Teacher Tohka was watering the flowers in the yard.
However, she only appeared to be watering them—in reality, the hand holding the watering can had been suspended midair for quite a while. She was lost in thought, not even aware of what she was thinking about, until approaching footsteps startled her out of her daze.
Looking up, the sight of Kazuma's face finally stirred her quiet heart. Her previously lifeless expression regained a bit of vitality. But before she could greet him, her expression froze.
The girl lying on his back made her think she was seeing things.
Suiren?
No—why was Suiren with Kazuma, and why was she lying on his back? When did these two meet? When did they become so close? How much had she missed?
"Mom…"
Her mother stared at her intently, her gaze so sharp that Suiren didn't dare meet it. Heat spread from her face down to her neck. She couldn't tell whether it was embarrassment from earlier or from being seen in such an intimate position with Kazuma.
Probably both.
"What's going on with you two?"
"Mom, he's—"
"Sister, where have you been? I've been trying to call you—"
Suiren was interrupted by her younger sister, who rushed out of the room. But the silver-haired, short-haired girl froze mid-sentence. Seeing her sister being carried by a strange boy with her own eyes shocked her even more than their mother.
Aoi, who was usually quiet in front of outsiders, now displayed an unusually expressive face. She clearly knew that the person her sister liked was Senior Qiren—but now she was with another boy… well, not completely unfamiliar?
"Wait! Aren't you that pervert from that night?!"
Here we go again.
Kazuma's face darkened. Suiren, on his back, covered her mouth and giggled. "Kazuma-kun, that's what Aoi said, not me, you know~"
As she laughed and teased him, her body pressed closer against his back.
Kazuma ignored her. He looked at the short-haired girl, who seemed more aggressive, curled his lips, and denied it calmly. "You've got the wrong person."
"Wrong person? Do you think I'm an idiot?" Aoi narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "I saw you clearly—especially your face."
"Is that so? Miss Suiren?" Kazuma turned slightly, showing a gentle smile. "Have you seen my face before?"
"…"
Sensing the threat in his tone, Suiren sighed inwardly and spoke seriously, "Aoi, stop messing around. Kazuma-kun just arrived today—how could he know you? This is also my first time meeting him."
Aoi's eyes widened in disbelief. "Sister Suiren?!"
How can you lie so naturally?!
"Enough, Aoi. Kazuma-kun is a guest. You're being rude," Tohka interrupted her second daughter. With both a mother's authority and a teacher's imposing presence, Aoi could only close her mouth unwillingly.
She felt completely confused. What was going on with her sister and mother? He clearly looked like the pervert who broke into their house that night—and he had even seen her mother naked! So why were they still treating him so kindly?
She couldn't understand it at all.
"Kazuma-kun, what happened between you two?" Tohka's attention returned to Kazuma and her eldest daughter.
"Oh, I met her in the forest. She was being attacked by a black bear, and I just happened to pass by," Kazuma said, winking slightly. "Miss Suiren twisted her ankle, so I brought her back."
"You encountered a bear? Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Hearing this, Tohka's sharp gaze softened, replaced with concern.
At her mother's words, Suiren showed the same confusion as her sister. "I'm fine. Kazuma-kun saved me, Mom. Um… do you know him?"
She looked at her mother, then at the boy beneath her. Kazuma shrugged.
"Oh, Teacher Tohka and I met online. She invited me here. I didn't expect you to be her daughter—what a coincidence~"
"…"
Is it a coincidence? Why does it feel strange? Mom makes friends online too?
Ms. Tohka didn't pay attention to her daughter's emotions. Her gaze met Kazuma's, and they shared a knowing smile. However, this black-haired beauty's expression became slightly subtle when she saw the unfamiliar woman beside him. "And who is this?"
"Mifuyu Yukino, my assistant," Kazuma introduced her.
"Hello, Ms. Tohka, I've heard Kazuma talk about you."
Mifuyu Yukino smiled gently and extended her hand for a handshake.
"I don't think she's just an assistant," Tohka cast a sidelong glance at Kazuma. "Nanakamado Nanaka was right—Kazuma-kun, you have quite a few beautiful women around you. Miss Yukino's beauty makes me feel self-conscious."
Heh, you scumbag.
"Not at all. Ms. Tohka is also very beautiful. I'm still far behind."
Two equally beautiful, equally gentle and mature women stood together. This harmonious scene made one want to record it. Kazuma rolled his eyes lazily. "You two can stop with the commercial flattery. Teacher Tohka, is your husband not here?"
"He's away on a business trip," Tohka replied. Her delicate, beautiful face quickly grew cold, as if she were somewhat disappointed. This made Kazuma wonder whether she was disappointed because she couldn't openly provoke or retaliate against her husband.
"Mom, how long are you two going to chat? Have you forgotten about me?" Suiren felt like an outsider and couldn't help but interrupt. "My foot still hurts a bit. Can we go inside first?"
