Mrs. Yotsuya stared in a daze at the crystal in her hand.
"Is it really okay to give me something so valuable?"
She felt she was entirely benefiting thanks to Miko.
Rei Ao smiled. "Of course. You're Miko's mother, and my relationship with Miko is...very good."
He winked at Miko as he said that, causing her face to flush bright red.
Well, of course their relationship was close—they had already engaged in extremely intimate contact.
"Naturally, I also don't want a beautiful lady like Mrs. Yotsuya to be tormented by evil spirits, weakening your vitality and spirit."
She was taken by surprise at the sudden compliment and felt a bit shy. Then again, what woman dislikes being called beautiful? Mrs. Yotsuya was no exception. A tranquil smile inadvertently surfaced on her lips.
"Rei Ao-kun, you have quite a sweet tongue. No wonder you could become Miko's boyfriend, right?"
Miko's eyes widened, and she hurriedly denied it. "Mom, we're not in that kind of relationship!"
"Oh? Not in that sort of relationship?"
A look of surprise surfaced on Mrs. Yotsuya's face.
"Rei Ao-kun has helped both you and me so much, I assumed..."
She was serious. She'd even grown to approve of Rei Ao. Her impression of him was extremely favorable, and she genuinely hoped to see him and Miko progress further. If Miko's partner were Rei Ao, she'd be quite open-minded about it.
Seeing Miko's shy expression, Rei Ao explained, "We're indeed not dating."
"M-Mom, what are you saying?!"
Miko never would have guessed her mother would react as if it were a pity—like she regretted he couldn't become her son-in-law.
"I feel it's a pity too," Rei Ao said solemnly. "So I'll do my best to pursue Miko and hopefully make her mine, becoming one family in the future."
Such bold words left Miko's face steaming red. She didn't dare look at either of them. She spun on her heel and rushed to her room.
Rei Ao and Mrs. Yotsuya met each other's gazes and shared a bright smile.
"Rei Ao-kun, please don't tease Miko like that. She's easily embarrassed."
"Haha, it's just that Miko's timid or frightened expressions are too cute—I can't help wanting to fluster her."
Mrs. Yotsuya nodded in sympathy.
"Well, we've resolved the situation here, so I should get going."
"You're leaving already? Why not stay for dinner?"
Hearing that he was about to leave, Mrs. Yotsuya sincerely tried to persuade him to stay. She hadn't had a relaxed conversation with anyone else in a long time. Ever since the accident on her wedding day that took her new husband and his child's lives, rumors had circulated; she rarely socialized. She also never expected she could chat so easily with a boy much younger than herself, yet share such a natural rapport.
Rei Ao didn't mind building a closer relationship with this wonderful lady, but he remembered his plan for that evening: meeting Furuhashi Fumino and Ogata Rizu. So he politely declined.
Still, he added, "Maybe next time. I hope I'll see you in high spirits and looking even more lovely, Mrs. Yotsuya. I'm really looking forward to it."
Suddenly hearing those words and seeing his charming smile made Mrs. Yotsuya's heartbeat speed up. By the time she came back to her senses, Rei Ao had vanished.
She stood gazing at the spot where he had disappeared, unable to snap out of it for a long while.
After a few moments of silence, Mrs. Yotsuya went into the bathroom, facing the mirror at the sink. Indeed, she saw that her appearance looked somewhat drained and weary. Placing a hand on her cheek, she murmured softly, "I really do need to get some proper rest."
Having heard no sound from the living room, Miko—who had been waiting by the door—opened it a crack and peeked out.
No one was there. Confused, she walked out of her room and saw her mom busy in the kitchen.
She asked, "Mom, where's Rei Ao-nii?"
"He already left, dear~"
Miko exclaimed, suddenly feeling a pang of loss. Noticing her reaction, Mrs. Yotsuya smiled and teased, "Miko, next time you see your Rei Ao-nii, try being more open. You've got to hold on to your future, after all."
Her whole body tensed at those words. She knew her mom didn't mean anything special by it, but she couldn't help imagining a bunch of scenarios.
Instantly, Miko was all flustered again, like a kettle letting off steam.
Mrs. Yotsuya had no idea what images were bouncing around her daughter's mind—she just assumed Miko wasn't comfortable expressing her feelings about romance yet.
She let out a small sigh, wishing her daughter could be bolder in showing her emotions. Meanwhile, there was a trace of envy in her heart: If she were in Miko's position, she'd definitely take the initiative to get close to such a wonderful young man as Rei Ao. Sadly, she wasn't Miko; she was an older woman now.
"You two look like you had quite a bit of fun."
Rei Ao suddenly reappeared in front of Koyuri and Ai. Rather than doing normal things like shopping or strolling around, they had come to an abandoned, half-finished construction site—how bold! Obviously, it wasn't for the scenery or photos.
They'd come here to exterminate evil spirits. As expected, many spirits lurked in the decaying shell of the place. Plus, their bodies, imbued with Rei Ao's power, seemed to attract evil spirits' attention the same way intense life energy did, drawing them in. Relying on Rei Ao's protection, they fearlessly wiped out the evil spirits infesting the site.
Their motivation was straightforward: They both wanted to work together to grow stronger, to be of use to Rei Ao. Even being able to endure more "impact" was important—for they knew there was a huge gap between their physical endurance and Rei Ao's. They might be satisfied, but he was not. They wanted to let him enjoy things more fully.
Rei Ao certainly understood their intentions. Their efforts did not go unnoticed.
[Name]: Sakurajima Ai
[Name]: Sawamura Koyuri
"You've done well," he praised them without reserve.
Ai and Koyuri exchanged a smile. "That's just what we should do."
"Then let's head back."
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