25+ Advance chapters on Patreon
The gold-haired girl glared at him, her eyes sharp with annoyance.
"How'd you even find my house?!" she demanded, her tone biting.
Yuto stepped inside like he belonged there, brushing past her with ease. "I'm here because your mom invited me," he said, his voice calm and confident.
Eriri gritted her teeth, trailing after him. "I don't believe you! How would my mom even know you?"
He shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Fate's funny like that. Just like how I know you." His casual words stirred her memory, those moments when he'd held her close, teasing her without holding back. Her face heated up, turning a soft shade of red.
"I'm warning you," she stammered, "don't get any funny ideas! This is my house!"
Yuto barely glanced her way, his eyes flicking over her bear-patterned pajamas. "Relax. I'm here for your mom's invitation, not you." His gaze paused on her flat chest for a moment, a hint of pity in his expression.
Eriri froze, catching where he was looking. Her blue eyes flashed with embarrassment, and she swung her twintails at him. "W-what do you know?! I'm still growing!"
"Those twintails look easy to grab," Yuto muttered, dodging her attack effortlessly. Her shampoo's faint scent lingered in the air, and his mind wandered. 'Last time, I only got half of Eriri… maybe today I can nudge this little tsundere a bit further.'
Just then, soft footsteps sounded from the staircase. Yuto's eyes widened slightly as Mrs. Sawamura came down, her kimono decorated with cherry blossoms and lilies, the pale pink fabric fitting her small frame perfectly. She'd clearly put effort into her appearance.
"Yuto! It's been too long, you're finally here!" Her warm, mature smile lit up her face as she hurried over and gave him a quick hug.
"M-Mom?!" Eriri's jaw dropped, her mind reeling. So, Yuto wasn't lying, her mom really did know him.
Mrs. Sawamura stepped back, smoothing her kimono. "Yuto helped me out of a tough spot once, so I invited him over to thank him," she explained, pouring him a cup of tea with practiced grace.
Eriri blinked, still processing. "So… it was just a coincidence?"
Mrs. Sawamura smiled, her eyes sparkling as she glanced at Yuto. "Fate can be strange, can't it?" Her gaze held his for a moment, warm and appreciative.
"Yuto, I hear you and Eriri go to the same school?" she added, turning to her daughter. "You should get along with him, he's a good one."
Eriri huffed, crossing her arms. 'Yeah, right. All he does is pick on me,' she thought, annoyed.
As they talked, Yuto's easy charm and smooth talking won Mrs. Sawamura over. They chatted comfortably, while Eriri sat off to the side, sipping her juice and feeling ignored.
"Eriri, could you go to your room for a bit? I need to speak with Yuto alone," Mrs. Sawamura said after a while, her tone gentle but firm.
Eriri's lips pursed. "Mom, what's so secret that I can't know?"
Her mother's expression grew serious, and Eriri reluctantly shuffled off to her room, slippers dragging. It was the first time her usually doting mom had pushed her away like this.
With Eriri gone, Mrs. Sawamura rubbed her forehead, letting out a small sigh. "Yuto, I need your help. I want to learn about the supernatural, magecraft, specifically. I need to protect Eriri."
Yuto wasn't surprised. After the mess in Shibuya, it made sense she'd want to be ready. "Are you sure? Learning magecraft comes with risks. It's not something simple."
Her eyes met his, steady and determined. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep her safe. I can't feel helpless again."
He watched her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. But first, I need to check your magic circuits. That means letting mana flow through you naturally." He stepped closer and pulled her into a gentle hug.
Mrs. Sawamura tensed, her face turning pink. "Is… is this really necessary?"
"It's the only way," Yuto said, his voice calm and serious. "Learning magecraft starts here."
She hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Okay."
As he held her, she slowly relaxed, focusing on the faint hum of mana. To Yuto's surprise, she caught on fast. Within three hours, she'd sensed it. 'She's got real talent,' he thought, impressed.
But then, a soft knock came at the door.
"Mom, are you in there?" Eriri's voice called out.
Mrs. Sawamura's eyes snapped open, panic flickering across her face. "Oh no," she whispered. Being caught like this, with her daughter's classmate would be a disaster.
Another knock. "Mom? Can I come in? Why aren't you answering? And… Yuto's gone by now, right?"
Her heart raced. If Eriri saw them together… She turned to Yuto, her voice shaky. "She can't see me like this. Please, do something!"
Yuto gave a small grin, his breath brushing her ear. "Don't worry. Just let her in."
Before she could argue, his form flickered and vanished, leaving her alone.
The door creaked open, and Eriri stepped inside, frowning at her mother's flushed, nervous face. "Mom… what's going on?"
Mrs. Sawamura forced a smile, her pulse still pounding. "Nothing, sweetie. Just… thinking."
Eriri's eyes narrowed, suspicious, but she didn't push it. Something felt off, though she couldn't figure out what.
From the corner, Yuto, now invisible, watched with a faint smile. 'This could get fun,' he thought, already plotting his next step.
━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━━━━━━
patreon.com/DUKE3500 for advance chapters for all the novels i translate for 2$