Thud, thud, thud!
At the sound of rapid footsteps descending the stairs, Maria turned her head and caught sight of Adrian.
Her eyes immediately lit up as she proudly raised up the girl she had been dragging along—who, despite being younger, was a good deal bigger than her.
"Adrian! I caught a girl who tried to sneak into our house!"
She grinned like a fox with a chicken in its jaws. "I've got at least nine ways to make her spill why she's here!"
Maria, ever eager to show off, barely let her breath catch before blurting it all out.
But just two seconds after she finished, the girl she was holding—Yuki Suo—burst into dramatic tears.
"Big brother! Help me!!"
"…?"
Mio Naruse, who had just poked her head into the room, stood frozen, a giant question mark practically floating above her head.
Why does everything she just said… sound exactly like my lines?
Adrian sighed and rubbed his forehead. With a wave of his hand, he gestured to Maria.
"Put her down."
The moment Yuki touched the floor, she sprang forward like a cat and dove straight into Adrian's arms.
Naruse's expression changed instantly. Her wide eyes sharpened as she stomped forward and wrapped herself tightly around Adrian's other arm.
"You! What are you trying to do to my big brother?! I swear, I'll kill you a hundred times if you even think about it!"
Yuki clung tighter, refusing to be outdone. With one arm curled around Adrian, she cast a playful, knowing look at Naruse.
"You're Mio Naruse, right?"
Though her tone sounded like a question, it was full of certainty.
She hadn't quite understood everything Rias had told her yesterday, but Mio's overwhelming presence was hard to forget.
Then, puffing up her chest, she announced proudly, "I'm Yuki Suo. Adrian's cousin!"
"…Huh?! Wait, what?!"
Now it was Mio's turn to lose her composure. Her face twisted in confusion as she looked up at Adrian, clutching his arm tighter like she was afraid someone might rip him away from her.
Her overwhelming softness pressed so snugly against his arm that he couldn't move it at all.
Despite Yuki's best efforts, the… size difference was too glaring.
Yuki noticed too. She rubbed against him as if testing something—and then her face fell.
Damn it!
My combat stats are a C at best. She's easily an E-tier just in that department!
Just as Yuki was sinking into despair, Adrian coughed loudly and tried to take control of the chaos.
"Ahem! Alright, enough. Sit down, all of you. Let's talk this out like civilized people."
His command carried weight, and all three girls obediently took seats on the sofa, though they continued to glare at each other in awkward silence.
"To start off," Adrian said, gesturing, "This is Yuki Suo. We only just met—"
"Not true!" Yuki interrupted cheerfully, raising her hand like a student. "We met when we were babies! My mom said you even proposed to me when I was three months old!"
The moment she said that, all eyes—including Mio's murderous glare—landed squarely on Adrian.
"Uhhh… Did that… actually happen?"
He hesitated. But now that Yuki mentioned it, some foggy memories began to resurface.
And come to think of it—when he was exiled from the Hero's Village, the money Yuki's mother gave him had been his startup fund.
Without that, he might've been left to sleep in the gutters.
Adrian wiped sweat from his brow. So I really do have a cousin…
Mio's eyes were getting misty now. She looked at Yuki with both panic and hurt.
"So, you're here to… kick me out?"
"No! I don't want to go!"
Her voice trembled, like a scared animal crying out.
Just yesterday, Mio had been told that the Gremory family wouldn't accept her. She was already teetering on the edge of emotional collapse.
Yuki's appearance shattered the little sense of security Adrian had built for her overnight.
Before Adrian could comfort her, Yuki reached over and hugged Mio tightly, offering a warm, maternal smile.
"Geez… I'm not here to break up this family. I'm here to join it."
"…?!"
Adrian blinked, completely stunned.
But Mio, overcome with relief, threw her arms around Yuki and began to cry in earnest.
Maria, sitting quietly off to the side, didn't interrupt. She simply took out her phone and began recording the moment.
Only once Mio's tears subsided did Yuki let go.
Then she looked down at her own modest chest, and scowled.
"Damn it… The feel is just too good. I can't compete at all!"
"Wha—?! It's not that great!" Mio stammered, cheeks blazing.
She dared a quick glance at Adrian, then lowered her head shyly with a sweet smile.
She'd heard Adrian say something like that before, but hearing it from a third party was a whole different kind of embarrassing.
Adrian gave Yuki a thumbs-up. That de-escalation had been surprisingly effective.
Yuki returned a knowing look, like she'd planned the whole thing out.
And indeed, she had. She'd carefully strategized every step of this encounter. The only thing she hadn't accounted for… was Maria.
That surprise had forced her to abandon her original plan of climbing in through the window.
"Ahem! Anyway," Yuki cleared her throat, clasped her hands, and made a pleading face, "I really want to stay here too! You're not going to say no to your cousin, right? You've got a room for me?"
Adrian exhaled and nodded. "There's still space. We can fit four or five more people, easily."
"But what about your own place?" he asked. "You're not going to stay at home?"
"Secret passage between my place and here," Yuki said, deadly serious. "Relax—if I sleep over here, I'll always leave the door unlocked for a late-night visit."
"Who said anything about late-night visits?!"
Adrian nearly flipped the table.
But beside them, Maria's eyes lit up.
"That's right! How could I forget to tell you—night visits are a basic part of the process!"
"Exactly!" Yuki chimed in, nodding enthusiastically. "Whether you sneak into your brother's room, or let him sneak into yours, it's an essential bonding ritual!"
"I say we throw in some stamina potions to spice things up!"
"Oh, you've got recipes?!"
…
Adrian gave up. He sat down at the dining table in silence.
Sure. Plot your chaos. Just don't whine when it all comes crashing down—I will make you pay.
As Yuki, Maria, and Mio got absorbed in their conversation, Adrian suddenly remembered something.
He'd bought this house and moved in… but he'd never actually introduced himself to the neighbors.
"If the neighbor's a man, I'll just rewrite his memory and make him move out. If it's a woman… even better."
"Now that Yuki's moving in, space might get tight."
His gaze drifted toward the future. Today it was just Yuki. Who knew how many would join in the coming days?
This little villa could, at most, hold ten.
But there was no way his future ambitions would be limited to ten.
Time to expand.
A separate apartment building outside… yes, that could work.
A private room for everyone. And we all meet here when needed. Perfect.
Yuki's talk of "secret rooms" had sparked something useful after all.