When the 158-cm-tall Mahiru stepped out of the bath again, she had already changed into Zyhark's white dress shirt, which was far too big for her.
The shirt hem completely covered the tops of her thighs, like a casually worn short skirt, yet more alluring than any skirt could ever be.
Because Zyhark stood 188 cm tall— the petite Mahiru, after putting it on, had sleeves dangling far beyond her hands, almost wrapping her small hands entirely, leaving only a few slender, alabaster fingertips peeking out.
It made her look even more delicate and pitiable.
Most fatal of all… were those long, straight, beautifully proportioned legs!
Still rosy from the bath, they extended out from beneath the shirt's hem, their lines as elegant as a work of art.
Her bare jade feet were dainty and tempting to the touch, pearl-like toes curling a little, uneasily, on the soft carpet.
Seeing this, Zyhark quietly sucked in a breath.
He had to admit— this "Angel-sama" whose beauty could topple cities radiated an unconsciously lethal charm.
"This is… a straight foul…" he muttered inwardly.
But… fortunately, from now on, she was his.
Mahiru didn't seem to realize just how suggestive her current outfit was.
Sitting on the plush sofa, she curiously examined the unfamiliar room.
Her gaze finally settled on the small balcony connected to the living room.
A few obviously feminine garments were drying there.
A blue lingerie set and pure-white panties hung beneath the parapet.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Following her gaze, Zyhark felt his heart skip a beat.
"Ah, that… I forgot to tell you earlier."
"Before you, I already had one Familia member."
"Her name is Yukinoshita Yukino, and like you, she was summoned from another world."
"You're my second Familia member."
Knowing he couldn't hide it, Zyhark spoke frankly.
"Second… Familia member?"
Mahiru turned her head, caramel eyes asking for clarification.
"Mm."
Zyhark nodded, and explained in an easy tone:
"About a Familia."
"You can think of it as our shared 'home' in this world."
"The god is the guardian, the Familia are the family."
"Though everyone comes from different places and our personalities may differ,"
"I hope you can support each other and get along like family."
A trace of memory flashed through his mind, and a helpless smile surfaced.
'Please, let my Familia never end up like Freya Familia.'
As far as he knew, the members of Freya Familia were all simps who couldn't stand each other.
To compete for the goddess's "love," they fought nonstop on the "battlefields" every day.
Even the executives schemed against each other, wanting to kill their own captain to gain excelia.
'I don't want that vibe for my Familia.'
'Ideally, we'd be like Loki Familia—united and developing together.'
Zyhark prayed silently.
However— that icy girl Yukino… and Mahiru, an angel on the outside who probably hid thorns within.
Could those two really coexist peacefully?
The road ahead felt… perilous.
Mahiru listened quietly, her gaze passing the lingerie on the balcony again.
She nodded lightly and said in a low voice:
"I understand."
"I will… do my best to get along with Miss Yukinoshita."
Only, her tone didn't sound all that confident.
…
As time passed, the sky outside gradually slipped into the warm orange of dusk.
With no suitable clothes, Mahiru could only keep wearing the oversized shirt.
Sitting a bit self-consciously on the sofa, she chatted with Zyhark about the otherworld's customs.
Just then— the door gave a soft click and was pushed open from outside.
Wearing battle gear and still as cool as snow, Yukino walked in.
She held a small cloth pouch; coins of valis clinked against one another inside.
Clearly, she'd done well in the Dungeon today—at least fifty thousand valis by the look of it.
Travel-worn as she was, she remained neat and clean, without a single scratch.
However— when Yukino stepped into the living room and her eyes fell upon the unfamiliar beauty on the sofa wearing Zyhark's oversized shirt, those impossibly long legs exposed beneath— the calm on her face froze at once, replaced by unmistakable surprise.
Mahiru saw Yukino as well.
Their gazes crossed in midair, silently taking each other's measure.
Yukino's cool pride and Mahiru's delicate softness formed a stark contrast.
A subtle tension spread through the air; neither spoke first.
At that moment, Zyhark came out of the bathroom. Seeing Yukino back, he stepped up at once:
"Yukino, you're back?"
