Rai Hikaru froze for a moment, staring at the stunningly beautiful woman before him. Her face—ethereal and flawless, pale as porcelain—made him pause.
He wasn't stunned in the same way the apartment manager had been, mesmerized purely by her beauty. No—what had him frozen was what he knew about her true identity.
A Yuki-onna.
Those crystal-clear, ice-blue eyes. The silver hair twisted elegantly atop her head. That breathtaking, picture-perfect face. Skin whiter than snow, translucent and flawless. And a body that defied all reason—curves in all the right places, dangerously voluptuous…
He knew her too well.
This face. This figure. That presence. He'd seen her before in his past life—the classic, legendary Yuki-onna.
And now, here she was, in this world. A member of the demi-human race, appearing in his reality.
Rai Hikaru had thought such creatures were only myths. He had never expected one to exist in this fusion world.
"E-excuse me… Sir… what are you saying?"
A soft, enchanting voice rang out, tinged with a cold, piercing edge.
Rai Hikaru snapped out of his reverie. Snow-haired, ice-eyed, this mesmerizing woman—Yukino Shindou—stood there, her delicate hands tightly clasped, staring directly at him with those brilliant azure eyes.
She looked startled, perhaps because her identity had been accidentally exposed.
"Haha! A Yuki-onna is just a legendary monster. How could Miss Yukino be one? This gentleman was merely overwhelmed by your beauty, Miss Yukino, and spoke nonsense, right?"
The apartment manager, Takahashi, quickly jumped in, trying to cover for himself after being caught staring at Yukino Shindou like a fool.
"Yes… that's exactly it," Rai Hikaru said with a smile, not denying it.
Hearing that, Yukino Shindou visibly relaxed. Rai Hikaru, on the surface calm, also felt a subtle relief.
As a Yuki-onna, she wasn't someone to underestimate. If things had escalated, he couldn't guarantee he could handle her. He had no desire to provoke a confrontation by revealing her true identity.
He remembered from his past life's source material that Yukino Shindou's background didn't match this setting. And apparently, Takahashi, the manager, didn't know her true nature either.
Clearly, this world differed slightly from the one he had known. Small changes, but important ones.
For now, at least, the situation was contained.
This Yuki-onna wasn't a bloodthirsty monster like the legends suggested—she was gentle, even timid, and a little socially anxious. Rai Hikaru didn't look at her again. Her face might have been a living painting, and her widowly, mature aura undeniably alluring—but right now, he didn't want this kind of trouble.
A few minutes later, Rai Hikaru leaned against the hallway railing, eyes half-closed, planning to simply wait for Shinonome Natsuka to finish changing so they could head to school.
Then he heard raised voices nearby.
"Miss Yukino, you're two months behind on rent. If you don't pay now, I'll have no choice but to ask you to leave this building."
Rai Hikaru recognized Takahashi's voice, stern and loud.
"I… I really have no other choice. I lost a large sum recently, that's why… that's why…" Yukino Shindou's head drooped, fingers nervously fidgeting.
"This has nothing to do with me. I'm just the manager collecting rent. Now, I suggest you pay in full—or leave."
Takahashi's tone was firm, but his eyes betrayed him, wandering over her perfectly sculpted body with a gleam that suggested other intentions.
"Mr. Takahashi… couldn't you… be lenient? This home… it holds too many memories for me…" Yukino Shindou's head stayed lowered, her stunningly beautiful face flushed, and her long, pale fingers intertwined tightly in anxiety.
Takahashi's lips curved into a sly, satisfied grin.
"You don't want to be forced out, do you, Miss Yukino?" he said smoothly. "Actually… the rent issue could be negotiable. As long as you're willing to offer… other forms of compensation…"
Her eyebrows, relaxed for a brief moment, immediately furrowed at the second half of his sentence.
Though she wasn't socially adept, Yukino Shindou understood from his heated, lustful gaze what he implied.
"Other forms of… compensation? What do you mean?" she asked, voice trembling.
Takahashi glanced at Rai Hikaru, who had been silently observing this entire scene, and then smirked:
"We can discuss that inside. Really, it just requires a little… cooperation from you. After all, isn't it better to move forward than dwell on the past?"
He shoved the half-open door toward her.
"No! We'll discuss it here! You… you can't come in!" Yukino Shindou suddenly snapped, pressing her hands against the door to keep him out.
"Come on, inside! Come on!" Takahashi, eager to claim what he thought was his, pushed harder.
Yukino Shindou flailed, panicked. Though a Yuki-onna, she wasn't exceptionally strong. In a world where demi-humans were rare, she couldn't risk using her abilities and revealing her true identity.
Even if she could teach this rude manager a lesson, a young, handsome boy stood nearby.
No matter how hard she resisted, the door slowly crept open.
Takahashi's face darkened with lust and impatience, eyes widening as he growled:
"Let me in! Miss Yukino, let me in!!!"
Just as he was about to force his way in, and Yukino Shindou was panicking, unsure how to handle the situation…
A magnetic voice cut through the tension:
"Hey… I don't think this is right."
"Even if there's a reason, you can't just force yourself on a woman."
Startled, both Takahashi and Yukino turned their heads—and saw Rai Hikaru, the high school boy who had been silently observing all along.
Still in his school uniform, he smiled broadly, exposing a perfect row of white teeth, calm and unflinching.