517 A Chapter from the Past

"He's been acting like nothing's wrong ever since."

"But I think the junior brother from before was definitely better."

Mai wasn't quite sure what she meant, so she simply offered her own opinion. "Indeed, Shuya is too lazy these days."

"... It's not a matter of being lazy or not, but rather, let me think of how to describe it."

The Little Senior Sister tilted her head and thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "I feel... he's lost a certain... domineering aura?"

"So domineering? I never knew my Little Senior Sister had such a childish side."

Mai laughed.

"Maybe? But I think that adjective is quite accurate."

"But I think Shuya is still very domineering now, he hasn't changed much."

"Hmm... maybe we have different understandings. The 'domineering' spirit I'm referring to is that kind of ambitious and enterprising spirit, not the kind you're talking about... domineering?"

Even the Little Senior Sister wasn't entirely sure by the end.

Mai pondered for a moment, then her gaze, like that of her Little Senior Sister, turned to Shuya, who was playing around with Haruno and the others.

She said, "Or Little Senior Sister what you mean by the difference between him and before is that Shuya has lost his goals and motivation?"

"... Probably."

The Little Senior Sister remained silent, feeling that this was a fitting description.

"I've been watching Shuya- kun from the sidelines, so I know very well that he's different from before. He used to have clear goals and was willing to strive for them. His eyes are different now."

"His eyes used to be much more captivating."

The Little Senior Sister spoke very seriously.

Section 556, Chapter 517: The Old Days

Now that you mention it, I think I kind of agree.

Mai unconsciously curled her hair and twirled it, pondering the differences between the old Shuya the current Shuya.

The Little Senior Sister smiled and said, "But I think he's been feeling better lately, thanks to you all."

"We... that's probably due to Puberty Syndrome."

Mai realized the reason why Shuya, this slacker, could turn his life around.

Then, the Little Senior Sister and she simultaneously thought of Shuya's embarrassing past when he appeared on TV after his gender transformation, and they both burst out laughing.

"What's wrong?"

Xiu, who hadn't paid attention to what they were saying Shuya, looked over curiously, only to be met with even louder laughter from them.

"???"

Shuya full of questions.

As she laughed, Mai's memories of the past were stirred up by her Little Senior Sister's words.

She remembers it very clearly; she could say she'll never forget it in her entire life.

I remember it was a day when the winter winds were fading and cherry blossoms were fluttering in the air.

The afternoon sun shone lazily on the earth. Outside a coffee shop, a tabby cat stretched out its body, enjoying the warm spring sunshine.

Suddenly, a gasp rang out from the outdoor area of the nearby coffee shop.

"What, what did you say?!"

The surprised female voice startled Miaomiao. It nimbly leaped far away, glanced disdainfully at the boy and girl in the seats, and haughtily strode away.

It's not that you scared me, it's that I don't want to deal with you. Remember that, you foolish humans!

However, the cat's words did not reach its destination.

Mai had just screamed, painfully took out stomach medicine from her bag and swallowed it skillfully.

You said you even defeated Amaterasu in the end? That legendary supreme goddess of Japan?

Shuya, nodded slightly. "You heard me right."

"Ugh! I'll die from your talk sooner or later!"

Mai's little head bumped against the table with a thud.

The voice is beautiful; it's a good start.

Mai cradled her clever little head, trying hard to digest the long story that Shuya had told her.

Although she saw many videos about the battle between the gods and demons on Nico Nico Hidden Website, the news about the final battle between the gods and demons in Japan has not yet been officially released to the public.

Those we know so far are not ordinary people.

Therefore, she was unaware that the matter had been resolved, which is why she was so surprised.

Mai struggled to process Shuya's words, then asked, puzzled, "No, now that everything's resolved, why are you telling me all this?"

"Who said it's resolved? There's still a ton of stuff to clean up afterward."

Shuya shook his head and said, "But those people all had their subordinates helping them, so I'm fine—besides, I didn't plan to go into details with you. I called you out because I had something important to discuss; what I said earlier was just a casual remark to warm things up."

