"Old man, are you alright? I think the ramen in the pot is almost done, right?"
Shirou looked at Uesugi Koshi, who had been standing still for a long time, his pupils trembling as if he had just realized something utterly absurd and unacceptable.
Shirou had to call out twice before Koshi snapped out of his daze, dragging his runaway thoughts back from the stratosphere and regaining his mental clarity. His hands quickly got to work, scooping out the noodles, though his shaking eyes still couldn't help but glance at the red-haired pair sitting before him.
Damn it... The young couple in front of him might actually be his long-lost biological children!
"Let me tell you something, young man—you two aren't suitable for each other!"
Koshi blurted out, flustered and completely incoherent. This was bad—siblings shouldn't be getting romantically involved! It's fine to have innocent affection when young, but you absolutely can't cross that line!
Shirou looked confused. Koshi-san… weren't you the one trying to matchmake us earlier? Now you're saying we're not suitable? Are you serious or just messing with us? This wasn't something you joked around with.
But what was even stranger was how Koshi behaved—far too familiar for just a second meeting, acting like a real family elder concerned about marriages. Maybe older folks just love meddling in the love lives of the younger generation?
As Koshi spoke, he also generously added extra toppings to Shirou's ramen—clearly he remembered Shirou's appetite.
For Erii, on the other hand, he used just the right amount of sauce to carefully draw a cute bear face on the surface of the soup, which made Erii stare at it in fascination, as if it were a rare piece of art rather than food.
Shirou thought Koshi's attitude felt strangely familiar. He'd experienced something like this earlier that same afternoon…
That's right—Genji's attitude was the same.
What the hell? This is Tokyo, right? People always say Tokyo folks are cold and impersonal.
And yet, in just two visits, everyone from elite heirs to ramen stand uncles was treating him like their own family. It felt more like coming home than a trip.
Maybe the world isn't so bad after all. Stereotypes really do mislead people.
———
'These people are so cold. We're all supposedly from the same clan! Stereotypes really do harm!'
Nono was currently in Erii's room. The black-suited men who brought her here treated her like a plague—bowing and nodding nervously as they ushered her inside, saying, "Please, miss, this way. We won't disturb you."
They didn't even dare make eye contact.
Nono was about to speak, but the closest man panicked and fell over himself. When he realized he hadn't died, he scrambled out of the room like his life depended on it.
Bored out of her mind, Nono decided to stay in the room and profile the environment, practicing Erii's role.
First, the room was sealed with at least a 20-centimeter-thick alloy door. The hospital-style walls were reinforced with steel panels, and there were strange air vents in the corners.
Nono, having survived the Chen family's torture, instinctively assumed the pipes were for pumping in gas—anesthetics or poisons.
Wow. That much caution, really?
Someone unfamiliar might think they were imprisoning a monster in this little room.
But Nono wasn't worried—Melusine was nearby. Worst case, she'd tear through the steel and break them out.
After crossing the fortified sickroom, Nono passed through a long corridor of sakura wood and entered Erii's actual living space. The girl's private world was extremely simple.
A kotatsu in the center. Three paintings on the white walls: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo.
No decorations, no flower arrangements, no extra furniture. The closet was filled with pure, traditional miko outfits—exactly like the one Nono was wearing. No other clothing.
She wears this stuff daily? Even I just cosplay sometimes. Who's the real shrine girl here?
The inner room had a floor mattress, a giant TV, and several handheld consoles. The bathroom had a huge bronze bathtub and lots of bath products… plus a rubber ducky.
Profile complete.
This place was filled with traces of the original occupant's lifestyle. Nono didn't need to dig deep—she could piece together a lot just by observation.
Erii's mental age was young. She lived simply. She loved games and bathing. Her gaming partner was usually "Onii-chan," but he was always busy, so she spent most of her time alone with anime and games…
She was terrified of her power going out of control. She couldn't speak—wrote everything instead. Medical staff came periodically to give her injections of some unknown drug—probably to suppress her powers…
Wait, her voice is lethal?
Nono wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but remembered she had to act mute. She sighed, buried herself in the blankets, and peeked at her phone.
A new message from Shirou finally arrived after ten minutes.
"Finished ramen. Koshi-san's really nice. He even reopened the shop just to serve us. Bit of a chatterbox though—talked to me about marriage and stuff."
Nono typed back, "Marriage? What did he say?"
"He said I shouldn't be with Erii. We're not suitable."
Nono almost laughed.
"He also said I shouldn't be with Nono-ojōsama either."
Her smile disappeared instantly.
That nosy old man again! Can't keep his mouth shut!
"What else did he say?"
"He said that Xia Mi from before was a good match. Kept praising her. I told him it's not the time for that, but he wouldn't stop…"
Nono sprang out of the bed in rage, flinging the blanket into the air where it landed draped over the TV.
She had originally planned to finish her profiling report, but now all she could think about was yelling at that ramen geezer the next time they met.
Xia Mi again! Why was the world so unfair!?
Even though Xia Mi wasn't even around—just quietly studying in the library—somehow she still won this round.
Ugh, I need a bath. Cool down a bit.
———
Shirou stared at his phone. Still no reply from Nono.
No idea what her status was or how well she was pulling off the Erii act. Not a word about her progress.
He finally sent a key warning:
"Be careful. Their clan is hiding something divine. Erii might be a vessel for a god. When pretending to be her, make sure you don't raise suspicions—especially from people close to her."
Still nothing.
Shirou sighed and forced himself not to overthink. Melusine was with her—she'd be fine.
Under the faint glow of the streetlights, Shirou and Erii slowly made their way to the JR station.
"Are you full, Erii? Let's go home."
Erii nodded, then shook her head. She pulled out her notebook and wrote:
"I'm full. But I'm not going home."
She took a step back, clearly afraid Shirou was going to return her to that "little black room."
To her, this escape was precious. Even if her family would surely come looking, she'd rather stay outside as long as she could.
She didn't know someone else had already gone back in her place. Ironically, she was now safer than ever.
Long-term confinement… no wonder she's desperate to run.
Shirou looked at her—a girl with red hair so much like Nono's, gentle bangs hiding her eyes. He softened.
"…Then let's go to my home. Not your family's. I don't live in Tokyo."
"One more thing—we need to change your outfit. And your hairstyle. Maybe some makeup too. Just in case your family's people see you by accident."
"Okay."
Erii's eyes sparkled with excitement. They won't recognize me? Awesome!
She made a mental note to add a new entry to her notebook:
"Erii's Great Escape Tips — How to Disguise Yourself From Family."
(End of Chapter)
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