With her phone in hand and ready to dial emergency services, she stepped out of the car.
She had even swapped her heels for running shoes, just in case she had to make a quick escape.
At Yukino's door, she hesitated briefly before pressing the doorbell.
Ding-dong!
Surprisingly, the door opened almost immediately.
Haruno tensed, prepared to either fight or flee.
But what greeted her was far from what she had imagined.
Standing in the doorway was a stunning girl with icy blue, translucent hair, exuding an almost otherworldly purity.
Mabel: "Yukino? I thought you weren't coming back until later. Why are you here early?"
The girl tilted her head in confusion, her gaze flicking to Haruno.
"Wait did you cut your hair?"
She eyed Haruno's shorter hairstyle and slightly different aura.
Haruno, who had relaxed upon seeing the girl, now felt a new wave of curiosity.
Who was this beautiful girl who clearly knew Yukino?
Could it be Yukino had a secret girlfriend?
The thought made her heart skip a beat.
While Haruno wasn't thrilled at the idea of Yukino marrying anyone, the idea of her sister being gay was something she hadn't prepared for.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she smiled and clarified.
"I'm not Yukino. I'm her sister, Haruno Yukinoshita."
Mabel: "Eh?"
The girl rubbed her eyes as if to double-check.
Now that she looked closer, there were subtle differences in their demeanors.
What truly convinced Mabel, however, was the stark contrast in their figuresparticularly the um, notable difference in chest size.
Mabel: "Huh. You're definitely not Yukino."
Mabel quickly regained her composure.
"Who are you? Yukino didn't mention having anyone else in her family visiting."
Haruno's sharp gaze zeroed in on her.
"And you? Who exactly are you? Yukino's never said anything about having someone else living here."
Flustered, Mabel stammered out the pre-prepared excuse Yukino had given her for such situations.
Mabel: "Ah, I-I'm Mabel. I'm um, Yukino's roommate! We're, uh, renting this place together."
Despite Yukino's distaste for lying, she had devised this cover story to protect Mabel, who was essentially an undocumented visitor from another world.
Haruno: "Ohhh~?"
Haruno didn't delve too deeply into suspicions.
The 'shy' demeanor of the girl in front of her seemed convincing enough.
What Haruno missed, however, was that Mabel wasn't shyshe was merely struggling to recall her script.
"Even so, I'll still need to confirm this with Yukino," Haruno said with a smile, pulling out her phone to message her sister.
Sister: Hey, I rushed over to your place to grab the pendant, and there's someone here named Mabel claiming she's your roommate. Is she legit?
The reply came quickly.
Yukino: No problem. She moved in with me recently.
With that confirmation, Haruno let go of her lingering doubts.
Sister: Oh, our family isn't short on money, so why would you need a roommate?
This time, Yukino didn't reply.
Whether it was because she was busy in class or just didn't want to respond, Haruno wasn't sure.
But she didn't mindher frosty little sister's personality was something she was already used to.
"Um do you want to come in?" Mabel hesitantly asked.
Haruno had initially planned to leave, but considering the pretext she'd given about finding a pendant, she decided to go through with the charade.
After texting her driver to wait a bit longer, she stepped inside to "look for" the pendant.
Mabel silently observed her, following Yukino's instructions to speak as little as possible.
Elsewhere
Yukino, worried about what was happening at her apartment, sent a message in the group chat.
Yukino: "@Mabel, how's it going? Did anything slip up?"
Rei Ao: "Slip up?"
Yukino: "My sister suddenly showed up at my apartment looking for something. I'm worried Mabel might let something slip."
Rei Ao chuckled as he read the message.
Haruno would never randomly visit Yukino's apartment without reason. She'd likely seen Mabel on the thermal imaging cameras Haruno enjoyed sneaking around with.
Mabel: "No worries! I stuck to the script and didn't say anything extra. She's looking for something and will leave soon."
Yukino: "Phew, that's good."
Mai Sakurajima: "Even if she finds out, it's not a big deal. Can't Vignette's group erase memories if needed?"
Yui Yuigahama: "Huh? They can do that?!"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: ""
Utaha's mind immediately drifted to when Sonoko Machida had suggested erasing her memory to solve her inner turmoil.
After much thought, she still couldn't bring herself to accept the idea.
Megumi Kato: "Even if it's exposed, it's not a huge issue, right? After all, many of us only joined the chat after encountering the supernatural."
Megumi's insight was sharp. This chat was slowly evolving into a harem group managed by Rei Ao, and she suspected neither Yukino nor her sister Haruno would escape his grasp.
