"I'd decided that I'd be the one to protect you all."
"Hehe~ I can't agree with something that macho."
Yuri, whose smile was far more open than before, poked his forehead with a slender finger.
"At times like this, it shouldn't matter whether you're a man or a woman."
"The next time we run into trouble, let's turn our tears into tears of joy together."
"Well said. Just what one would expect from Cure Moonlight."
"Isn't this nice~?"
Watching Ash and Yuri rekindle their old relationship and chat happily, Rei—now completely satisfied in every sense—narrowed her eyes and prepared to make her exit.
"I should be getting back too..."
"Rei, you laughed at me just now, didn't you?"
"Huh?"
The pink-haired girl, already at the doorway, froze at those words. Her neck turned back bit by bit, stiff as an unlubricated gear, her face saying that something had gone terribly wrong.
"Didn't you say you didn't mind?"
Wait, wait. Rei, wasn't I supposed to make you act spoiled together with Yuri-nee? What was this supposed to mean now?
"And you laughed pretty loudly too, didn't you?"
Oh, this was bad! So he totally cared after all! I had to find a way out!
"I told my family I was coming to take care of a friend. If I don't go home this late, Mom will worry!"
Then Rei watched Ash call her mother, Hanasaki Mizuki, right in front of her.
"Hello, Mom?"
Wait, why did he have her number—and why was he calling her Mom?!
"It's like this, Rei and I... First this happened, then this happened, and finally this happened—anyway, we won't be going home tonight."
Seeing how practiced he was, Rei's heart leaped before she hurriedly reassured herself. Mom, you'll treasure your good daughter, right? You wouldn't casually