him was his.
And thenwhoosh.
Three little girls swarmed him like birds to a nest.
Kanna was the fastest, and boldest.
Maybe it was her dragon instincts sensing his strength.
Or maybe something in Kobayashi's subconscious gave her a signal.
Either way, she climbed right onto Rei Ao's lap without hesitation, like a cat curling up on a heater.
Her big purple eyes stared up at his face.
Her ahoge swayed with content.
Shin, the proud orchestrator of this chaos, clung tightly to Rei Ao's right arm with zero shame or hesitation.
She leaned against him, silver hair brushing his shoulder, her expression pure satisfaction.
Anya hesitated.
She looked at Yorwho still looked like her soul had left her body.
Then, carefully, step by step, she approached Rei Ao's other side.
She reached out shyly and took his left arm into her little hands.
The moment she touched him
Warmth. Safety. Stability.
All flowing through that deceptively ordinary fabric.
Her green eyes lit up. A soft blush crept onto her cheeks.
"If only he really were Papa"
And just like that
A picture-perfect scene came to life on the couch.
Rei Ao, calm and centered.
A blue-haired dragon girl on his lap.
A mind-reading pink-haired spy on his left arm.
A silver-haired holy sword girl on his right.
All three of them clinging to him like he was the strongest mountain in the world.
Kobayashi watched it all unfold, her temples throbbing harder by the second.
She rubbed her forehead, trying to piece together what the hell just happened.
"Um Rei Ao-kun I'mreally sorry about this. It's a huge misunderstanding. What happened was"
She started rambling. Explaining.
Trying to piece together how the three little chaos gremlins in her house had suddenly decided they needed a dadlike, right now.
By the time she finished, even she couldn't believe how ridiculous it sounded.
Her voice got smaller and smaller, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Chapter 857: Prank or not, it's gonna happen sooner than later...
"So yeah, this was just the kids messing around. I'm really sorry they caused you trouble!"
Kobayashi bowed so deeply she might as well have tried to dig her way underground. She was terrified Rei Ao would get the wrong idea.
Next to her, Michiru nodded awkwardly, clearly embarrassed, fiddling with the hem of her shirt.
Yor did her best to look composed, but the red creeping up her ears and her tight lips gave her away.
What really had her on edge was the man who had just shown up out of nowhere. There was something different about him.
Her instincts as a professional assassin were screaming.
This guy is no ordinary person.
Rei Ao listened calmly, that faint, unreadable smile never leaving his face.
He casually reached up and tousled Shin's soft silver hair, nestled against his arm. The gesture was effortlessly naturalalmost affectionate.
"I see," he said evenly, like someone commenting on the weather.
"She sent out an emergency call, said she needed me, so I came."
His eyes swept over Kobayashi, Michiru, and Yor, full of quiet understandinglike he already had the whole picture.
"So this was just a little prank from them, huh?"
"It's not a prank!"
Shin shot up, chin high, face determined like she was issuing a royal decree.
Her voice rang through the living room, crystal clear and firmlike a holy sword cutting through doubt.
"I don't care what anyone saysI want Rei Ao Papa. No one else!"
She clung even tighter to his arm, like she was staking her claim.
"Same here!"
Kanna followed her lead without hesitation.
Sitting on Rei Ao's lap, she tilted her face up, her usual calm voice somehow even more serious as she looked straight at Michiru.
"Kanna wants Rei Ao Papa too."
No matter what the adults thought, these two had made up their minds. Rei Ao was their dad now.
"Uhh"
Suddenly, every pair of eyes turned to Anyaespecially Yor's, filled with anxiety, dread, and the silent plea "please don't."
Yor was beyond nervous. If Anya joined in, she might just die of shame.
Anya could feel it. Her tiny shoulders stiffened.
She looked leftShin's face radiated unwavering resolve.
Looked rightKanna's expression was calm, but her eyes clearly said "your turn."
Then she turned to her mom.
Yor was holding her breath. Her eyes locked onto Anya's, silently begging her to stay quiet.
Yor could handle assassination missions. She could fake the perfect calm and elegant mother.
But right now, she felt like her entire sense of control was hanging by a thread.
If Anya said one wordjust oneYor might never recover.
But Anya only hesitated for a second.
She remembered Shin and Kanna trusting her with their secrets.
She remembered how it felt when the three of them shouted out their wish together.
She remembered the warm, comforting feeling she got from being near Rei Ao.
And deep down, more than anything she wanted a real family. A real dad.
That hope inside her outweighed everything else.
Under Yor's wide, panicked stare, Anya took a deep breathlike she was gathering all the courage in her little bodyand shouted loud and clear:
"Anya Anya wants Rei Ao Papa too!!"
BOOM.
It was like a thunderclap exploded right above Yor's head.
Her graceful posture froze instantly.
She sat there, completely stiff, as if someone had hit her with a petrification spell.
Her face turned bright red in a flashfrom her ears all the way down her neck.
From a distance, she looked like a fully ripe tomato.
Embarrassment flooded her entire body.
Her usually cool or sharp eyes were wide open now, reflecting both Rei Ao's calm face and Anya's hopeful one.
She couldn't hide the sheer humiliation and overwhelming panic.
Her brain went blank.
Even her assassin instincts glitched out.
"Pffcough, cough!!"
Michiru choked on her own spit.
Her face was as red as Yor'spartly from coughing, partly from secondhand shame.
At this point, the three of them were suffering sisters.
She glanced at the frozen Yor, then at Rei Ao, now completely surrounded by three determined kids, and thought:
What the hell is even going on anymore?
Kobayashi gave up fighting it.
She covered her face with both hands and let out a long, soul-crushed groan.
"AAAHHH!! What even IS this?!"
This had officially become the worst weekend ever.
More exhausting than a month of overtime.
What kind of holy sword did I even bring home?!
This one's special ability must be: mental breakdown for adults.
Sunlight poured through the window, coating the ridiculous scenethree kids claiming a dad, three moms dying of embarrassmentin a warm golden glow.
It made the whole thing look even more absurd.
But strangely enough the room felt lively and bright.
Rei Ao didn't stop any of it.
He just kept smiling, watching the three "moms" squirm.
And honestly? He looked like he was having a great time.
Later, near sunset.
Somehow, Kobayashi and the others had survived the painfully awkward afternoon.
They managed to wave off the "dad claiming" as just childish imagination.
