After a long silence, she stood, intending to leave immediately.
But then she noticed her skirt was damp, along with the chair beneath her.
Seeing Mai's peculiar gaze, Mrs. Sakurajima wanted to vanish.
The words of farewell she had planned to say were swallowed by her shame.
Rei Ao broke the awkward silence, pointing toward the bathroom.
"Mrs. Sakurajima, you can take a shower first.
"As for what just happened, it's connected to Tohru's cooking. I apologize on her behalf.
"If you'd like, I can explain everything to you later."
"Alright."
This time, Mrs. Sakurajima couldn't muster her usual stern attitude.
Her disgrace had been laid bare before them.
She walked toward the bathroom, her movements stiff and awkward.
Mai turned to glare at Tohru.
"I told you not to use your tail meat for cooking!"
Tohru raised her chin defiantly, crossing her arms. "I only listen to Rei Ao, hmph."
""
Mai was at a loss for words.
If not for how obedient Tohru was around Rei Ao, she might've forgotten that this was a mighty dragon standing before her.
"Tohru, since this is your doing, clean up the mess," Rei Ao instructed, pointing to the disheveled chair and floor.
"Got it!"
Tohru immediately cast a spell, cleaning up the stains in an instant.
Mai approached Rei Ao, staring into his eyes.
"What exactly did you see just now?"
"Everything you saw, I saw too. I'm not blind," Rei Ao replied with a shrug.
Mai frowned but couldn't argue.
However, she couldn't shake the unsettling feeling in her heart.
The thought of her mother being seen in such a state was mortifying.
"Ugh"
Sighing heavily, Mai slumped onto the sofa, resigning herself to the situation.
But seeing the faintly amused look on Rei Ao's face, she couldn't hold back her irritation.
"Hey, you're not seriously thinking anything weird, are you?"
She was genuinely worried about his tendency to accept anyone attractive.
If things escalated, how could she and her mother coexist?
The very idea gave her goosebumps.
"I just have one question," Rei Ao said, tilting his head curiously.
"Are you sure you're really her daughter?"
Mai frowned.
"Why would you ask that?"
"Well, you know I've met a lot of women. Your mom doesn't look like someone who's had a kid."
Rei Ao pointed to his eyes, hinting at his ability to discern such things.
""
Mai felt like her brain had short-circuited.
What the hell are we doing here?
Critiquing whether her mom looked youthful or not?
"Stop saying weird things! And no funny ideas!"
She shot him a warning glare before puffing her cheeks and plopping onto the sofa.
Meanwhile, Rei Ao rubbed his chin thoughtfully, casting a glance toward the bathroom.
Inside the bathroom, Mrs. Sakurajima stood under the cool stream of water, finally calming her overheated body.
Staring at her hands, she found herself feeling foreign to her own body.
"How could I do something like that?"
She thought of the humiliating scene Rei Ao and Mai had witnessed, and shame overtook her.
"Ah"
She let out a long, weary sigh.
She felt she no longer had the right to separate them.
And besides they'd already gone that far.
Even if Mai were to become a star, this relationship could easily drag her down.
As a manager, she'd seen countless female stars whose careers were ruined by similar scandals, many of whom barely escaped with their lives.
Though she wanted her daughter to succeed as a star, she wasn't willing to risk her life over it.
Her thoughts wandered as she glanced at her fingers, her face flushing red.
Why was I fantasizing about Rei Ao earlier?
She cursed herself. How shameless!
~~~
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Chapter 128: The Sword-turned-Girl, and Mai's resoluteness
Moments later, Mrs. Sakurajima emerged from the bathroom, now dressed in some of Mai's clothes.
""
The outfit was slightly small for her, making her feel as though something was always either too tight or too revealing. Still, she had no choice but to brace herself and walk out in front of the three people waiting.
Before she could speak, Tohru apologized.
"Sorry, your strange behavior earlier was my fault."
"Huh?"
Mrs. Sakurajima's face filled with confusion.
"Strange behavior" She immediately thought back to her earlier self-soothing episode.
"What do you mean it's because of you? Shouldn't it be because of that 'scene' I overheard?"
Rei Ao clarified. "Actually, Tohru added something akin to an aphrodisiac to the food, and it just so happened that you ate some."
"!!!"
Mrs. Sakurajima recalled eating a piece of meat earlier.
"Aphrodisiac? Why would she add something like that to the food?"
Her expression twisted with disbelief as she stared at Tohru in her maid outfit. But soon, her sharp gaze turned to Rei Ao.
