Tohru: "Oh, it's like my situation when I first came over. Maybe Mabel's in this world too."
Sui: "Huh? How is that possible?"
Rei Ao: "Not sure. Let me check it out."
Rei Ao leaned down and gently kissed the forehead of a half-asleep Yumiko.
"Yumiko, rest for a bit. I'll be back soon."
Exhausted, Yumiko had wanted to hold onto him for a moment longer, but her entire body felt like it was falling apart.
Instead, she replied with a soft, blissful smile.
"Mm."
"Waaah"
On the side of the road, Mabel whimpered.
The occasional cars passing by terrified her.
She had never seen such steel "creatures" before.
The towering buildings around her made her feel even smaller and more insignificant.
As someone who was a complete shut-in, the sights overwhelmed her mind.
"This world really isn't yours."
A voice suddenly came from behind her, startling Mabel.
She turned around cautiously.
Standing before her was a man who didn't look frightening at allin fact, he was quite pleasing to the eye.
"Mabel, is that you?"
The man called her by name.
Mabel immediately gripped the God-Freezing Sword tightly, her guard up.
"Wh-who are you?"
At that moment, her demeanor was surprisingly striking.
Her eyes sparkled like frost, and her aura radiated a serene, icy elegance.
Even Rei Ao couldn't help but take another glance at her.
But he knew this was only a facade.
"I'm Rei Ao, the one who just traded with you."
"!!!"
Hearing his name, Mabel reacted dramatically.
Clang!
The God-Freezing Sword, considered her most treasured possession, was unceremoniously tossed aside.
She dashed toward him like a gust of wind, clutching his clothes as tears streamed down her face.
"Waaah! I'm starving! Please save me!"
Her icy demeanor shattered instantly, revealing a dramatic, almost clownish desperation.
What was a contrast?
This was a contrast.
Except, her disheveled state completely overshadowed any charm her demeanor once held.
Even Rei Ao momentarily saw a vision of a certain blue-haired goddess of wisdom in her desperation.
"..."
Even Rei Ao, usually unflappable, was left speechless by the sheer absurdity.
With a deep breath, he said, "I know."
"Come on, let's get you some food."
~~~
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Chapter 118: Mabel and Yumiko's Embarrassment
In no time, they were at an all-night breakfast diner.
"Nom nom nom nom!"
Mabel displayed no trace of elegance, devouring her food like a starved animal.
Tears welled in her eyes as she ate.
"Nom nom, you're such a good person! So delicious!"
Rei Ao chuckled wryly. "Maybe finish eating before you start talking."
She promptly buried her face into the food, devouring with gusto.
Half an hour later.
"Ughhh!"
Mabel let out a loud burp, completely unbothered by any semblance of decorum.
"I'm so full..."
Patting her now bulging stomach, she looked ready to lie down.
[Ding! Trade Complete!]
[Ding! You have received the God-Freezing Sword!]
Rei Ao twitched at the corners of his mouth.
"Don't lie down here."
Grabbing her shoulder, he used his spatial transfer magic, bringing her back to the hotel room where Yumiko was staying.
Yumiko was already sound asleep, wrapped snugly in the covers.
Mabel was tossed onto the sofa, and she immediately tried to curl up to sleep.
Rei Ao, feeling exasperated, gently pinched her cheek.
"Who said you could sleep right after eating?"
"But I always do that!" Mabel blinked innocently.
"You're not in your Ice Clan's village anymore. You're not even in your own world. If you keep this up, you'll probably starve or worse."
"???"
The words made Mabel tear up almost instantly. But she held back under Rei Ao's sharp gaze.
"I have a few questions for you."
"Mm-hmm! Ask away!"
Mabel nodded obediently, adding hopefully, "If I answer well, will you help me?"
"That depends on your answers."
"Humph, I'm from the Ice Clan!"
Puffing out her chest confidently, she declared, "I know a lot!"
Rei Ao was skeptical.
This girl didn't seem reliable in the slightest.
"Do you know how you ended up in this world?"
This was the question he was most eager to have answered.
How had someone from Sui's world ended up here?
"Uhh"
Mabel's face froze.
She seemed to recall something sad and became visibly dejected.
"I was betrayed and had to leave the village."
"Betrayed?" Rei Ao raised an eyebrow.
Wasn't it more accurate to say she'd been banished?
"I wandered through a scary forest, and then the next thing I knew, I was in this strange place."
"..."
Rei Ao sighed.
"So you don't actually know anything."
"This is the truth!" Mabel puffed out her cheeks indignantly.
