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Meanwhile, back in Tokyo at the hotel suite—

Night had fallen. After dinner, warm golden light gently illuminated the spacious living room from the crystal chandelier overhead, and a faint, pleasant aroma of their recently enjoyed meal lingered in the air.

The dishes had already been cleared away by hotel staff. On the large sofa sat Bokue Keikain, eyes glued to his phone as he rapidly tapped on the screen, creating a soft, rhythmic click-click sound.

Seated close beside him were Mio Naruse and Maria Naruse, one on each side.

Click-click-click-click—

Maria curiously leaned over, peeking toward Bokue's screen with wide, intrigued eyes.

"Hey, hey—what's going on, Bokue-san? Why have you been staring at your phone this whole time? Could there really be something more interesting there than Mio-sama herself?" she teased playfully.

"It's not about interesting or not—" Bokue answered without looking up, entirely absorbed in typing his message. "I'm just replying to someone's texts."

Maria's eyes suddenly narrowed suspiciously. Though she had no evidence whatsoever, her instincts as a succubus gave her instant alarm bells.

"Hmm? Wait a minute~ Bokue-san, don't tell me... you're secretly flirting with another girl behind Mio-sama's back!?"

Bokue paused, giving her an incredulous look.

Flirting behind Mio's back? Seriously?

Well, truth be told, it was absolutely true he had other girls besides Mio—but to call it cheating would be highly questionable.

After all, at this very moment, he was replying to Nagisa Akatsuki. Well, to be precise, he was currently engaged in a cheerful back-and-forth chat with both Nagisa and Yukina Himeragi.

Right now, far away on Itogami Island, those two girls had evidently finished dinner as well, and since it was still early, they were chatting with him using a shared phone, probably passing it between them back and forth.

He could clearly picture them, curled up together on the couch, chatting happily one message at a time.

A very harmonious scene indeed.

Besides, he'd known Nagisa and Yukina even before meeting Mio and Maria, so strictly speaking—wasn't it Mio who was technically the "other woman" here?

Of course, Bokue wisely decided not to actually voice these thoughts aloud.

However, while he was silently complaining to himself, Maria suddenly stood up on the sofa cushion, arms stretching over Bokue's shoulder to teasingly tug at Mio's shoulder strap.

"Hey, Mio-sama, are you seriously okay with this~? After all these days apart, the second Bokue-san finally visits, he immediately starts texting other girls right in front of you! Can you really let that slide~?"

"Ehh—Maria, if you're gonna talk, then talk—but don't pull on my clothes!" Mio protested in embarrassment, hastily pulling back her already severely overworked shoulder strap. Her cheeks flushed as she turned away with an adorable pout.

"Besides... who cares if he texts other girls? What does it even have to do with me? It's not like I can forbid him or anything..."

Though Mio began confidently, her voice trailed off into a petulant mumble, clearly betraying her genuine feelings underneath that tsundere façade.

Maria, playing the wise advisor, sighed dramatically and shook her head.

"Now, now, Mio-sama—You can't say it like that! You need to have confidence in yourself! You're supposed to be the main heroine, right? You can't surrender before even putting up a fight!"

Mio: "…"

She couldn't even respond to that. Honestly, what did "main heroine" even mean at this point? Considering their actual relationship, Mio was technically supposed to be calling him "Brother-in-law." At this stage, did "main heroine" even make sense anymore?

But Maria wasn't finished yet. Since her prodding wasn't gaining immediate results from Mio, she swiftly pivoted toward the other target sitting even closer: Bokue himself.

"Bokue-san~ Look, Mio-sama is clearly upset. Aren't you going to comfort her properly~?"

Isn't this entirely your own fault? You're literally the one stirring everything up—

Bokue mentally facepalmed. Yet, he couldn't completely deny his own responsibility here.

After all, texting one girlfriend openly in front of another probably wasn't exactly good etiquette.

Sighing quietly, Bokue slipped his phone back into his pocket, pressing down on his knees and rising decisively from the sofa.

Eh?

