She calmly lifted her teacup and took a slow sip.
Then she spoke—her voice level but carrying a quiet authority.
"There are many sons of powerful families attending Eden High. To stand out among them, Mr. Nanashi, you must be quite exceptional."
Rather than answering directly, Yukinoshita Inoue had chosen to test him with a question.
"I've ranked first in both academics and athletics. Scored top marks in national exams. I also manage personal venture capital assets totaling over 10 billion yen."
Nanashi replied evenly, with the same calm demeanor as before.
"Ten... billion?"
This time, even Inoue couldn't hide her surprise.
Style first, testing second.
That much, Inoue could accept—Nanashi was clearly an outstanding student.
But personal venture capital assets exceeding 10 billion yen?
He was in the same class as Yukino, and only a second-year high school student!
Just what kind of person had over ten billion at that age?
The Yukinoshita family was merely an influential household in Chiba Prefecture. They weren't a zaibatsu(*a large Japanese business conglomerate), but rather a political clan—wielding power through influence and connections, not capital.
Even so, their entire family's total assets were estimated between five and ten billion yen. A sum far beyond the reach of average citizens.
Yet here was an ordinary high schooler claiming to have earned more than that—on his own—through private investments?
Inoue couldn't ignore that.
She set her teacup down calmly.
"Mr. Nanashi, if what you've said is true, then you're nothing short of a genius."
She couldn't yet determine if he was telling the truth.
"You're too kind," Nanashi replied, unbothered by her skepticism. He didn't seem interested in proving himself further.
His modest response—and his refusal to elaborate—surprisingly satisfied her. She nodded slightly and asked, seriously:
"Since you're here to propose to Yukino, do you believe you can take responsibility for her life?"
She was expecting a firm, confident answer.
Unfortunately, Nanashi shook his head.
"If you can't shoulder that responsibility, then there's no point in continuing this conversation."
"You may have misunderstood me, Mrs. Yukinoshita," Nanashi said calmly.
"Misunderstood?" Inoue raised an eyebrow, waiting for his explanation.
And then came the words that would shake her world:
"I'm referring to Yukino... and Haruno."
He held Yukino's hand with his right, Haruno's with his left—their fingers interlocked.
"…"
For a moment, Inoue thought she was hallucinating.
Yukino sat blushing, head bowed.
Haruno, on the other hand, wore a bright, satisfied smile.
Am I dreaming?
Or are they both insane?
She took a large sip of tea to steady herself.
Her eyes sharpened as she focused on Nanashi.
"My two daughters? Never mind whether the Yukinoshita family would allow such a thing—do you even understand the law?"
"The law?" Haruno cut in with a sly smile. "Mother, you underestimate us—and Nanashi."
"Haruno, have I not taught you to never interrupt your elders?" Inoue snapped, her tone icy, the pressure of the family's matriarch fully bearing down on her.
But this time, it didn't work.
Haruno leaned forward and, without hesitation, kissed Nanashi on the lips—right in front of her mother.
"???"
Inoue was stunned once again.
Did Haruno just... kiss him? In front of me?!
Her whole body trembled with rage.
"What are you doing?!" she shouted.
Haruno simply smiled.
"Mother, the world you live in is still that of ordinary people. But we—Nanashi, Yukino, and I—we no longer belong to that world."
She glanced toward Nanashi.
"Show her the truth."
Inoue's confusion deepened as she met Nanashi's gaze—his golden eyes now shimmering with star-like brilliance.
The moment she looked into them, her mind clouded.
She blinked rapidly, trying to shake the dizziness away. When she opened her eyes again and stood up—
She froze.
Because right in front of her stood a monster.
It exuded a black, ominous aura—twisted, grotesque, a horrific figure almost too terrible to describe.
Its hollow eyes bore into her. And from its gaping mouth—lined with hands—a voice emerged:
"You can see? You can see?"
Inoue was too frightened to reply. Her entire body trembled.
The creature leaned closer, its hands clawing at its own maw, repeating:
"You can see me! You can see me!"
Then, with a wild shriek, it lunged straight at her.
"Aaaaaah!"
Inoue screamed.
She stumbled backward, her legs giving out beneath her. She crashed onto the tea table, her body about to hit the sharp edge behind—
"Mother!"
"Mom!"
Yukino and Haruno screamed in horror.
But Nanashi was faster.
He appeared by Inoue's side in a blink, catching her before her head struck the table.
With a cold glare at the creature, he unleashed his power—and the monster vanished in a puff of dark smoke.
Inoue trembled in his arms, clinging to his shirt as though it were a lifeline.
Nanashi let out a strained chuckle as he looked at the girls.
"Did we... go too far?"
Yukino and Haruno looked down, guilt etched into their faces.
They may have really overdone it this time.
Nanashi decided to bring the shaken Inoue to her room to rest.
Guided by Haruno, he carried her to the second floor.
Even when they reached the bed, Inoue still wouldn't let go of him.
Nanashi gently reassured her:
"Mrs. Yukinoshita, it's over now. I'm going to lay you down—just rest for a bit."
"That… monster..."
"It's gone. You're safe now."
Slowly, Inoue lifted her head, scanning the room. After confirming the creature had vanished, she finally relaxed and released her grip.
That's when she realized—she was in Nanashi's arms.
Just as she began to squirm with embarrassment, he carefully placed her down on the bed.
"Ahem… please rest for now. We can talk later."
Nanashi rubbed his nose awkwardly. Then he noticed a faint scent and added, almost sheepishly:
"Ah… I've dried your clothes as best I could, but I recommend changing into something fresh."