"Then I'll excuse myself—"
Kazuma handed the elegant yet slightly embarrassed young woman over to Mifuyu Yukino, asking her to help her inside, since Miss Suiren absolutely refused to tell her family about wetting her pants.
Meanwhile, Kazuma also went to clean himself up.
After showering and changing into fresh clothes, Suiren transformed from a disheveled, mortified girl into a graceful young lady with flowing long hair. She returned to the living room and saw Kazuma sitting opposite her sister Aoi. The usually taciturn Aoi was repeatedly scrutinizing Kazuma with sharp eyes, while he calmly sipped the black tea brewed by Teacher Tohka.
He looked completely at ease.
Nanakamado Nanaka wandered around the room, unseen by anyone. Mifuyu Yukino returned with Suiren and sat down beside Kazuma and Aoi respectively. As for Tohka, she was busy cutting fruit.
"Meow~"
"What a cute little cat! Come here, come here," Suiren was instantly captivated by Luna's adorable appearance, her eyes shining with delight. However, Luna showed no reaction, her tail swaying slightly as she maintained her proud demeanor.
"Sister Suiren, don't you think this cat looks a bit familiar?" Aoi said expressionlessly.
"Does it? Cats like this are everywhere—it's normal to feel a sense of déjà vu," Suiren blinked and chuckled softly.
"…"
You are definitely not my sister!
You were the first one to notice that black cat that night, Sister Suiren… Aoi felt a headache coming on. She glanced at Kazuma and suddenly spoke, "Speaking of which, where is that beautiful blonde girl? Is she not here?"
Kazuma pointed at himself. "Are you talking to me?"
"What do you think?" Aoi replied, her expression sour.
"A blonde girl? Are you talking about your sister? She is indeed very beautiful," Kazuma said as he glanced at the two sisters sitting together—one with long golden hair and the other with short silver hair, both equally stunning.
But their personalities were completely different.
"Miss Suiren must be very popular. A girl as outstanding as you must have many boys pursuing you."
"Oh, no, not that many…" she said shyly.
Seeing him effortlessly change the subject, Aoi's chest rose and fell sharply for a moment, but she couldn't do anything about it. After all, her mother and sister were pretending not to notice—what could she do?
"Teacher Tohka, have you found the information I asked for?"
"A little. I'll give it to you later…"
"Mom, what are you two talking about? What information?"
"Strange occurrences, mysterious events around the town—things like that. He wants to study supernatural phenomena," Teacher Tohka explained casually.
"Supernatural?" Aoi said flatly. "How could such things exist? Even children know this is a scientific world."
"I agree with you," Kazuma said, placing a hand on Mifuyu Yukino's shoulder. Miss Yuki-onna dutifully played her role as an assistant. She had wanted to demonstrate her powers and shatter Aoi's worldview, but Kazuma stopped her, so she could only sit back down.
"But there's no rule that the supernatural can't fall within the scope of science," Kazuma added with a smile. At least all my secret tools belong to science.
Suiren, sitting beside Aoi, suddenly recalled the scene of the black bear fleeing earlier. Even now, she still didn't understand how Kazuma-kun had saved her. Could it have been…
"That's just sophistry," Aoi said, pursing her lips. How could her mother, a teacher, go along with such nonsense?
"Sophistry? I only speak with facts." Kazuma's expression suddenly turned serious. "Miss Aoi, if I'm not mistaken, you just asked me where that blonde girl from the other night was. I can answer that now."
Aoi froze. "You're admitting it?"
"Your mother and sister already know, so whether I admit it or not doesn't really matter," Kazuma sighed. "I'm too lazy to deny it anymore."
His shameless attitude left Aoi conflicted. Seeing her mother and sister remain calm only made her more frustrated.
"The reason I'm searching for supernatural beings is because of that blonde girl," Kazuma said. "She's a ghost."
"A ghost?"
Aoi found it even more ridiculous, her face full of disbelief.
Unfazed by the young girl's skepticism, Kazuma shifted his gaze to the space beside her. His tone suddenly turned chillingly eerie, and he forced a grim smile.
"That ghost… is standing right next to you."
Aoi's body stiffened. "You…"
"She's less than five centimeters from your hand," Kazuma grinned, his smile widening. "You only need to raise your hand slightly to touch her."
"You… don't think that by saying such things, I'll be scared…"
In the sweltering summer heat, with the blazing sun overhead, Aoi felt a chill run down her spine.
Seeing the unconcealed fear and panic in her younger sister, Suiren—although also a little nervous—wasn't as frightened as Aoi. Instead, she felt as if she had discovered a whole new world. That quiet, taciturn, yet clever and intelligent younger sister of hers was actually afraid of ghosts?
So her younger sister had a weakness after all!
...
..
.
[image] Aoi
*****
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