Sonoko Machida: "True. I only joined after encountering a monster and being saved by Rei Ao. Is that the case for everyone?"
Rei Ao: "Not quite. Only beautiful girls and stunning women get invited."
Yumiko Miura: "???"
Yumiko Miura: "What's wrong with you?"
Tohru: "Hmph, how is that wrong? Isn't he just complimenting us for being beautiful?"
Kobayashi: "But I'm not beautiful."
Rei Ao: "You're the low-budget Makima, so that's something."
Kobayashi: "Huh?! I don't get it."
Little Saint: "Hmph! Whether Mama is beautiful or not doesn't matter. Rei Ao-nii chose her, so Mama, you've got this!"
Kobayashi: "Got what exactly?!"
As the conversation drifted further off-topic, Yukino interrupted.
Yukino: "I just don't want my sister to find out."
Rei Ao suspected her reasoning wasn't purely about protecting Haruno from the dangers of the supernatural world.
Yukino's feelings were more complex.
She didn't want Haruno to knownot because of concern, but because she wanted something Haruno didn't have.
The chat group and knowledge of the supernatural gave Yukino a sense of superiority, however fleeting and shallow it might be.
In her family, Yukino had always felt isolated, a shadow cast by her sister's overwhelming presence.
Unlike Haruno, Yukino wasn't universally adored. Though outwardly praised as a well-behaved and responsible child, she knew it was often said with a touch of coldness.
These experiences had shaped her view of herselfas nothing more than Haruno's substitute.
A doll without autonomy.
But the chat group and the hidden world it revealed offered her something differenta chance to surpass Haruno in at least one aspect.
Even if it was selfish, hypocritical, or petty, Yukino clung to it.
Rei Ao, sensing her internal conflict, chose not to comment further.
Megumi Kato: "Speaking of sisters, Rei Ao, my sister has also encountered the supernatural. Should I ask if she wants to join?"
Rei Ao: "You should check with her first and see if she's open to deeper involvement."
Megumi Kato: "Got it. By the way, Eriri Sawamura seemed to be looking for you earlier, Rei Ao."
Rei Ao: "Understood. I'll go check on her."
During a break between classes, Rei Ao walked to the entrance of Class 2 and asked a passing student, "Could you help me call out Eriri Spencer Sawamura?"
"Oh, sure!"
The student quickly called for Eriri.
"!!!"
Seeing Rei Ao waiting at the door with a smile, Eriri blushed and rushed out.
Her hurried steps caught the attention of someone nearbyglasses gleaming as her gaze turned curious.
Rio Futaba noticed the figure of Rei Ao, someone she had briefly encountered at the science club earlier.
Rei Ao noticed her as well, but after giving her a polite nod, he turned his attention back to Eriri, who was pulling him aside.
"Sawamura-san, I heard from Kato that you wanted to see me."
"Yes, that's right."
Eriri nervously twisted her fingers together.
"Um, Rei Ao-kun, you can just call me Eriri."
"All right, Eriri. So, what's the matter? Is it convenient to talk now?"
"Yes it's um I was wondering if you could visit my house sometime? My mom wants to thank you for taking me home last time."
Blushing, Eriri added, "And I also wanted to personally thank you for saving my life."
"People express gratitude with home visits these days?" Rei Ao teased.
"Eh? No, it's not like that! It's just that my mom insisted on preparing a big meal as thanks."
She proudly explained, "It's a rare privilege! My mom only makes these meals on special occasions."
"Oh? Then I'll look forward to it."
Rei Ao smiled. "Actually, I'm free today."
"Today?"
Eriri's eyes lit up.
"I'll call my mom right away!"
She herself was looking forward to ithaving Rei Ao at her house felt exciting.
"By the way, I don't eat beef."
"Huh?"
"Just kidding."
Afternoon
Rei Ao: "@Tohru, @Mai Sakurajima, I might not be home tonight. Don't wait for mejust have dinner yourselves."
Tohru: "Aww, what a shame. I had a tail feast prepared."
Mai Sakurajima: "No tail feasts allowed!"
Stella: "What's going on? Are you out on a date with another woman?"
Frieren: "That's entirely possible, considering how many girlfriends Rei Ao has."
Megumi Kato: "It's probably related to Sawamura-san, who came looking for him earlier."
Rei Ao: "It is."
Rei Ao: "She and her mom invited me over to thank me for helping Eriri last time."
Mai Sakurajima: "All right, but come back early."
Tohru: "Hah! Mai, you're the one most eager for him to return, aren't you?"
