Rei Ao watched the affectionate tableau before him, satisfaction glimmering in his eyes.
He stretched out his arms and drew all three women into an embrace.
Only yesterday such a gesture would have been unthinkable; now it felt utterly natural.
"All right," he whispered against Yukinoshita Fuyuka's burning ear, "this is how a family should be—don't you agree?"
Nestled against Rei Ao, Fuyuka felt the different body-warmths around her.
The shame and awkwardness in her chest slowly gave way to a strange serenity.
It was absurd, it defied common sense, and yet it felt… inexplicably right.
Perhaps… she thought, this is what Rei Ao meant by 'no need for hypocritical boundaries.'
They could redefine what love and family meant.
What made her heart race even faster was the realization that she was already looking forward to this "new family's" future— a feeling she had never once experienced in the old Yukinoshita household.
Julis stood alone on an open training ground,
rose-colored hair swaying in the night breeze.
Her emerald eyes were fixed on Amagiri Ayato, who wore a bitter expression across from her.
One finger hovered over the school-crest-shaped Multiverse Communicator.
"Duel," she said sharply, and at the same time switched the group chat to livestream mode.
[Ding! Julis has started a livestream!]
Marcille: "Whoa, an impromptu stream?"
Hiiragi Shinoa: "Where is this? Nice scenery."
Yotsuya Miko: "Julis-san, is something wrong?"
Kasuga Hijiri: "That stance… are you about to fight?"
Julis ignored the questions, turning her camera on Ayato.
Julis: "Everyone, behold. I've caught a Peeping Tom skulking near my dorm balcony."
The zoom tightened: Ayato's mortified face came into focus.
He wore Seidōkan Academy's uniform; a black-sheath katana hung at his waist.
"Peeping Tom—activate your duel crest. I'm teaching you a lesson."
"Wait! This is a misunderstanding!" Ayato raised both hands.
"Only what?" Julis sneered.
"Lurking outside a girls' dorm for the view?"
Busujima Saeko: "Why does this look so familiar…"
Yomogawa Ayame: "Ugh, reminds me of someone."
Frieren: "Heh, Stella ran into a peeper too—same dorm balcony setup."
Kato Megumi: "Both flame users as well. Rei Ao's credibility just rose again."
Frieren: "Behavior overlap: 90 percent."
Julis glanced at the scrolling feed, eyebrows knitting.
Julis: "Stella-san had this happen as well?"
Stella: "Ugh… don't mention it."
Sakurajima Mai: "She clobbered the guy—but he ended up playing Cupid."
Akiyama Mio: "Eh? Stella-san, y-you have a boyfriend?"
Izawa Shizue: "Fate's odd. Stella later fell for Rei Ao-kun."
Akiyama Mio: "Wow, the group admin?"
Stella: "A-anyway, it was an accident, and I was never actually peeped on. All thanks to the chat group."
Julis's cheeks flushed.
Julis: "Don't lump me in with that. I wasn't peeped on—but the act must be punished!"
She faced Ayato. "Under academy rules, I officially challenge you to a duel!"
Ayato sighed. "Can't we just talk? I only—"
Flames spiraled in Julis's palm.
"Contestants in the Phoenix Festa speak with strength!"
Her confidence was absolute—as a witch-class Strega, she feared no opponent.
Rei Ao: "Julis, wait."
The admin's gold-framed message froze the chat.
Julis: "Yes, mysterious Admin?"
Rei Ao: "That boy is Amagiri Ayato, inheritor of the 'Ser-Veresta' and the Amagiri Shinmei-ryū sword art. Do not take him lightly. His ability 'Limiter Release' lets him exceed his limits for a short burst."
Julis's pupils tightened; the fire in her hand burned hotter.
Rei Ao: "Judge him by strength, not looks—otherwise you'll lose."
Marcille: "So he's tough?"
Hiiragi Shinoa: "Rei Ao-kun always knows everything."
Sui: "That's our amazing Admin."
Shiba Fuyuka: "He's awfully like Kurogane Ikki, whom Stella flattened."
Kurogane Shizuku, watching beside Stella, nodded. "Sounds like my brother."
Julis drew a long breath, eyes sharpening.
Julis: "Thank you, Admin. I'll fight seriously."
She closed the chat overlay; the livestream remained.
Sensing the shift, Ayato laid a hand on his hilt.
Julis's voice was glacial.
In the next instant, brilliant flame-petals blossomed in mid-air.
"Bloom—Nineteen-Flame Waltz!"
Six blazing flowers arced toward Ayato, each hot enough to melt steel.
Ayato's silhouette flickered like a specter.
The black-sheath blade flashed, a silver streak across the night.
"Amagiri Shinmei-ryū, First Form—Shiden!"
Two flame blossoms were cleaved apart, but four more sealed his escape.
Just as the fire was about to engulf him, Ayato blurred.
"Limiter Release—First Stage!"
His speed spiked; he burst clear at the last heartbeat.
Julis was ready. A snap of her fingers:
"Second Movement—Blazing Rose!"
Torrents of fiery vines erupted from the ground, squeezing Ayato's space even tighter.
From the spectators' view in the chat, the livestream battle was impossible to look away from.
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