"I'm from the Ice Clan! How could I not know anything?"
"Hah."
Rei Ao sighed again.
She really didn't have any useful information.
Two possibilities came to his mind:
1. Mabel was brought to this world by some mysterious power.
2. Her world might be on the verge of connecting to this one, similar to what happened with Tohru's Dragon World.
He leaned toward the second possibility.
But that was something Heaven and Hell would need to investigate further.
"Zzz..."
As Rei Ao was pondering, Mabel had already dozed off on the sofa.
Quiet and still, her face finally matched her delicate appearance.
In the chat group:
Sui: "@Rei Ao, how's the situation? Is she safe?"
Rei Ao: "I've met her, she's fine."
Rei Ao: "She's here in my world now. [Image]"
Sui: "She really is?! How did she even manage that?"
Rei Ao: "No idea. She doesn't know either."
Saeko Busujima: "That's quite the mystery."
Mai Sakurajima: "Her vibe looks pretty decent. Is she really as useless as you said?"
Rei Ao: "Pretty close to it."
Frieren: "The world is full of surprises. That her tribe still exists, given their ways, is practically a miracle."
Stella: "Honestly, it seems like they're about to go extinct."
Frieren: "I don't think so."
Stella: "Why not? You think anyone would want someone that clueless?"
Frieren: "Well, she's pretty enough. I doubt Rei Ao would mind."
Rei Ao: "Frieren, you know me too well."
Stella: "???"
Stella: "You're seriously targeting someone that clueless?!"
Rei Ao: "Why not? As long as she's not Sun Wukong, I'd even consider Aqua."
Stella: "..."
Stella: "What even is this conversation?!"
Stella didn't understand a word about "Sun Wukong" or "Aqua."
All she knew was that clueless Mabel was walking straight into the lion's den.
Sui: "Hey, Rei Ao, you should really limit your interactions with idiots if you can."
She didn't want her precious Elf King to be contaminated by Mabel's "idiotic factor."
Rei Ao: "Don't worry, Sui. I'm not so easily influenced."
After closing the chat group, Rei Ao climbed back into bed, wrapping his arms around Yumiko's soft waist.
She lazily turned over, curling up in his arms like a soft, docile kitten.
But kittens can be startled.
Like right now, at noon.
"Ahhhh! Who is she?!"
Yumiko, wrapped in a barely-there blanket, stared in shock at Mabel.
Mabel, equally confused and flustered, froze in place.
"What were you doing?!"
Yumiko had just woken up, instinctively leaning toward Rei Ao for a morning kiss.
But as soon as their eyes met, Mabel's startled gaze bore into hers.
The sheer embarrassment made Yumiko want to disappear into the ground.
Mabel, for her part, was just as mortified.
She had seen indecent things!
"Ah!"
Just as she was about to scream, Rei Ao silenced her with a sharp glare.
"Instead of me explaining, why don't you check the chat group?"
At Rei Ao's suggestion, Yumiko opened the chat group and quickly caught up on what had happened.
Even so, her embarrassment didn't lessen.
The image of her clinging to Rei Ao with disheveled hair and flushed cheeks was something Mabel had seen in full detail.
"Yumiko, take a moment to relax. I need to check us out of the hotel."
"Alright I-I got it!"
Yumiko fled to the bathroom like a startled rabbit.
If it weren't for Rei Ao's blessing, she wouldn't have had the energy to even move after everything from the night before.
[Name]: Yumiko Miura
[Level]: 1
[Abilities]: "Dragon Force", "Light Spirit", "Rei Ao's Blessing", "Inherent Device: Light Night Princess"
"Light Night Princess": A graceful gown that can alter light and dark environments, exuding a princess's elegance.
Thanks to this newfound strength, Yumiko was spared from complete exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Mabel sat slumped on the sofa, mumbling to herself.
"Ice Clan unclean unclean"
"You"
Rei Ao barely got the word out before Mabel flinched like a frightened rabbit.
Hugging her shoulders, she shrieked, "Don't do this and that to me! I have no experience yet!"
"..."
Rei Ao's mouth twitched.
If someone truly had bad intentions, shouting that would only excite them more.
Luckily for her, he was in a rare moment of restraint.
With an annoyed flick, he tapped her forehead.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
She squirmed on the sofa like a distressed worm, clutching her head.
Rei Ao sighed, realizing she truly was fragile.
"Calm down. Keep acting up, and you won't even get breakfast today."
"!!!"
Hearing the threat, Mabel immediately straightened up, sitting like a perfect lady.