As the head of the household, she suspected he might have ordered such a thing. If true, she'd have to reassess whether this man was even remotely trustworthy.
"Of course, it was to get Rei Ao to finally pounce on me for some intimate activities, hehe."
Tohru let out a laugh that could only be described as lecherous.
"???"
Mrs. Sakurajima's eye twitched uncontrollably.
What kind of ridiculous statement was that?
Rei Ao sighed, shrugging. "As you can see, my maid has a peculiar fixation on me."
"So, a pervert," Mrs. Sakurajima concluded, her headache worsening.
"Fine. I won't pursue the matter further. But please forget everything you just saw earlier."
Knowing her behavior was due to the aphrodisiac rather than her own lack of self-control gave her some relief.
Still, there was no denying the embarrassing truthshe had fantasized about Rei Ao and utterly exposed her shameful side.
She could only hope Rei Ao would have the decency to forget it.
Her gaze lingered on Rei Ao with a mix of frustration and embarrassment as she spoke.
"I didn't think the two of you had taken things this far."
Her eyes landed on Mai, whose head was bowed in embarrassment, her face bright red.
"I mean, Mai, the same girl who used to fight me tooth and nail over doing swimsuit photo shoots and now, she's doing that right in front of me?"
"Uh"
Mai muttered incoherently, her face buried in her hands.
Rei Ao, however, calmly addressed Mrs. Sakurajima.
"So, given how far things have progressed, surely you're not still thinking about making Mai a star, are you?"
He leaned back slightly, his tone light yet pointed.
"Imagine what would happen if the tabloids got wind of our relationship. Things could spiral out of control in no time."
His words weren't so much a warning as they were a nudge. In truth, there were no paparazzi he couldn't handleanyone snooping around his private life would simply disappear.
""
Mrs. Sakurajima remained silent for a long moment, deep in thought.
Finally, she spoke. "Before I respond, I have a question for you."
"Go ahead."
As her prospective son-in-law, Rei Ao was willing to humor her.
"Have you ever lied to me, from the beginning until now?"
"No."
Rei Ao's response was immediate, his tone casual but firm.
"First: I don't need money and can give Mai anything she wants.
"Second: Mai isn't leaving meever."
He pulled Mai closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. The possessiveness in his voice left Mrs. Sakurajima momentarily speechless.
She had never encountered a young manor rather, a manquite like him before.
"You"
She began to speak but was interrupted by an unexpected disturbance.
Rei Ao suddenly stood, his eyes darting toward the balcony. Tohru's gaze followed.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A scream echoed from outside.
Or rather, it was a person being carried by a flying sword.
Rei Ao walked to the balcony and opened the glass door just as the figure and sword burst inside.
"Ahhhhhh!"
Rei Ao reached out and caught the terrified Kobayashi in his arms.
The sword, meanwhile, stopped midair and immediately pointed its tip at Tohru.
"Dragon!!!"
The blade radiated a deadly aura, its edges gleaming menacingly.
"God Sword?"
Tohru's pupils contracted into slits as she locked eyes with the weapon, the air between them thick with animosity.
The atmosphere grew heavy, suffocating even, leaving Mrs. Sakurajima feeling an inexplicable sense of dread.
"Stop!"
Rei Ao's commanding voice broke the tension, his aura suppressing both parties.
The God Sword quivered midair before speaking in a voice tinged with childish determination.
"Daddy, she's a dragon! I can help you kill her!"
"???"
Rei Ao froze, his mind blank.
"Daddy?"
Mai and Mrs. Sakurajima were equally dumbfounded.
"Mommy, hurry and use my power! Together, we can defeat the evil dragon!"
The sword flew back toward Kobayashi, who was still clinging to Rei Ao in fear.
Three sharp gazes immediately turned to her, making Kobayashi break out into a cold sweat.
"I I can explain"
Kobayashi stammered, her forehead drenched as she felt the weight of three women's hostile glares.
Moments later, the room had five people.
Kobayashi sat awkwardly beside Rei Ao, and between them was the sword-turned-girl, who clung tightly to both of their arms.
Mai looked increasingly uncomfortable, her irritation evident in the way she tapped her fingers against the armrest.
Tohru was even less subtle, her tail swinging in visible frustration.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Sakurajima's emotions were in complete turmoil.
She had just witnessed Kobayashi being flown in by a sworda talking sword that somehow transformed into a person!
"What kind of absurd situation is this?" she thought to herself, half-wondering if the "aphrodisiac" she had accidentally consumed earlier also included hallucinogens.
