Nagami and Kotori stepped into the living room, where the first thing they saw was Shidou still in his girl from cooking in the kitchen.
Beside him was Takamiya Mana, helping him out as they chatted, the atmosphere warm and peaceful.
Nagami gave a casual wave to Tohka and Yoshino, who were sitting neatly on the couch, as a greeting.
A few steps in, he noticed something strange his room door was open.
Inside, two Kurumi clones were tidying up, while another clone seemed to be teaching Inori Yuzuriha something.
Despite the pink-haired girl's dazed expression, she was listening intently.
Nagami focused his attention a little more… and the moment he heard what the Kurumi clone was saying, his face twisted into that classic subway old man looking at phone meme.
Wait—what the hell was this clone doing!?
Was she giving up on trying to become the "main wife" herself and instead helping someone else climb the ranks!?
Is she… plotting against her own original body!?
And where even was the real Kurumi?
These clones were running around causing chaos and not one of them seemed to care that they were basically about to stick a hat on their boss's head.
As Inori spotted Nagami, her clear crimson eyes lit up with a soft brilliance.
Without hesitation, she skipped over and naturally reached out to place her hand in his.
The Kurumi clone froze mid-sentence as she saw Nagami but didn't miss a beat.
She tossed him a flirty wink, flirtatiously tugged at the hem of her skirt, then casually went back to her maid duties like nothing had happened.
'…Was this one of the legendary Four Heavenly Kurumis?'
But no—she wasn't the sweet type.
Not the elegant type either.
Didn't look sickly or bandaged, no eyepatch, and definitely wasn't acting chuunibyou.
'Could it be… a fifth Heavenly Kurumi?'
"Nagami! You're back! Why didn't you come home for dinner last night?"
Shidou emerged from the kitchen, apron-clad and holding a tray of food.
Nagami scratched his head awkwardly.
"With you dressed like that, shouldn't you be speaking as "Shiori" instead?"
Seriously… this guy gave off insanely domestic wife vibes.
It was terrifying.
"Can you not joke about that…"
Shidou's smile froze instantly.
Clearly, the traumatic memories of being hit on nonstop while disguised as ""Shiori"" still haunted him.
"I'm being completely serious," Nagami replied, smirking as he raised an eyebrow at Kotori.
He threw an arm over Shidou's shoulder, subtly positioning himself to block Kotori—who was heading toward the kitchen for hot water from seeing anything suspicious.
"Looks like you and Mana-chan have patched things up."
Though her expression was a bit conflicted, Mana gave a small bow and greeted him softly, "Nagami…"
Even her real brother called Nagami that, so she decided to follow suit.
Nagami smiled gently at the polite blue-haired girl.
For Kotori and Shidou's sake—well, "Shiori"'s sake he decided to help her out.
Just then, "Shiori"—gripping a spatula and clearly preparing to put her "fake little sister" in her place—was yanked back by the collar by Nagami.
"Nagami, let me go! I need to assert my big brother authority today!"
Due to her smaller feminine frame, her clothes hung a bit loosely, and Nagami caught a glimpse of pale cleavage beneath her collar.
Not that he had any indecent thoughts but neither did he look away.
His actions didn't change just because Shidou had swapped genders.
Besides, her "big brother authority" had all the intimidation of the Scarlet Devil Mansion's spoiled vampire lady.
What was the point?
"Calm down. Your sister's problem still isn't resolved and I'm talking about this one right here."
Nagami placed a hand on "Shiori"'s head and turned it toward Mana.
His words drew puzzled stares from several people in the room.
"Eh?"
Mana tilted her head in confusion, letting out a soft sound of surprise.
"W-What do you mean, Nagami? Is there something wrong with me…?"
Calling Nagami so politely still felt weird for him—especially considering he was their enemy not long ago.
"You've been living with DEM ever since you lost your memory, right?"
Nagami's tone turned serious as he locked eyes with both "Shiori" and Mana.
"I'm telling you now—DEM is a shady corporation. You need to leave, and soon."
He sounded like a concerned parent trying to rescue a girl from a sketchy MLM scheme.
"Yeah, Mana, you should leave DEM," "Shiori" added, echoing Nagami's warning.
"Shady, huh…" Mana murmured, eyes flickering slightly. "Even if that's true… it was that same shady organization that gave a lost and memoryless girl like me a place to belong… and a reason to exist."
