Reunion of Lawrence and Manlio

At the sound of that click, something clicked inside Lawrence as well.

"Manlio must be back, huh?" Sakata Kintoki chuckled and ran downstairs to greet him.

Lawrence felt an extremely rare sense of unease, discomfort crawling all over her body.

Fujimaru Ritsuka naturally knew why Lawrence was feeling awkward. He let out a quiet snicker, only for Lawrence to notice.

"Ritsuka, don't laugh." Lawrence already felt uncomfortable enough, and Ritsuka's laughter only made her more embarrassed.

She had indeed chosen to relinquish her own appearance and manifest in her wife's form so that the world would remember her beloved—but if she ran into someone she knew...

Even Lawrence would feel embarrassed.

Of course, acquaintances on Leonardo da Vinci's monster-like level were an exception. She was no longer a normal human being anyway. (Lawrence's scathing assessment.)

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Manlio's familiar face came into Lawrence's view.

The moment Manlio saw Lawrence, his eyes widened enormously.

"H-Harley?"

"W-Wait, Manlio! Don't come any closer!" Lawrence held out a hand to stop Manlio, while her legs took two steps backward on their own. "I-I'm your teacher!"

"Huh?" Manlio was dumbfounded.

The three people beside them: This was juicy.

"I mean, I'm your teacher, Lawrence, not your Harley!" Lawrence's face turned bright red as she waved her hands wildly, explaining her current situation.

"...Huh?" Lawrence had completely thrown Manlio for a loop.

Ah, even the air had gone awkward.

"It's really rare to see Miss Lawrence like this. So the ever-serious Miss Lawrence can blush too." Fujimaru Ritsuka was immensely satisfied. He pulled out the small camera he carried with him and snapped a picture of the red-faced Lawrence. "Now this is educational. Very educational."

"Master, you—" Lawrence felt her blood pressure rising, and nearly failed to catch her breath.

Kintoki looked