Rei Ao smirked at her sudden change of attitude.
Rei Ao turned serious.
"Do you remember where you first appeared in this world?"
Mabel shook her head.
Rei Ao wasn't surprisedher unfamiliarity with the area made it unlikely.
"But if I take you to where I found you yesterday, could you retrace your steps?"
"..."
Mabel thought for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
She understood she had no choice in the matter.
"Alright. We'll head there soon."
Half an hour later.
Freshly showered and rid of the lingering evidence of last night, Yumiko stepped out of the bathroom, neatly dressed.
When her eyes met Rei Ao's, she instinctively looked away, her face heating up.
"What's with the shyness, Yumiko? I'm your boyfriend. Come here for a hug."
Rei Ao grinned mischievously.
"I never said you were my boyfriend!"
Crossing her arms defiantly, she retorted, "Everything that happened was an accident! I"
"Sigh, being a tsundere is so outdated."
Rei Ao stepped closer, leaving barely any space between them.
"W-what are you doing?"
Feeling his breath so close, Yumiko's heart raced.
"What do you think? It's time to train that tsundere mouth of yours."
With that, he leaned in and kissed her.
"Mm!"
Yumiko's initial shock and resistance lasted barely a second before she wrapped her arms around his neck.
Eyes closed, she kissed him back passionately, savoring the warmth and happiness she had longed for.
Meanwhile, Mabel was anything but happy.
Peeking through her fingers, she tried to shield her eyes but left wide gaps between them.
She couldn't look.
But also she couldn't not look.
Pure curiosity left her stuck in this internal conflict.
~~~
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Chapter 119: Yukino took in Mabel...
After a while
Rei Ao finally "tamed" Yumiko's stubborn, prideful demeanor.
She leaned softly against his broad, muscular shoulder, her gaze carrying a hint of grievance.
"Rei Ao, this isn't fairyou're way too skilled!"
She didn't know anything!
This was absolutely unfair!
The proud Yumiko couldn't admit defeat so easily.
"Hehe, of course, I had to bring out my best techniques to win Yumiko's heart."
Rei Ao smiled as he gently lifted her chin.
"So, did I capture your heart?"
"Hmph, of course not!"
Yumiko snorted softly.
Trying to win her over with skill? Finehe might have succeeded.
But!
"It's actually me who captured your heart first!"
She lifted her chin proudly, refusing to back down.
"Ever since the day I confessed, you've been infatuated with me. So, I'm the winner here!"
""
Rei Ao couldn't deny it.
That confession was indeed the moment he first felt his heart stir for her, the moment he decided he had to have her.
"Alright, you win." Rei Ao chose to play along.
"Mm-hmm!"
Hearing him admit it, Yumiko broke into a sweet smile, almost like a little girl basking in her victory.
But she still playfully added, "Still, Rei Ao, you've already made my body remember you, becoming"
Her voice trailed off.
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow. "Becoming what?"
Blushing, she muttered, "Your shape."
"But!"
Yumiko quickly added a "but" to maintain her pride.
"If you want my full approval, you'll need to work harder!"
"Otherwise I'll bite you to death!"
Blushing furiously, Yumiko bared her teeth like a little kitten pretending to be fierce, her bright eyes sending a clear message.
She was serious.
"Hehe."
Rei Ao wasn't fazed in the slightest.
Instead, he smirked and said, "Next time, I'll work even harder. Maybe I'll make you repeat it 200 times."
"Oh, by the way, last night you said it 52 times."
"!!!"
Yumiko's face turned crimson in an instant.
Just as she opened her mouth to protest
"Grrrr~!"
A loud rumble came from behind them.
It was Mabel's stomach.
She clutched her belly, giving them a sheepish smile. "Haha I'm hungry."
If she was hungry, she had to eat.
Rei Ao took her to a nearby restaurant.
Mabel devoured her food with the ferocity of someone who hadn't eaten in days, her mouth never stopping.
As she ate, she kept exclaiming between bites, "So good! So good!"
In no time, she had finished an entire table of food, leaving Yumiko utterly stunned.
Afterward, Rei Ao first sent Yumiko home.
After being out all night, her family had understandably bombarded her with calls and messages. It was time for her to return.
Rei Ao and Mabel then returned to the place where he had first found her.
Looking around, Mabel scanned the area and managed to recall her path.
"Over here."
Following her lead, they arrived at a narrow alleyway.
"This is it!" Mabel said excitedly.
"This is where I appeared."
Rei Ao rubbed his chin as he observed the area, but there was nothing visibly out of the ordinary.