Tohru: "Because of this! [Image]"
The image Tohru posted depicted a skintight black swimsuit.
Ayame Yomogawa: "Is that clothing? It's so revealingand strange."
Saeko Busujima: "That's a *sukumizu*a school swimsuit often worn by students. Of course, it can also serve as *intimate attire*."
Stella: ""
Frieren: "So, Mai bought herself a set of *sukumizu* lingerie?"
Tohru: "Hehe, she just bought it today."
Yukino Yukinoshita: ""
Yukino could already picture the noisy scene next door tonight.
Mai Sakurajima: ""
Blushing furiously, Mai kicked Tohru. "Why are you spouting nonsense?"
Tohru, however, remained smug. "Mai, you don't get it."
"Huh?"
"Only by doing this can you ensure Rei Ao comes home tonight. Otherwise, he might just spend the night at Eriri's house."
""
The possibility wasn't zero. After all, there was precedent with Megumi Kato.
Well, what could Mai do? Tohru had already spilled the beans.
It wasn't like she could change anything now.
Another day of social death in the group chatjust one more incident in a sea of similar embarrassments.
~~~
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Chapter 137: Rain Incident
In the world group chat, a question was raised.
Yui Yuigahama: "Um, who is Mai Sakurajima?"
Yumiko Miura: "You should probably ask Rei Ao about that yourself."
Rei Ao: "Mai is currently living with me. She's my first girlfriend in this world. I've already met her parents, and I've received her mother's blessing."
Yui Yuigahama: "Eh?!"
Yumiko Miura: "Huh? How is her progress so fast?!"
Megumi Kato: "Actually, Rei Ao has also met my sister, and he received her blessing as well."
Sonoko Machida: "Wow, young people are really something these days."
Sonoko Machida: "Um, Rei Ao, could you find some time to meet my family too?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "???"
Of all the people involved, Utaha couldn't hold back when Sonoko suddenly spoke up.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Are you sure it's a good idea to introduce someone like Rei Ao to your family at your age? Won't they call the police?"
Sonoko Machida: "Uh"
At her workplace, Sonoko suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
It was possible.
Her mother might really mistake Rei Ao for some kind of predator.
Yui Yuigahama felt dejected.
Why did it feel like all the "competition" in this world was so overwhelming?
She hadn't even established her relationship with Rei Ao after all these years.
And could this many people really work out?
Yukino Yukinoshita frowned deeply.
In her view, this kind of relationship was problematicchaotic and outrageous.
But she chose to suppress those thoughts.
She told herself repeatedly that they weren't normal people and that it wasn't her business.
Kobayashi: "Wow, young people's thoughts are really hard to understand."
Kobayashi sighed, while in her spiritual world, Shou was cheering loudly.
Little Saint: "Mom, you should win over Dadno, I mean Oniisan!"
Kobayashi rolled her eyes.
Sure, Rei Ao was perfect.
But she knew there was at least a six or seven-year age gap between them.
There was no way she could lower her pride enough to pursue him.
Still, she admired Sonoko Machida for her courage despite being even older than her.
Mabel: "What's the point of becoming his girlfriend and meeting his family?"
Sonoko Machida: "I don't know about others, but with Rei Ao, it probably means you'll never have to worry about food, and you'll have a very fulfilling life."
Mabel: "Never have to worry about food?!"
Her eyes sparkled, practically bulging out of their sockets.
Utaha noticed something odd.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Sonoko, you made a typo. It should be happiness."
Sonoko Machida: "Nope, I meant fulfillmentvery fulfilling~"
Utaha Kasumigaoka: ""
Yukino Yukinoshita: ""
Everyone immediately understood.
Utaha's eyelid twitched.
Utaha Kasumigaoka: "Sonoko, are you turning into a horse in heat? Is it really that intense?"
She was skeptical.
But her mind betrayed her as she recalled a night of unrelenting passionone that hadn't ended until the morning light.
Maybe it was true.
"Ugh, what am I even thinking?!"
Utaha bit her tongue, snapping herself out of her embarrassing train of thought.
The seemingly simple conversation stirred all sorts of emotions and thoughts among the group members.
Rei Ao did it on purpose.
He had no interest in being a sneaky "player."
He could easily tell that most of the group members, excluding Yukino, Kobayashi, Little Saint, and Mabel, had at least some level of affection for him.
He preferred to lay everything out in the open.
Even if he built a harem, it would be a transparent, aboveboard one.
No beating around the bush.
After closing the chat, Rei Ao waited for Eriri after school.
