"What the hell is this place?"
Geno opened his eyes to find the once pitch-black void had vanished, though he couldn't say when.
In its place stood a sunlit Japanese-style courtyard, its rock gardens and potted plants lending the whole scene a return-to-nature feel.
Clearly this was the home of some wealthy family, but Geno felt no urge to relax. He'd just been tormented by a pack of things that were neither quite human nor quite ghost, and now he'd suddenly landed in this peaceful, natural setting — no matter how you looked at it, something felt off.
So Geno kept his guard up, and out of habit reached to grip Tailless in his hand… huh? Where was Tailless?
Only then did he realize that Tailless — which he hadn't let go of even while being tormented by fire and frost — had somehow vanished from his grip.
"This just keeps getting more confusing. Stuff that makes you think is such a headache."
Scratching his head, Geno started wandering around the courtyard.
Since he couldn't find a way out, he figured he might as well explore first.
The first thing he explored was the house at the center of the courtyard.
It had a classic style — plenty of old-fashioned touches remained, but you could still make out hints of modern design.
For instance, the moment he pushed open a door, what met his eyes was a room packed with dumbbells, treadmills, and other workout equipment — his jaw nearly hit the floor.
"Well, that's an unexpected contrast."
"Who are you?"
Just as Geno was marveling at the sight, a soft, sweet little voice came from behind him.
He turned around and found an adorable little figure dressed up like a porcelain doll.
What an adorable kid!
That was Geno's first thought.
"Hey there, little one — are you the child of the family who lives here?"
"Mm-hm."
The child nodded shyly. Despite looking a bit timid around strangers, she already carried herself with the poise of a well-bred young lady, answering this stranger's question without a trace of panic.
"Well then, can you take me to find the grown-ups?"
"Grown-ups?"
The child blinked her big, bright eyes a couple of times, then, as if struck by an idea, dashed off toward the door.
"Wait, wait for me!"
Geno hurried after her. Say what you will, kids sure had energy to burn — she was so young and yet ran so fast that Geno nearly couldn't keep up.
After twisting and turning through the courtyard behind the little girl, they finally stopped in front of a door. The child pushed it open without a moment's hesitation, but Geno lingered outside, hesitating.
"Feels a bit rude to just barge in like this... ah, whatever. Finding a way out of here matters more."
Figuring he could probably get some information about this place out of the owner, Geno steeled his nerves and followed in, mentally rehearsing a cover story about who he was.
Fabricated, of course.
After all, Geno couldn't be sure whether the owner of this so-called courtyard would receive him kindly — better to leave himself an out, just in case.
Click.
Geno pushed the door open wider — what had only been a gap big enough for a small child to slip through was now open all the way.
The slowly sinking sun slipped in through that widened crack, spilling light across Geno's vision.
And at last, he laid eyes on the master of this so-called courtyard.
"You are...?"
Geno froze for a moment. Watching the beautiful young woman gently comforting the daughter in her arms, a strange feeling welled up in him.
Don't get the wrong idea — unlike a certain Cao Cao, he had no weird tastes like that.
He simply found her face oddly familiar.
"She looks so alike..."
Uncannily alike — this beautiful young woman in front of him looked almost exactly like Hoshimi Miyabi.
Of course, when it came to height, the invincible Miss Miyabi fell rather short by comparison.
"Oh my, it's you. You finally found your way here. Did little Miyabi bring you?"
The beautiful woman looked up at Geno without a hint of surprise, as though she'd known he was coming from the very start.
She rose slowly to her feet, one hand still resting on the little girl's head, and gave Geno a faint smile.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hoshimi Misako, mother of the Hoshimi Miyabi you know."
The elegant woman introduced herself softly, and Geno just stood there blinking, his none-too-sharp brain grinding to a complete halt.
Hoshimi Miyabi's mother?? Wasn't her mother supposed to have passed away when Miyabi was still little?
And she'd just called her "little Miyabi" — did that mean the girl beside her was Miyabi herself, as a child?!
Comparing the Miyabi he remembered with the two figures before him, one grown and one small, the pieces suddenly clicked into place in Geno's mind.
"That's... a lot to take in. Give me a second to process."
Geno plopped down onto the ground and rubbed his temples, thoroughly rattled.
Why was he seeing Hoshimi Miyabi's mother? Why had he ended up standing before her, face to face with a Hoshimi matriarch who was supposed to be dead, alongside Miyabi herself?
Why, exactly? Geno couldn't make sense of it.
While Geno was still puzzling over this jumble of thoughts, Misako drifted gently over and cupped his face in her hands.
"I'll explain all of this to you slowly, in time. But right now, there's something more important you need to do."
Startled by the sudden closeness, Geno was shocked to find he hadn't reacted at all — this woman clearly wasn't an ordinary person.
Though she seemed to notice the confusion written on his face, Misako offered no explanation. She simply led Geno deeper into the room, a small shadow trailing along beside them.
"Big brother Geno, good man."
Little Hoshimi Miyabi, dressed in an adorable outfit, carefully held onto Geno's hand as if afraid of losing him, her voice still timid — cute enough to make Geno's heart melt on the spot.
Miss Miyabi really had been a well-behaved little angel as a kid. What on earth had she eaten growing up, to turn into such a different person?
"All right, here we are."
Misako finally came to a stop, then slowly turned aside, revealing what had been hidden behind her.
"Tailless?"
Geno, still towing little Miyabi along, froze at the sight.
Because Tailless right now looked utterly unsettling — an eerie black aura coiled around its blade, and just standing there it radiated something that sent a chill down Geno's spine.
"Miss Misako, what exactly are you asking me to do?"
Misako smiled. "It's simple. I want you to pull this sword out again."
____
⚡ BONUS CHAPTER MILESTONES
✍️ 5 REVIEWS = +1 Bonus Chapter 💎 100 POWER STONES = +1 Bonus Chapter 🔥 P@TREON (Walnut-chan): Read +40 chapters ahead & unlock 60+ exclusive stories!
🔥 New history: Aha Goes All-In on My Multiverse Stories — posted on The_Mikudayo