Unable to hold back any longer, Tohru voiced her frustration.
"Rei Ao, I remember you taking that God Sword away back then. What's with this one?"
Tohru distinctly remembered the sword but not any of this strange behavior.
Rei Ao, however, had already been observing the girl and seemed amused by his findings.
"She looks identical to the original God Sword, but she's not the same one," Rei Ao explained. "The sword I took from you was absorbed by me."
Mai's confusion only deepened. "Then how did she come to be? And why is she calling you dad?"
Her possessiveness flared. She didn't even have children with Rei Ao yet, so how could someone else's "child" suddenly appear and call him father?
Rei Ao shook his head calmly. "I'm not her father."
"She's the result of a fragment of divine faith that dissipated when I absorbed the original God Sword," he explained further.
"Exactly!" The sword-girl puffed out her chest with pride. "That energy combined with Mommy's consciousness and created me!"
Clinging tightly to Rei Ao's arm, she cast a smug glance at Tohru. "So technically, you and Mommy are my parents!"
Kobayashi scratched her head awkwardly. "To be honest, I didn't know anything about this. She just dragged me here, saying we needed to find um, her dad."
Kobayashi's expression was apologetic, the situation clearly as surreal to her as to everyone else.
"Ah, so she's just some little mutt," Tohru said disdainfully, flexing her claws. "Rei Ao, let me take her out for you."
"Daddy! Look at her! She's a dragon! She wants to hurt me!"
The sword-girl clung to Rei Ao's arm even tighter, glaring at Tohru with pure hostility.
The tension between them quickly escalated.
Rei Ao sighed and rapped both of them on the head with the same swift motion.
"Ah!"
"Hey, that hurt!"
"I've pieced together what happened," Rei Ao said calmly, addressing Tohru first. "She isn't the original God Sword, so there's no need to treat her as an enemy."
He glanced at Kobayashi. "Besides, her existence is tied to Kobayashi's consciousness. Hurting her would harm Kobayashi as well."
"Uh what do you mean by harm?" Kobayashi raised her hand hesitantly.
Rei Ao's tone was casual but firm. "You'd probably end up brain-dead."
"???"
Kobayashi's face turned pale. She definitely didn't want to become brain-dead.
"Hmph, fine. You got lucky this time," Tohru grumbled, though she still looked at the sword-girl with distaste.
Rei Ao then turned his attention to the girl.
"And youlet me make this clear. I am not your father."
""
The girl's body trembled, and tears began welling up in her large, shimmering eyes.
"Daddy are you saying you don't want me?"
Her voice cracked as tears rolled down her cheeks, making her look heartbreakingly pitiful.
For a moment, the room was silent.
"Rei Ao"
Mai tugged on Rei Ao's sleeve, her tone pleading.
After learning that the girl wasn't actually his daughter, Mai no longer felt the irritation she initially had toward her. Now, seeing the girl on the verge of tears, Mai couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
"I didn't say I don't want you," Rei Ao reassured, gently pinching the girl's nose. "But you can't call me Dad. Call me 'Oniichan' instead."
"Eh?!"
The girl's mood did a complete 180. Upon hearing Rei Ao acknowledge her, her joy seemed to blossom like flowers.
"Oniichan!" she shouted gleefully.
Kobayashi's face twitched. "Then call me Oneechan too."
She didn't want to be stuck in the awkward role of a single mother.
Unfortunately, the girl tilted her head, then resolutely called her, "Mommy."
"???"
Kobayashi was dumbfounded. "Why are you calling him 'Oniichan' and me 'Mommy'? Do I look that old to you?"
Rei Ao rubbed his chin and studied her closely. "You're probably around 25 or 26, right?"
""
Kobayashi froze in place.
He was rightshe wasn't exactly young anymore.
Her mind flooded with black-and-white images of desolation. The realization hit her hard.
Suddenly, she swayed and collapsed sideways.
"Mommy!"
The sword-girl panicked, while Mai frowned. "What happened? Why did she suddenly faint?"
Rei Ao caught Kobayashi's limp body and, after a quick check, calmly said, "She didn't faint; she just fell asleep from sheer exhaustion."
The harsh reality of being a corporate worker, he thought wryly.
After moving Kobayashi to a bedroom so she could rest, Rei Ao turned his attention to Mrs. Sakurajima, who had been silently observing the entire exchange.
"I guess I'm not dreaming, am I?" Mrs. Sakurajima finally broke her silence, her voice tinged with disbelief.
