For example, when watching movies, Mitsuba always sat alone on the side, listening to the whispered conversations between these two beside her.
And when going to dance halls, these two would also subconsciously leave her aside, dancing endlessly by themselves.
When traveling, these two would also frequently walk together, sometimes even not realizing they had accidentally gotten separated from her...
How strange—clearly it was a trip for three people, why did she always feel such deep loneliness?
At the root of it, why did she have to go out and play with this couple in the first place?
Fortunately, this situation didn't last long.
From some unknown point onward, Doma and Kotoha finally stopped calling Mitsuba to go out and play with them.
Instead, they officially entered "alone time mode," constantly running out together to play for several days at a time, not even a shadow to be seen...
Under Doma's influence, Kotoha even gradually began to enter the film production industry. It was said she was currently working as Doma's assistant on set...
"..."
An ordinary weekend day, due to an urgent school meeting, Akaza returned to Tokyo University early today.
Leaving only Mitsuba alone in Doma's grand villa, supervising ten-year-old Inosuke with his homework.
As for Kotoha and Doma?
Need you even ask!
This couple had run out together to play again several days ago. It was said they were going to experience some snowstorm resort project in Hokkaido...
Really now, what kind of parents leave their child with others and run out to play themselves?
Simply outrageous.
Mitsuba clearly remembered that when she first met Kotoha several years ago, she was still such a family-oriented, reserved, child-caring adorable young girl.
Only a few years had passed, and who knows who influenced her, but how did she become like this...
In the slightly deserted grand living room, Mitsuba lay sprawled across the sofa in a very improper manner, holding the latest translated work by French author Maupassant, "Boule de Suif," reading continuously.
Beside her, Inosuke, only ten years old but already fully inheriting his mother's beauty, was bent over the coffee table doing his homework.
"Aunt Mitsuba."
In this silence, Inosuke suddenly called out to Mitsuba.
"Mm?"
Turning a page of the novel in her hand, Mitsuba responded distractedly.
"You guys aren't human, right?"
"Mm?!"
Instantly opening her eyes wide, Mitsuba turned her head and looked with disbelief at Inosuke, who had his back to her and was writing furiously.
"Why would little Inosuke suddenly think that?"
Mitsuba asked curiously.
Her brain operating at extreme speed, rapidly reviewing all her performances before this mother and son pair over the past few years.
Confirming that she had never done anything that would cause someone to have related associations, confusion surfaced in Mitsuba's heart.
What was going on?
Why would this child suddenly ask this kind of question?
Could it be that Doma had... suddenly exposed himself at some point she didn't know about?
Or could it be that this was actually just a child's sudden whim?
"Because, I don't have any memories of you eating, Aunt Mitsuba."
Setting down the pencil in his hand, Inosuke turned to look at Mitsuba and said seriously:
"Yesterday at school, the teacher said that everyone in this world needs food to provide nutrition for their bodies, therefore, everyone needs to eat.
But strangely, when I thought about it carefully, from childhood until now, I seem to have never personally seen you eat, Aunt Mitsuba.
Every time it was time to eat, you would either have something to do and leave, say you had already eaten, or simply say you were on a diet and didn't want to eat...
Of course, the strangest point is that from childhood until now, I've never seen you guys appear under the sun.
Every time you went out, Aunt Mitsuba, Uncle Hakuji, and that fellow Doma, you would always intentionally or unintentionally avoid sunlight.
Either choosing to travel at night, or deliberately walking in the shadows of buildings, and when there was no other way, you would go out holding an umbrella.
Although that fellow Doma often says this is a way to maintain skin, I think this obviously suspicious reason is probably something only my mother's silly brain would believe.
Besides you guys, I've never seen such strange humans.
So I think, you guys probably aren't human, right?"
Uwaa, this kid is so sharp...
Being stared at straight-on by Inosuke's emerald eyes, Mitsuba immediately felt a headache coming on.
"For this answer, I have a very simple verification method."
Before Mitsuba could think of how to respond, she saw Inosuke stand up and walk straight to the sunlight before the nearby floor-to-ceiling window, saying:
"There has never been any human in this world who cannot touch even a bit of sunlight.
If Aunt Mitsuba were a normal human, presumably you wouldn't be afraid to stand under the sun for a while, right?"
"Uh..."
Meeting Inosuke's gaze, Mitsuba took a deep breath, then her shoulders drooped as she let out a light sigh.
[No good, can't find any way to refute at all. This kid struck right at the vital point from the start, completely no way to counter...]
[Speaking of which, are children nowadays all this smart?]
"Mm... alright, let's assume, just as you said, that I'm not human.
Little Inosuke, you saying this so directly to my face like this, aren't you afraid I'll kill you to silence you?"
Mitsuba asked curiously.
"I'm not afraid."
To this, Inosuke shook his head very affirmatively.
"It's been so many years already. If you guys wanted to kill me, you would have done so long ago, no need to wait until today.
I think, the reason you guys have been hiding this so carefully is probably just worrying that we would feel afraid after knowing, nothing more."
[Oh! This child's thinking is really very clear!]
"Very well, then let's continue the assumption. If little Inosuke, all your guesses are correct.
Then, what is your purpose in suddenly asking this? Could it be simply to satisfy your own curiosity?"
Mitsuba asked curiously, her interest piqued.
She really wanted to know the true purpose of this clever child suddenly confessing all this to her today.
This child had quite sharp and direct thinking. It was impossible for him to do this simply out of curiosity.
"It's not. I wouldn't do something merely out of curiosity."
And Inosuke's answer completely matched Mitsuba's guess.
"I just want to give you guys a suggestion."
"A suggestion?"
"Yes, I think you guys are too wasteful."
With a serious little face, Inosuke came forward to sit beside Mitsuba, looked up at her, and said seriously:
"If my guess is correct, besides your inhuman identities, you guys should also possess some special powers that ordinary people don't have, right?
Just like the demons or devils in those legendary stories.
Clearly having this kind of special power, why would Aunt Mitsuba you guys be content to live such ordinary lives?"
"So little Inosuke, what you mean is..."
"It's time to let the world feel the terror of capitalism!"
The youth before her suddenly became chuunibyou.
"Aunt Mitsuba! Let's use money together! To conquer this world!"
*[Ah, so this child was never doctorate material after all...]*
The following year, a multinational arms company named Eternal Bliss was successfully registered in America across the ocean.
...
(My catgirls, the main story begins from the next chapter. This book is about to enter Hashira Slaughter Mode, please prepare yourselves mentally, meow~)
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This story has ended in chapter 315, you can read on patreon.com/dzeref887 for faster access or wait until August to read on WebNovel until the story ends.