"Looks like you did well!"
"Good work!"
Yukino's eyes left Mahiru and fell on Zyhark.
Those blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Her poisonous tongue skill started up late, but start it did:
"While I was out working hard to make money, you certainly weren't idle."
"So quickly 'recruiting' such a… heart-achingly delicate new member."
"May I ask,"
"Kami-sama, from which corner did you discover this young lady with such… 'distinctive' attire?"
Her tone was calm, but every word had a barb.
Zyhark's scalp tingled; forcing himself, he explained:
"Yukino, let me introduce you. This is Shiina Mahiru."
"Just like you, she's a new Familia member I summoned from another world."
"Mahiru, this is the Yukinoshita Yukino I mentioned today."
"Another world… a summoning?"
Yukino immediately seized the keywords.
She looked at Mahiru; a trace of comprehension appeared in her eyes.
But she then turned back to Zyhark, her tone even colder:
"I see."
"Apparently your summoning targets a very particular type of beautiful girl."
At that point, Shiina Mahiru stood up as well.
She looked to Zyhark, caramel eyes carrying grievance and a touch of offended anger.
Her own poisonous tongue instinct kicked in:
"Zyhark-sama, may I ask what exactly is going on?"
"Why was I brought to this strange world without my consent?"
"And also,"
"from what Miss Yukinoshita said, it sounds as if I'm some uninvited trouble?"
Zyhark suddenly felt a splitting headache— as though stabbed by two ice picks and sliced by two honeyed knives at the same time.
Before he could figure out how to soothe both girls…
Yukino unexpectedly spoke again—this time to Mahiru:
"Complaints and blame don't change the facts."
"Now that you've been summoned here, it means you can't go back—at least for now."
"This other world is crude and dangerous, but not without merits."
"At the very least, here,"
"you can cast off some… revolting shackles and live by your own strength."
Though still cool, her tone held less edge, more statement of fact.
Hearing this, Mahiru started slightly, as if Yukino had hit a nerve.
But her pride wouldn't let her agree, and she shot back at once:
"Easy for you to say."
"Do you so willingly accept this forced fate?"
"In a completely unfamiliar world, relying on a—seemingly not-so-reliable god?"
"Relying?"
The corner of Yukino's mouth lifted in a cold arc:
"I depend on my own ability."
"As for reliability…"
She glanced at Zyhark:
"For now at least, he provided the necessary start and a… reasonably warm place to stay."
"Compared with those who only rail at the heavens and can't even grasp their own situation,"
"I consider my choice the more rational one."
Mahiru countered again:
"Rail at the heavens? Can't grasp my situation? That superior attitude of yours is hardly admirable!"
Yukino sneered:
"It's still better than someone wearing a man's shirt without the most basic sense of self-protection or prudence."
Seeing their barbed exchange escalate, as if invisible ice shards and light needles were clashing in the air, Zyhark quickly raised both hands and stepped between them:
"Stop! Stop! Ladies, please—cool down!"
He drew a deep breath, trying to project a main deity's authority:
"I know it's hard to accept each other all at once."
"But as members of Zyhark Familia, you're family!"
"What does it look like when family fight like this!"
"Look how united other Familia are—we should learn from them!"
He looked to Yukino and Mahiru in turn, easing his tone:
"Yukino, Mahiru just arrived; she doesn't know much yet and needs time to adapt."
"Mahiru, Yukino… speaks a little bluntly,"
"but she means no harm, and she's strong. She can teach you many 'techniques' to survive in this world."
"Please try to understand each other, okay?"
Perhaps the persuasion worked a little; perhaps both realized arguing was useless.
The mood on site eased—slightly.
Yukino snorted and looked away, but said nothing more.
Mahiru pressed her lips together and lowered her head.
"All right, all right, it's late. Let's go out for dinner—my treat!"
Zyhark tried to melt tensions with good food.
However—
Mahiru lifted her head and said softly:
"If you don't mind…"
"we could buy ingredients and let me cook."
She glanced at the little kitchenette:
"My skills… should be decent."
Zyhark's eyes lit up; he nodded immediately:
"Great!"