Mai was silent for a moment, then said, "... Well, I suddenly remembered something urgent."

"I just confessed my feelings to Rena- neechan at the hospital."

Shuya gazed into the distance.

He didn't wait for Mai to make an excuse to run away.

"Goo!"

Mai's little head bumped against the table again, and the stomachache made her wrinkle her little face.

But Shuya.

He said sadly, "The confession itself wasn't the problem; the real issue is that the Quintuplets overheard it outside the door."

"Ugh!"

Mai convulsed:

"No, I can't take it anymore! I need to be hospitalized too!"

"Shall we continue our discussion at the hospital?"

Shuya showed concern, which was very considerate of him.

Mai retorted angrily, "Are you a devil?!"

Shuya said solemnly, "Although I can transform into a god or a demon, my essence is still human, not a devil."

"Is this the key point?"

Mai's short legs kicked at his shin, and the recoil made her cry out in pain.

"I'm going home!"

She cried out through tears.

Shuya very considerate. "Okay, let's go to your place to talk."

Mai: "..."

She took a deep breath. "Is there anything else you want to say? Based on my life experience, I don't think I can offer you any advice."

Shuya's expression was melancholy:

"Tell me... what exactly is life?"

Mai: "?"

She felt that she, a little girl in her early teens, was bearing a burden she shouldn't have to bear.

Has life finally turned on this incredibly cute little girl like me...? Mai has lost count of how many times she's uttered this sigh.

She knew she couldn't escape this fate.

Mai, with a look of grim determination, reached out her hand, signaling Shuya to begin his performance.

Shuya then began. "This morning, when I was confessing to Rena at the hospital, the Quintuplets were actually listening outside the door. I hadn't recovered yet and didn't notice them. This momentary lapse in attention made things very awkward."

Mai asked, "We'll talk about the Quintuplets later. Has Rena responded to you?"

"No, she was stunned."

Shuya sighed again.

"Oh... I can understand that."

Mai rubbed her stomach, trying to relieve the discomfort.

She added, "Based on what you told me before, Rena always thought your target was one of her five daughters, or all of them. In any case, she considered you as her son-in-law. But now, it turns out you're actually targeting her yourself."

"Ugh---just thinking about it makes my brain explode!"

Mai really wanted to roll around on the ground to vent her frustration.

"Don't panic, I haven't finished yet."

"That's right... the most important part hasn't been asked yet—so what? What was the Quintuplets' reaction?"

Mai of the Quintuplets, Mai couldn't help but feel sorry for them.

She had heard Shuya mention that the Quintuplets had been arguing with him recently, but Mai also knew that they had liked Shuya for many years.

But now...

With her mother ill and her future uncertain, her favorite boy confessed his feelings to her. This is just too... devilish.

Mai's gaze gradually became vacant.

She was stunned.

Shuya continued to be the melancholy little prince, his demeanor evoking pity in others.

He sighed softly, "Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki burst into tears on the spot."

"And then?"

Mai squeezed her arm hard, hoping it would distract her from the stomach pain.

It didn't work.

Shuya said, "Ichika desperately asked me if what she just said was true."

Hiss---Whoosh---Hiss---Whoosh---

Mai took deep breaths, finally managing to calm down.

Then she asked, "How will you answer?"

I replied: That's right, I've always liked Rena.

"Wow! You said it! You said it! You said it so bluntly!"

Mai covered her head and frantically shook her hair.

This is insane!

She deeply regretted agreeing to Shuya's invitation to go out for afternoon tea today.

This afternoon tea was absolutely awful!

But Shuya wasn't finished yet.

Even someone as composed as him showed a hint of worry on his face at this moment. "Finally, Nino screamed like a madwoman and asked me: 'Then what are we to you?! Have you been lying to us all these years?! Shu-chan, you big liar!'"

"How... how did you answer?"

Her Mai were barely audible.

Shuya stared blankly at the boundless sky and said, "I answer..."

"I've always treated you like my daughters. If you don't mind, you can call me Dad from now on."