Maria blinked in surprise. She had a strange sense of déjà vu—this was exactly the posture Bokue always assumed whenever he was about to leave. Usually, he'd stand like this, casually announce "It's getting late, I should go," and then disappear in an instant.

Wait—seriously? Was he about to leave again? No way, right?! She'd only been trying to help Mio-sama. If her words had accidentally offended Bokue-san and caused him to leave, Maria was sure she'd be in deep trouble later!

Just as the little Succubus girl's thoughts were spinning wildly in panic, Bokue turned instead to face Mio.

Without hesitation, he leaned forward, swiftly scooping Mio off the sofa into a princess carry before she could even react.

"W-w-wait, Bok—Brother-in-law, what are you—!?"

Mio stammered helplessly. His sudden action completely caught her off guard. Being abruptly pulled into his embrace, feeling his warmth so intimately close, Mio's face instantly flushed bright red.

Bokue just shrugged calmly, "Well, what can I do? Like I said earlier, the Hero Clan is closely watching the Kanto region right now, so it's best if none of you even leave this hotel suite for now—never mind going shopping or sightseeing outside. Honestly, I was planning to wait until a little later tonight, but since Maria is insisting this much… Let's just shower and go to bed now~"

Sh-shower and bed?!

Naturally, Mio understood exactly what those words implied. Instantly, the blush on her face deepened even further.

"But... we literally just ate dinner..."

If they went straight into it after eating this much, wouldn't she be pushed so hard she'd end up throwing everything back up?!

Mio's hesitation barely lasted a second. By then, it was already too late.

Click.

With the gentle sound of the bedroom door shutting, a shimmer of golden energy instantly flashed along its edges, creating a perfect soundproof barrier around the room.

❁❁❁❁

Meanwhile, out in the living room.

"Oh my~ They really went straight for it, didn't they?" Sheila murmured softly, covering her mouth in mock astonishment.

Although she knew well Bokue's decisive character—never hesitating when it was time to act—she'd previously assumed that applied only during more private, one-on-one moments. Like last time.

But to be so openly bold, even with others around...?

She couldn't help but smile fondly.

"As expected from my chosen man~?"

"Yes… they certainly did." Maria was staring quietly at the closed bedroom door, deep in thought, clearly weighing something heavily within her mind.

Seeing her daughter's expression, Sheila smiled knowingly.

"What's this, Maria dear? Are you perhaps feeling tempted yourself? That's perfectly alright, you know—love is a battlefield, as they say. If you're interested, why not jump right in and join them?"

"H-huh?! Ah—well, you see…" Maria stammered, caught entirely off guard by her mother's unexpected, teasing suggestion. Her inner thoughts exposed so abruptly, she quickly grew flustered.

Sheila's smile grew brighter. With a gentle snap of her elegant fingers, the delicate soundproof barrier surrounding the bedroom dissolved instantly.

"Such a simple barrier... Now, let's listen closely and see exactly how far they've gotten~"

And just like that, as the barrier completely faded away, Mio's sweet, passionate voice immediately pierced through the walls and clearly echoed throughout the living room.

Hearing those intimate sounds, Zest quietly turned her head away, cheeks noticeably darkening with embarrassment.

Sheila merely smiled with understanding amusement.

Maria, meanwhile, listened intently, her face rapidly turning red. But beyond simple embarrassment, her expression was filled even more with awe and astonishment.

S-so that's how intensely Bokue-san and Mio-sama always do it...?

❁❁❁❁

Suddenly, she felt someone gently poking her shoulder.

Maria turned her head and met her mother's affectionate, knowing gaze.

"...Mom?" she asked hesitantly.

"It's nothing much~" Sheila responded lightly, tapping Maria's forehead gently with her slender fingertips. Instantly, soft purple magic—the power of the Succubus—spread out warmly from her touch.

"It's just, as your mother, when I see my own child hesitating at the brink... I simply can't resist giving her a helpful little push."

"So if you really want to join them... go right ahead, Maria dear~"

Sheila's mischievous smile widened knowingly.

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