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After washing up, Yukino and Miko Yotsuya settled comfortably into the spacious bathtub.
Closing her eyes, Miko Yotsuya sighed lazily.
"This kind of life is just too wonderful."
Looking at her, Yukino asked quietly,
"It must have been very difficult for you before, wasn't it?"
"Of course it was!" Miko Yotsuya replied without hesitation.
"My spiritual sight couldn't be turned off. Sometimes I couldn't even tell whether the thing in front of me was an evil spirit or a normal human."
"If I ever misjudged one of them… I probably wouldn't be alive right now."
She paused before smiling softly.
"But I guess all the hardship paid off. Now that I've met Luo Yu and Ranni, I've learned magic and gained control over my spiritual sight."
"Soon I'll finally have the ability to protect myself—and my family."
Then she looked curiously at Yukino.
"By the way, Yukino Yukinoshita, I never asked you. What does it feel like when you transform into a Nekomata?"
"The feeling…"
Yukino thought for a moment before answering.
"First, the cat ears appear. My senses become far sharper than when I'm human."
"Second… my personality becomes more active. I feel more restless, like I want to move or do something."
"But it's still within my control."
"And of course, there's the improvement in physical ability."
"In the past, I would never have imagined that I could endure training of that intensity for an entire hour."
To Yukino, the greatest benefit was the change in her physical condition.
Before long, she believed she would completely leave behind the weak body she once had.
"Wow… it really does sound like you're becoming more like a cat."
After making that observation, Miko Yotsuya smiled as she looked at Yukino, whose hair was tied up just like her own.
"Seeing you like this, Yukino Yukinoshita really is beautiful. No wonder so many people at school pay attention to you."
Yukino shook her head.
"Other people's attention has no real meaning to me."
"And if we're talking about beauty, you're not lacking either."
Miko Yotsuya closed her eyes in satisfaction.
"I was talking more about your aura. Yukino Yukinoshita really has an elegant presence."
"You're like a flower blooming high on a mountain."
After a brief silence, Yukino replied,
"If we're talking about presence, Ranni has far more of it."
"Her identity as a princess naturally gives her a very unique aura."
"That's true!" Miko Yotsuya agreed immediately.
"When I first met Ranni, I was so nervous I barely dared to speak."
The moment she said that, she noticed Yukino staring at her intently.
"Uh… is something wrong?"
Being watched so closely made Miko Yotsuya suddenly nervous.
Yukino spoke calmly.
"There's something I've been curious about."
"You always call Ranni 'Ranni.' That surprised me."
"Most people wouldn't casually address a princess like that."
"Eh?"
Miko Yotsuya slowly sank deeper into the water until it reached her shoulders. Her face turned even redder as she spoke softly.
"Actually… Ranni asked me to call her that."
As for the deeper reason behind it, Miko Yotsuya didn't dare say anything.
After all, she did have a small personal reason for liking that form of address.
Yukino studied her for a moment longer.
Unable to deduce anything further, she decided not to pursue the matter.
Meanwhile, Miko Yotsuya found herself thinking about something else entirely.
Now that Yukino had joined Luo Yu and Ranni's Carian Magic Academy, she would also spend much more time with Luo Yu.
And unlike Miko Yotsuya, Yukino would be personally trained by Luo Yu in close combat.
Not to mention that they were classmates.
A boy and a girl…
Spending more and more time together…
Could feelings develop over time?
Miko Yotsuya suddenly became anxious.
Just as Yukino finished soaking and prepared to stand up, she noticed the rapidly changing expressions on Miko Yotsuya's face.
"Is something wrong, Miko Yotsuya? Are you feeling unwell?"
"Ah—no, nothing like that!"
Miko Yotsuya snapped back to reality and quickly shook her head. She lightly slapped her own cheeks.
"I think I'm just getting a little dizzy from the bath. We should probably get out soon."
Yukino didn't think much of it.
After wiping her face with a towel, she stood up.
"Yes, let's go."
After drying themselves and changing into clean clothes, the two girls left the bathroom together.
When Miko Yotsuya saw Yukino wearing the light blue dress Ranni had lent her, she immediately exclaimed in admiration.
"You look even more beautiful in normal clothes!"
The fitted dress accentuated Yukino's slender waist perfectly. Combined with the fresh glow of her skin after bathing, her beauty seemed even more striking.
Yukino simply replied calmly,
"It's nothing special. The clothes themselves are nice."
"I recognize the brand. It's quite expensive—probably more than fifty thousand yen."
"Fifty thousand yen?!"
Miko Yotsuya gasped.
But then she remembered that Ranni was a princess.
Considering Luo Yu's relationship with her, it was only natural that the clothes he bought for her would be high-quality.
In fact, on Ranni, such clothes hardly seemed extravagant at all.
After heading downstairs, Yukino glanced at Luo Yu, who was busy cooking in the open kitchen.
She then turned to Ranni.
"Thank you for lending me your clothes, Ranni."
Looking at Yukino dressed in her outfit, Ranni nodded in approval.
"They suit you well."
"Sit down. Dinner will be ready soon."
Yukino wasn't the type who liked sitting idle.
"I'll help with the cooking."
Luo Yu, who had overheard the conversation, waved his hand dismissively.
"No need. Only one dish is left to stir-fry. The other two are already simmering."
"You just finished bathing, so there's no need to get caught in cooking smoke."
Ranni added,
"Just sit. If he truly needed help, he would say so."
Only then did Yukino sit down.
After confirming that Luo Yu truly didn't need assistance, she began petting the kitten again.
Miko Yotsuya joined her, feeding the little cat some snacks.
As for the man Luo Yu had dealt with the previous night—the one who had abused cats—Miko Yotsuya had already learned about it.
But she had no intention of telling anyone.
If she had seen someone doing such things herself, she might not have handled it the same way Luo Yu did—but she certainly would have taught him a harsh lesson.
That man had harmed multiple cats and even caused them to become evil spirits.
If Yukino hadn't encountered them, who knew what kind of trouble they might have caused?
After awakening her spiritual sight and learning the truth about the world, Miko Yotsuya no longer wanted to think too deeply about such matters.
For her, the most important thing was simply protecting the people she cared about.
Fifteen minutes later, Luo Yu finished cooking the final dish.
The four of them gathered around the table and enjoyed a lively dinner together.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Haruno Yukinoshita had driven to Yukino's apartment.
Standing in the quiet, empty living room, she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
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