Nagami sighed, then lifted two fingers and lightly flicked her forehead.
"You need to think, kid. Why would a bunch of strangers go out of their way to treat you so well?"
Mana gasped in surprise at the flick.
Nagami's voice softened, but his words carried weight.
"You do know they've already performed inhumane modifications on your body, right? If nothing changes, you've got ten years left to live—tops."
"W-What?!"
"Shiori" and Mana cried out in unison.
Mana froze in place, eyes wide with disbelief—then immediately shook her head in denial.
"No… no way. You're lying!"
"Do you really think I'd lie about something like this?" Nagami asked, calmly.
"If you want proof, just have Ratatoskr run a full medical scan. It'll show you everything you need to know."
"This… this can't be…"
Mana took two steps back, her face filled with disbelief—as if her entire world had just crumbled.
Nagami raised a hand to stop "Shiori" from saying anything and flicked his finger against Mana's forehead once again.
"The adult world is a treacherous place. Pure and kind souls like your big bro Nagami here are a dying breed, you know?"
"But relax. Since I brought it up, it means I also have a way to fix it. I can restore you to a normal human state."
"Really? … are you serious?"
Naturally, the person who got more emotional than Mana herself was her big sibling.
"Shiori" grabbed Nagami's shoulders and started shaking him intensely.
"Yes, really! Really—just stop shaking me!"
No matter how soft and bouncy you might look, you're still a dude deep down.
There's absolutely no way I'm getting emotional about this!
Nagami scowled as he looked down at "Shiori"'s disheveled collar and pushed her away in annoyance.
"Since I'm about to leave soon, we should get this sorted out now."
Grabbing Mana's hand, Nagami gently led her toward his room.
"I need a quiet space. No one follow us."
"You're leaving?" Mana asked softly.
"Yeah. There's something important I need to do."
Nagami quickly shooed the Kurumi clones out of his room and knocked the lead one lightly on the head.
"Go tell your main body that we're leaving tomorrow. If there's anything she still wants to do, she'd better do it fast."
With that, he shut the door and locked it behind him.
Mana stood in the middle of the room, still looking slightly stunned.
Seeing her like that, Nagami let out a tired sigh.
"All right. Strip."
"…Huh? Strip what?"
Blinking in confusion, Mana's expression slowly shifted as she started to sense something was off.
"Your clothes, of course. Have you ever seen surgery done with the patient fully dressed?"
Arms crossed, Nagami gave the stunned girl a meaningful look.
"Besides, the modifications they did to you are spread throughout your whole body, so…"
"Uh…!"
Fresh out of emotional turmoil from being betrayed by DEM, Mana froze up, her expression visibly stiffening.
Logically speaking, Nagami wasn't wrong at all.
In fact, everything he said made perfect sense.
But still… this was just way too much!
Her pale, delicate face flushed a brilliant red.
"…All right, I'm just messing with you."
'What the hell?! He was messing with me?!'
"But you still need to take your clothes off."
'You've gotta be kidding me—!'
Any insults Mana had queued up in her head instantly died on her tongue as she saw how serious Nagami was.
Her blush faded slightly, and she straightened her back.
"…Okay. I understand."
———————————————————————
Somewhere else — The Bedroom of an Artist.
"Tch… What's up with Nagami lately? Why the sudden interest in yuri stuff?"
Honjou Nia grumbled to herself as she stared at a photo in her hand—one featuring a blonde girl and a long-haired violet beauty.
"And 'I have a friend,' really? That tired old excuse? Come on, that trope's ancient!"
Still, Nia's brows loosened a little as she kept flipping through the pages.
"I mean, the setup's actually pretty solid. Good character designs too… Lumine, huh?"
"And the plot Nagami came up with—it's really classic and even felt a little nostalgic!"
If this yuri doujin ever hit the market, it would be a total game-changer.
A dimensional-level threat to all current competitors!
Nia could bet her name as Souji Honjou that it'd be a hit.
Too bad only Nagami could appreciate it for now.
"Well, let's see what Nagami's up to…"
During her break, she activated her angel and flipped open the pages that recorded everything—initiating the search function.
She read with interest as Nagami evaluated Mana's physique and how she felt to the touch.
Nia nodded now and then in agreement with his expert critique.
But then—her expression froze.
"…What?! Nagami's leaving?!"
———————————————————————
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