"So that's how it is... dragons, magicians, magical girls..."
After Shin's explanation, Megumi Kato finally understood just who exactly lived in his household.
For someone like her, who had always believed the world was ordinary, this was quite a headache. It took her a while to fully process all this information.
The only silver lining was that not everyone in Shin's home possessed supernatural abilities. For instance, aside from Tohru, the other maids and Sayu Ogiwara were just regular people.
However, this realization also reminded Megumi of something. She looked at Shin with surprise, her tone laced with speculation as she asked:
"So, Shin's, your business with the Shinomiya family... is it...?"
"To be precise, the Shinomiya family is my subordinate. They've witnessed my power and know that aligning with me is their best choice."
Seeing that Megumi had figured it out, Shin smiled and clarified his relationship with the Shiomiya family.
Though the power he used to intimidate the Shiomiya family had nothing to do with dragons, magicians, or magical girls, to Megumi, all of these were equally fantastical abilities. Grouping them together made it easier for her to understand.
"I see... So, the girls from Shuchi'in Academy you knew before—was it because of this too?"
However, Megumi's first thought wasn't about how influential the Shinomiya family was, but rather the girls from Shuchi'in Academy who had connections with Shin.
This made sense—Megumi wasn't the type to chase vanity. Even after learning that the Shinomiya family was subordinate to Shin, she merely sighed in amazement. What she cared about more was Shin's relationship with those Shuchi'in girls. Now she understood why he had ties to the academy. Most likely, girls associated with the Shiomiya family had tried to get close to him.
"Shin, you're not thinking of transferring to Shuchi'in, are you?"
At this thought, Megumi looked at Shin with concern—she certainly didn't want him to transfer schools, as that would mean fewer opportunities for them to interact.
"Don't worry, I won't."
Shin patted Megumi's head helplessly. He had no interest in transferring to Shuchi'in.
The Shinomiya family had already extended the invitation before, but he wasn't fond of the aristocratic atmosphere of that school.
Besides, there were plenty of girls he knew at Private Toyosaki Academy, so he had even less reason to transfer.
If he ever left, it would be because he no longer wanted to attend school at all, not because he was switching to another institution.
---
"Why is there another new person in your house?"
After school, it wasn't just Megumi who came to Shin's home—Gabriel was there too.
She certainly recognized Megumi, as the two had met during Megumi's last visit. They were at least familiar with each other.
But what Gabriel hadn't expected was how quickly things had progressed. In what felt like no time at all, Megumi had moved into Shin's home.
The speed of their relationship's development left Gabriel speechless—and, deep down, perhaps a little envious.
"Huh? Gabriel-san?"
Megumi was also surprised to see Gabriel in a maid outfit.
The last time she had seen Gabriel at Shin's place, she had been a guest.
How had she become a maid in such a short time?
"She needed money urgently, so she took a part-time job as a maid here. I pay her well, after all."
Noticing Megumi's confusion, Shin explained with a smile why Gabriel was dressed as a maid.
"Though her maid skills are... somewhat questionable..."
"I've been working hard, okay?!"
Gabriel flushed with embarrassment at Shin's words. Though she wasn't as skilled as Tohru, she certainly wasn't bad at her job.
Back in Heaven, Gabriel had been the top honor student—the very image of what a true angel should be.
Before her fall from grace, she had been effortlessly adept at household chores, no less capable than Vignette was now.
But after sinking into online gaming, Gabriel had neglected housework for a long time, so her skills had grown rusty.
Still, she was confident that with a bit more time, she'd regain her former efficiency and become a fully competent maid.
With that, Gabriel left in a huff—she still had floors to clean in every room.
"Speaking of which, Shin... Gabriel-san isn't also...?"
Watching Gabriel leave, Megumi leaned in and whispered curiously to Shin.
Though Gabriel seemed like an ordinary girl, given that Shin's household was anything but normal, Megumi suspected she might be special too.
This time, Megumi's guess was spot-on. Shin didn't hide the truth from her and revealed Gabriel's real identity.
"...An angel?"
Hearing that Gabriel was an angel, Megumi seemed puzzled—Gabriel's lethargic demeanor was far from her image of what an angel should be.
"Then... is Vignette-san also an angel?"
She recalled Vignette, who had seemed close to Gabriel, and given Vignette's kind demeanor, she naturally assumed Vignette was an angel too.
"No, Vignette is a demon."
Shin's answer left Megumi momentarily bewildered.
---
Some of the other residents of Shin's home hadn't returned yet—for instance, Kanna and Illya, who were still in elementary school, weren't back.
So Shin decided to introduce Megumi to everyone during dinner. Before then, he helped her unpack in her new room.
Soon, Megumi's belongings were neatly arranged—there wasn't much, just daily necessities and clothes.
Though Megumi usually had a low presence, she was still a girl, and her wardrobe was substantial. Two large suitcases were filled almost entirely with clothing.
"Is there anything else you need help with?"
With Shin's assistance, unpacking was quick and effortless.
He turned to Megumi, about to ask if she needed anything else, when he noticed she had already sat down on the bed in her room.
The bed wasn't as large as the one in Shin's room, but it was still a double.
"Next... I'd like to test the quality of this bed."
Megumi's face was slightly flushed, as if saying such a thing embarrassed her.
Since there was still time before dinner, she wanted to seize the opportunity to get closer to Shin.
To be continued…
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