Haruno left.
What she left behind was… a pair of white over-the-knee stockings on the floor by the bed, in a very unmistakable state.
Tatsuki sat up, planning to go find Miyuki and Yua—but right then, someone knocked and let herself in.
He looked up. It was Yukino.
Under Tatsuki's slightly awkward stare, Yukino walked in with a troubled expression.
"Tatsuki-kun… I want to ask you to help my mother…"
Then she spoke—carefully, seriously, in a way that was completely different from Haruno's approach, but the meaning was the same: Please protect Mom. And if that's what it takes… I'll do anything.
Tatsuki felt deeply conflicted.
This whole setup was starting to make him feel like some kind of villain.
Like…
"Yukino, Haruno… you don't want your mom dying to the swarm, right?"
Yeah. That kind of villain.
"…Alright."
He listened until Yukino finished, then rubbed his temples with a sigh.
A soft golden light flickered in his hand, and he produced a black over-the-knee stocking. (T/N: I guess they did it?)
…
Not long after, Yukino left too.
Tatsuki used his information control to summon Miyuki and Yua over.
Both women stepped out of their rooms at the same time.
Since their doors were across from each other, they paused, exchanged a polite nod, and walked around the round table toward Tatsuki's room.
Then—they arrived at his door almost simultaneously.
"..."
The two moms fell into a brief, strange silence.
For some reason, just looking at each other, they both felt an odd sense of shared hardship.
Yua assumed Tatsuki was finally going to explain what was going on with Yui and the other girls.
Miyuki assumed Tatsuki wanted to discuss a combat plan.
Different expectations—same destination.
They raised their hands and knocked at the same time.
"Come in," Tatsuki said from inside.
Yua gave an awkward laugh. "Tatsuki-kun… did you call Yukinoshita-san too?"
Miyuki stayed composed. "He did. Let's go in together, Yuigahama-san."
They opened the door, stepped inside, and closed it behind them.
…
In a nearby room, Yumiko had been watching through a crack in her door.
"…They both went into Tatsuki's room?"
Maybe she'd eaten too much couple stuff from the club lately, but her brain immediately went to the wrong place.
She spiraled instantly.
…
In reality, once the two women sat down, Tatsuki simply pulled up a chair so the three of them formed a loose triangle, but the moment Miyuki and Yua settled in, both of them unconsciously… sniffed.
A familiar scent.
They didn't want to think too hard about why it felt familiar.
Their eyes drifted—and almost at the same time, landed on the black-and-white stockings on the floor near the bed.
Along with the… very obvious evidence on them.
"…!"
Both women's eyelids twitched.
They knew exactly what they were looking at.
And there was no universe where they believed Tatsuki had done that alone.
Meaning someone had been here before they arrived.
Who?
They didn't know.
And neither of them was brave enough to ask.
…
Tatsuki, as usual, acted like none of that existed and went straight to the point.
"I did call you here for a reason."
"Let's start with you, Yua-san."
"Me…?" Yua tensed up immediately, like she was afraid he was about to say something morally terrifying. "Do I… need to do something?"
"No." Tatsuki softened his tone to calm her down. "You don't need to do anything. Just listen."
Then he said it plainly, "You're probably confused about my relationship with Yui… and my relationship with everyone else here."
"I don't think there's any point hiding it anymore. I'm going to tell you the truth myself, and after this I'll talk to Yui properly too."
And with that, Tatsuki laid everything out.
His relationship dynamics, the people involved, the fact that it went beyond just the girls she'd already met—plus the agreement he had with Yui.
By the time he finished… Yua's brain was completely overloaded.
Too messy. Too much. Too complicated. So complicated she couldn't even form a clean thought.
Miyuki watched her, surprised—then quietly confirmed what she'd already suspected.
So my instinct was right… We really are in the same boat.
Both of them had daughters who loved Tatsuki.
Tatsuki and Miyuki didn't rush her. They gave her time.
After a long while, Yua finally looked up, breathing hard—her chest rising and falling as if she'd sprinted a mile.
The bitterness at the corner of her eyes and mouth made her helplessness impossible to miss.
"…Sigh. This is Yui's choice. As her mom, it feels like I can't interfere."
Because in the situation she was seeing, Yui wasn't just dating Tatsuki.
Yui was attached to him—completely.
And everyone else clearly knew what was going on too. If everyone was aware… what could she even do to stop it?
Tatsuki had imagined a lot of reactions, but he hadn't expected gentle, warm Yua to turn so firm and decisive as she stared at him.
"Tatsuki-kun… don't you dare hurt Yui."
"If you betray her, I promise you—her mother won't let it go."
Tatsuki straightened, taking it seriously. "I won't. I'll protect her and take care of her with everything I have."
"…"
Then, somehow, the seriousness cracked her.
Yua covered her mouth and laughed despite herself. "Okay… I'm terrible at the scary-mom face."
"But I'm glad I heard your answer. Still… save those words for the day you propose to her. Say them to Yui directly."
Miyuki stared, genuinely surprised.
She hadn't expected Yua to accept it that fast.
"Thank you," Tatsuki said quietly.
If he could earn Yui's mother's blessing, then Yui would be happy too.
With that settled, Tatsuki moved to the real issue.
"Both of you felt it today."
"When the swarm shows up, Haruno and the others have enough power to protect themselves."
"But you don't."
"…"
Neither woman argued. They were normal humans. That part was undeniable.
Tatsuki continued without waiting for them to respond.
"You're my future mothers-in-law."
"For Haruno, for Yukino, for Yui… and also because it's simply the right thing to do—I have every reason to help you."
"So I want you to try and see if you can accept my power."
"Even if you only meet the requirements for one—either Redemption Angel or Sin Apostle—you'll gain enough strength to protect yourselves."
Even at the current ceiling, just the mobility alone was absurd—moving at multiple times the speed of sound meant they could cross a battlefield like it was nothing.
Not to mention the physical durability that came with it.
Both women froze.
Angel… Apostle…
That was the same power Haruno, Marin, and the others had shown—the white-winged and black-winged forms.
Miyuki didn't hesitate. "What do we need to do?"
She wasn't the type to play coy. She wanted to live.
Her daughters weren't even married yet—how could she die now? But she also wasn't going to pretend she could accept this as "free."
She'd remember the debt, personally—even if it took her a lifetime to repay.
"I… I want to try too." Yua nodded, voice tight.
A single mother with a daughter didn't need convincing when survival was on the line.