With that, he turned and quietly exited the room.
"Change?"
Inoue was stunned.
She touched her kimono—nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
But then, a faint sensation of warmth and dampness reached her awareness.
Her mind snapped into clarity.
She had drunk far too much tea earlier. And at that moment of sheer terror…
"..."
She fell into silence.
It slowly dawned on her—she had truly lost control in that instant.
Even now, she could faintly feel residual warmth trickling down her legs. Yet her clothes were dry. There was no visible stain.
Nanashi's words echoed in her mind.
He had noticed. He must have done something—something subtle and powerful—to prevent her from being humiliated in front of her daughters.
A monster appeared. She lost control. In front of her daughters' boyfriend.
It left her overwhelmed with a flood of conflicting emotions.
"Nanashi, how is Mother?"
Despite her usual fear of their mother, Yukino's concern was sincere.
Haruno, too, looked anxious.
"Don't worry," Nanashi replied with a reassuring smile. "She was just frightened. I've restored her physical condition. Other than a bit of lingering shock and fatigue, she's fine."
The sisters both exhaled in relief.
"We should apologize," Yukino murmured. "That… wasn't fair to her."
They could've destroyed that spirit at any time. But they deliberately held back, hoping their mother would open her spiritual vision and witness the hidden truth of the world.
They hadn't expected her to react so violently—to the point of almost injuring herself.
"Yeah... we definitely owe her an apology," Haruno admitted, guilt in her voice.
"There's no need."
The voice came from the stairs.
All three turned to see Inoue descending, now dressed in a regal purple kimono. Her expression was calm, unreadable.
She glanced at them briefly and said in a measured tone, "Come with me."
They returned to the reception room—the same one as before. Everyone sat in the same positions, as if time had rewound.
Inoue's sharp eyes swept the room, confirming that the monster had indeed vanished.
Yukino and Haruno kept their heads low.
After a brief silence, Inoue finally spoke.
"Tell me—what was that thing?"
"An evil spirit," Nanashi answered. "Monsters that exist throughout the world."
"..."
Inoue exhaled slowly. "So... you three can see monsters? Are you all from the 'other world'?"
"Other world"—a term not just for fantasy realms, but also for the hidden, mysterious facets of this one.
Nanashi gave no verbal reply. Instead, he gently patted Yukino's and Haruno's thighs.
The girls raised their heads, then moved in perfect synchronicity.
Yukino extended her right hand. Haruno, her left.
Click!
Yukino transformed—her body surrounded by icy-blue light, shimmering snowflakes dancing in her palm.
Whoosh!
Haruno followed, her aura igniting into vivid red flame that danced and flickered from her hand.
"!!"
Inoue watched, speechless. Ice and Fire—real, tangible power. Manifested right before her eyes.
Her own daughters… and she had never known.
Haruno dispelled her flames and met her mother's gaze with unwavering crimson eyes.
"Mother. Everything that just happened—it was my idea. I'm sorry."
"I just wanted you to see the world as we do. To understand how much we've changed."
Inoue remained calm, her voice steady. "I've seen it. I accept that supernatural powers exist—and that the world is not as ordinary as I thought."
Then her tone hardened, gaze sharpening like a blade.
"But I still cannot condone what you three are doing. It defies everything about the normal world."
She looked straight at Nanashi.
"Most importantly—are they truly willing to share you?"
"I am."
"So am I."
Yukino and Haruno answered simultaneously without hesitation.
"..."
Inoue was at a loss.
They looked as if they were under a spell—no longer seeing her as their mother, only seeing Nanashi.
She inhaled deeply, pushing past her disbelief.
"Then tell me, Mr. Nanashi—how can you give them a future?"
His answer was not what she expected.
Nanashi shook his head slowly. "I can't promise them a future."
She didn't interrupt—only furrowed her brows and listened.
"Because we may not have a future."
"What do you mean?"
He squeezed their hands gently and said with quiet resolve:
"We are small beings facing the unknown. One day, we might fall to that unknown. We live in uncertainty."
Yukino and Haruno knew this already.
The doomsday games had proven it—the end of the world was not just possible, it was being tested. No one could predict what the next game would be like.
And even beyond the games, the world was changing—shifting, warping under the pressure of cognitive disasters.
No one knew what came next.
"...You mean, you might die?" Panic flickered in Inoue's eyes.
"Yes. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the day after. Who knows?"
"..."
She had thought they were simply gifted individuals from another world.
But now she saw—they were embroiled in something far beyond that.
"Mother," Haruno said, her voice soft but firm. "The world is more complicated than you realize. Even with all his power, Nanashi still can't stand against the unknown."
"His power right now... is enough to destroy the earth."
"..."
Inoue went silent.
She looked at the boy in front of her—the same one who had spoken to her with unwavering politeness.
And now, she was being told he could destroy the entire world.
And she believed it.
Because Haruno would never lie to her.
The unknown dangers they faced were clearly far beyond anything Inoue had imagined.
For the first time in her life, she felt completely out of control.
Even her own daughters—people she had raised—now seemed like strangers to her.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips.
"So, it seems you and Yukino didn't come here to ask for my permission… but to inform me."
Haruno met her gaze directly, without a hint of hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Mother. But I can't leave Amin."
Yukino's icy blue eyes held the same unwavering resolve.
"I'm sorry, Mother. I can't either."
They had hoped for their mother's blessing, but even without it, their path wouldn't change.
Whether she approved or not, their decision was already made.