In the cave, Tohru's eyes gleamed with curiosity. The humans she observed through the chat group were quite unlike the ones she knew in her own world.
And then, there was the man who had saved her...
"What are humans like in this world?" she wondered.
The people here were so weak; they couldn't even use magic. They built strange, towering, box-shaped structures and created things from metal that her world had never seen.
A blue magic circle appeared beneath her dragon form, lifting her into the air. As it passed through her, her body began to shrink.
The next moment, she transformed into... a human.
A striking woman with bare skin and enchanting curves, though her head still bore horns, and a massive green tail extended from her back.
"Hmm, I need clothing."
Recalling the clothes she'd seen in some of the chat group pictures, she selected something she liked. Another spell, and a black and white outfit appeared on her.
"Let's go see the human world."
With a swift motion, Tohru flew out of the cave in her human form, heading for the city.
For some, like Rei Ao and Yuriko, the time felt quick; for others, it seemed to drag on.
By evening, Rei Ao felt as though the time had flown by—he was more than satisfied, yet there was still much he could have enjoyed.
The time had primarily been spent with Yuriko Takagi. He'd given Saya quite the reprieve by taking on Yuriko instead.
But for Yukino, the wait felt endless. The thought of what Rei Ao was doing left her restless and uneasy.
Only when it was finally over did she feel a sense of relief.
As Rei Ao exited the room, he was met by Rei Miyamoto, Shizuka Marikawa, and little Alice, who was peeking out shyly from behind them. They were all well aware of what Rei Ao had been up to, though their reactions varied.
Rei looked somewhat disappointed she hadn't been able to join. Shizuka, ever the carefree one, had even left her shirt partially unbuttoned. And Alice, clearly embarrassed, sneaked glances at Rei Ao.
Yukino and Saeko Busujima arrived a moment later, with Yukino's knitted brow immediately catching Rei Ao's attention.
"You seem to have been waiting anxiously."
Yukino remained silent. It wasn't so much that she had been waiting impatiently—rather, the idea of what he had been doing left her feeling as if she'd been crawling with ants.
Without further comment, she asked directly, "Are we going back now?"
"If you're in a hurry, then yes, let's go back."
Rei Ao's stay had reached its limit.
"Saeko, Rei, I'm leaving Saya and Yuriko in your hands," he said.
Saeko, sensing his underlying meaning, smiled and nodded. "Understood."
In a flash, Rei Ao and Yukino vanished.
Saeko turned to Rei. "Rei, come with me."
"Oh, okay," Rei replied, following her into the room.
The familiar disarray and heavy scent were obvious, though this time, it was Saya and Yuriko lying there rather than themselves.
Yuriko was peacefully asleep, but Saya's breathing was clearly irregular.
Saeko grinned. "Saya, you're awake."
Busted, Saya reluctantly sat up, embarrassed.
In truth, she had woken up halfway through, and upon seeing her mother's state, along with the chat notifications, she had pretended to stay asleep to avoid the awkwardness of acknowledging it.
She didn't want to embarrass herself—or her mother.
But as she had "slept," she had watched everything.
It was all because of her. Her lack of strength had led her mother to take her place.
Saeko spoke meaningfully, "Saya, and you too, Yuriko. I think it's safe to say we're all family now, don't you?"
Rei looked over, surprised that Rei Ao had, indeed, brought them both fully into the fold.
Saya could only smile wryly. "I'm basically just his property now... that jerk."
[Abilities]: "Dragon Force," "Fire Spirit," "Rei Ao's Blessing," "Inherent Device: Transformation Cube"
[Name]: Yuriko Takagi
[Abilities]: "Dragon Force," "Thunder Spirit," "Rei Ao's Blessing," "Inherent Device: Pure Soul Lance"
This was the blessing both she and her mother had received.
Saya had watched how Yuriko had been fully "conquered" by Rei Ao. She never imagined he'd openly discuss her with Yuriko—and even less that her mother would agree!
Saya realized her mother had, in essence, "sold" her for Rei Ao's considerable... skill.
Returning to her apartment, Yukino Yukinoshita immediately saw her sister Haruno asleep on the couch.
Seeing her older sister, who had come all the way over out of concern, Yukino felt a wave of mixed emotions she couldn't quite describe.
After a moment, she gently shook Haruno's shoulder, calling softly, "Sister, wake up."
Haruno, under the effects of Vignette's sleep spell, was in a deep slumber. It took several moments of Yukino's nudging before she finally stirred, slowly opening her eyes.
Still groggy, Haruno sat up abruptly. "Yukino!"
Her mind was still focused on the worry she'd had over Yukino's sudden disappearance.
Seeing her sister's concern, warmth filled Yukino's heart.
"Sister, why are you sleeping here?" she asked, her voice calm as usual.
"You're back, Yukino!" Haruno exclaimed, pulling her sister into a tight hug, overwhelmed with relief.
In her own mind, Yukino felt a quiet appreciation. Normally, she didn't enjoy this kind of embrace, but this time she allowed it, feeling the genuine care coming from her sister.
After a long moment, Haruno released Yukino, regaining her composure as she put on a more serious expression. "Where were you before?"
Yukino sighed inwardly. This familiar mask of Haruno's was what she found difficult to handle. Keeping her expression neutral, Yukino replied calmly, "Getting my phone repaired."
Haruno paused, realizing that must have been why her calls hadn't gone through. It seemed she had worried for nothing.
Still, at least Yukino was safe.
Haruno rubbed her forehead. "I can't believe I fell asleep here..."
She glanced at the time. "Six hours have passed?"
Haruno was stunned that she'd slept that long—her work today was likely a lost cause. She saw numerous missed calls on her phone, all from their mother.
Haruno sighed deeply, resigned to the stern talk she'd likely face from their mother. But she smiled lightly at Yukino. "Oh well. Next time, Yukino, let your sister know, so I don't worry myself sick."
"Now that everything's alright, I'll be going."
"Mm..." Yukino nodded quietly, feeling too awkward to respond harshly to her sister's genuine concern this time.
As Haruno walked to the door, Yukino couldn't help but say, "Thank you, Sister."
Haruno's steps halted, a faint smile appearing on her face as she left.
The next morning, a powerful aura suddenly emanated from Rei Ao, startling Mai beside him.
Even his large sword slid from his side as he stood there, energy radiating around him.
"Rei Ao, what's going on?" Mai asked, both tired and bewildered.
Rei Ao, looking down at his hands, stayed silent. He hadn't intentionally released this energy—his body was simply overflowing with newfound power.
He realized what it meant: he'd leveled up to 46.
Guessing the cause, he quickly opened the chat group.
Rei Ao: "@Shizue Izawa, are you there?"
Shizue Izawa: "Yes, I just woke up. Good morning, Rei Ao. Did you need something?"
Rei Ao: "Good morning. I wanted to ask—did Velzard and Velgrynd happen to do anything yesterday?"
Shizue Izawa: "One moment, I'll check with them."
Frieren: "Did something happen this morning?"
Rei Ao: "Nothing major, just curious if they gained any strength recently."
Shizue Izawa: "Oh, I just heard back."
Shizue Izawa: "Yesterday, they apparently took down a disaster-level monster."
Just as he thought. Their battle experience had been split with him, leading to his unexpected level increase.
"A disaster-level monster... apparently of the demon lord type."
If those two continued to hunt at this level, wouldn't his strength just keep skyrocketing?
It seemed giving them his blessing was the best choice he'd made yet. And he had no shame about it.
After all, it was his wives' success he was benefiting from. He hoped Velzard and Velgrynd would continue—and maybe even take down a demon lord, or perhaps something even grander.
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