"Aha—! I thought so!" ｡(^▽^)ゞ

Mei Tachibana raised an arm and scratched the back of her head with a laugh. She then put on a disappointed expression, seemingly lamenting the missed opportunity for a commendation.

"..." Ryohei Tanaka's mouth twitched as he stared at her, utterly speechless. From her reactions, it was clear she had genuinely intended to arrest him. Luckily, he had explained himself quickly enough. Any slower, and he might have already been in handcuffs. This ridiculous policewoman was probably capable of it—after all, she was the type to arrest Jashin-chan on the grounds of "stealing her heart."

"Waah—! Orochimaru!" Mei's eyes lit up the moment she saw Jashin-chan being reluctantly—no, bashfully—dragged downstairs by Yurine. Her face flushed with excitement, and she waved enthusiastically.

"Eek—!" The sight of Mei made Jashin-chan react like a mouse seeing a cat. She shuddered, and beads of sweat popped out on her forehead. She struggled desperately, but she couldn't break free from Yurine's grip and was dragged to the doorway.

"Ohh—! So cute! You smell so good! Orochimaru is the best!" Mei threw her arms around Jashin-chan, pressing her face against hers and rubbing it back and forth excitedly, squishing Jashin-chan's face out of shape.

"Stop it! Get away from me!" A series of dark lines appeared on Jashin-chan's forehead. She pushed against Mei with all her might, but she couldn't move her an inch.

Ryohei suddenly noticed a crucial point—Mei was somehow stronger than Jashin-chan. That wasn't normal at all.

While he was still processing this, Mei, still holding Jashin-chan, announced her departure. "Well then... I'll be taking Orochimaru with me."

"Mmm, bye-bye." Yurine waved, a joyful smile on her face, and gave Jashin-chan a look that said, "Enjoy yourself."

"You wretched Yurine..." Jashin-chan looked back unwillingly as she was hauled towards the police car. "You just wait! I'll get you back for this sooner or later!" she snarled, glaring at Yurine.

"Mmm, okay, I'll be waiting," Yurine replied, her smile never wavering, completely unbothered by the threat.

"By the way... will Jashin-chan be back tonight?" Ryohei asked, watching the "cauliflower snake" being taken away. The restaurant was opening tonight, and Jashin-chan was a key part of his staff. Of course, it wouldn't be a disaster if she missed one night; someone else could fill in.

"I'll have Mei-san release her this afternoon," Yurine said, giving Ryohei a reassuring smile. With that, she turned and headed back into the living room. She hadn't even finished her breakfast, and it was all Jashin-chan's fault for provoking her.

"Okay," Ryohei replied, following her.

After that, everything was calm and harmonious.

...

After breakfast, the Second was surprised to find that her broken leg had completely healed. The recovery seemed a tiny bit faster than usual, but she didn't think much of it.

Jashin-chan, having been taken away by Mei, had barely touched her bowl of congee, having spent the whole morning causing trouble. Minos covered the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for her to eat when she got back.

Then, Minos started clearing the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. As she worked, she brought up the matter of her teacher wanting the Second to train with her for a while.

Yurine instinctively glanced at the Second, who was clearly aware of the arrangement. When she saw Yurine looking at her, she immediately put on an expectant and pleading expression. She genuinely wanted to stay in this house, for no other reason than the food was delicious and she wanted to eat it often. It was as simple as that.

...

Although she was thousands of years old, the Second looked no different from a child—a primary schooler, or a middle schooler at most. Her long-term frailty gave her a delicate air, and she was naturally very cute, inspiring a protective instinct in others. Seeing her look at her with such hopeful eyes, Yurine's heart softened. She turned to Ryohei, wanting his opinion.

Feeling her gaze, Ryohei, who was waiting for Minos to finish cleaning so they could go buy fresh ingredients, thought for a moment and said, "Minos already told me during our run this morning. I have no objection."

"Mmm." Yurine nodded. She didn't have any objections either. For Minos's sake, she said, "There are no more spare rooms in the house. If you don't mind her sharing your room..."

"I don't mind at all!" Minos replied happily, her silvery-white cow's tail swishing behind her. She was pleased that neither Ryohei nor Yurine had refused, which gave her face and made it easier to report back to her teacher.

"Yay—!" (^o^)/ Persephone II was even more delighted, throwing her hands up in the air and cheering.

"Please take good care of her from now on," Yurine said with a smile, looking at the jubilant Second.

The Second clasped her hands in front of her and gave Yurine a slight bow. "Please take good care of me!"

...

Before they knew it, it was past four in the afternoon. Jashin-chan still hadn't returned. Ryohei had sent her a message, but there was no reply. According to Yurine, Mei was supposed to have released her at three o'clock. Perhaps she had only paid lip service to the promise and hadn't actually let her go. Or maybe Jashin-chan had passed by an arcade and couldn't resist going in. Ryohei felt both were plausible.

He wasn't too concerned. He temporarily promoted Yusa to be his assistant cook for the day. Yusa had some cooking skills, and so did Yurine, for that matter. But Yurine was still at school. She had two classes that afternoon and wouldn't be out until 4:50. Besides, her final exams were next week, and she had been studying hard. Ryohei didn't want to disturb her.

"Ting-a-ling—!"

The glass door of the restaurant was pushed open, and the bell above it chimed. Pecola and Poporon had arrived. The two angels quickly spotted Persephone II in her Western-style dress and were taken aback. Where did another demon come from?

~~~

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