"Then I'll trouble you, Mahiru!"
He knew well how incredible food became under the boost of Chef of Comfort!
So… still in the loose shirt but now wrapped in Zyhark's jacket, the three went to a nearby market and bought fresh ingredients.
When they returned, Mahiru tied on the hotel apron and got to work in the kitchen.
It wasn't long before mouth-watering aromas filled the suite.
When a simple three-dishes-and-one-soup set was brought to the table—the refined plating and inviting colors… even food-picky Yukino had a fleeting, imperceptible flash of surprise in her eyes.
After the first bite, Yukino was silent for a moment, then said softly:
"…The taste is indeed impeccable."
That was probably the highest praise she gave.
Zyhark, meanwhile, couldn't stop praising between bites:
"So good!"
"Mahiru, you're literally an angel!"
"With you here,"
"our Familia's meals just jumped straight to top-tier Orario level!"
Hearing Zyhark's over-the-top praise and Yukino's reserved but clear approval, the slight tightness on Mahiru's face finally loosened into a faint but genuinely gentle smile.
She nodded lightly:
"As long as you like it."
At the table, the earlier saber-rattling finally melted in the warmth and flavor of the food.
Zyhark exhaled in relief, thinking:
"It seems we're still far from being a true 'family.'"
"But at least…"
"the foundations for peaceful coexistence"
"seem to have been quietly laid by this dinner cooked by an angel~"
…
After the cozy dinner, the air was relatively harmonious.
However— when Yukino stood up naturally and said to Zyhark:
"Let's bathe together. I picked up quite a bit of dust in the Dungeon today," then reached out to pull him along, the newly thawed atmosphere instantly froze over again.
Mahiru's caramel eyes flew wide.
She stared in disbelief at how Yukino so matter-of-factly invited a man to bathe together.
Her fair cheeks flushed with shock and a hint of indignant shame.
She blurted out, sharp with sarcasm:
"W-wait!"
"Yukinoshita-san, do you… do you truly have no basic shame or self-reflection?"
"To invite the opposite sex so casually…"
"And with Kami-sama, no less…"
"In our original world, this would be—"
Yukino stopped.
She turned back, blue eyes like a frozen lake, fixing Mahiru with a cold stare.
Her lips curled in a mocking arc:
"Shiina-san, it seems you still haven't recognized reality."
"This isn't the Japan you know, bound by tedious rules and hypocritical gazes."
"This is Orario—the Labyrinth City—another world where strength reigns."
Her voice was icy; each word struck Mahiru like an ice pick:
"Here, survival and becoming stronger are the priorities."
"So-called 'shame' and 'common sense' are laughable burdens compared to mortal danger and power growth."
"The relationship between a god and Familia members is far more complex than your narrow notions."
"Bathing together efficiently cleans the body, relieves fatigue, and even facilitates information exchange. Nothing more."
"If you insist on clinging to those stale notions from your old world,"
"then I suggest you find a block of tofu and bash your head—see if you can warp back."
Mahiru choked on Yukino's merciless, hard-reality words, speechless.
She bit her lip, chest rising and falling—clearly furious.
But Yukino's words were like a cold key, prying open Mahiru's inner armor and forcing her to face how "different" this world was.
Looking at Yukino's "I'll do as I please; what's it to you" indifference— and at Zyhark's slightly awkward yet not-quite-refusing stance— a swirl of defiance surged in Mahiru's heart, mixed with "I refuse to be the only fool following the rules."
Under Yukino's faintly provocative gaze, she jerked her head up, cheeks crimson, and forced herself to sound steady:
"Since… since Yukinoshita-san claims this is 'common sense' in another world,"
"then I… I won't fall behind!"
"I'm joining too!"
This time it was Zyhark's turn to be dumbfounded.
Looking at the cool-as-ice beauty and the shy-yet-stubborn angel before him, he felt his brain buffering.
"N-no… Mahiru, you…"
"It's fine!"
Mahiru cut him off.
Her voice still trembled, but her eyes were unusually firm:
"I mustn't… be looked down on."
...
…
(End of Chapter)
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