By noon, Draconis's voice was hoarse from hours of tutoring. Even magic couldn't save him from dry throat—and the sisters looked about ready to collapse. Common Sense Alteration drained a little energy from everyone, so when he saw their spirits flagging, he called it.
"That's enough for now. Lunch break."
"Perfect! It's so late already, let's just order in. You joining us, Draconis?" Ichika was quick with her phone.
"Sure. Thanks for the invite." Honestly, he didn't have anywhere else to be.
The delivery arrived fast, but the quintuplets were sprawled across the sofa, limbs everywhere, refusing to budge. Draconis sighed and got up to grab the food.
At the table, he noticed their taste ran expensive. Not surprising—the family was loaded, with a hospital to their name and a house that practically screamed money.
Lunch was pleasant enough. Halfway through, Ichika's phone buzzed. She perked up, snatched it, and dashed upstairs. The others barely glanced at her.
Ten minutes later, Ichika reappeared—hair styled, outfit swapped, small purse in hand. She looked every inch the mature woman.
"Sorry, I have to cut today's session short. Something urgent came up." She gave Draconis an apologetic smile.
"No problem. Good luck."
He didn't mind. He'd covered most of what he wanted anyway. The rest could wait.
With Ichika gone, the lesson fizzled out. He watched her catch a cab and disappear, while Nino and the others immediately launched into excited plans for the afternoon.
Weren't they just complaining they were dying from exhaustion?
Typical. The moment class ended, they were full of energy again. The joy of being a slacker—resurrected by the sound of the bell.
Soon after, Nino and Itsuki headed out shopping, Yotsuba dashed off for basketball practice, her energy as boundless as ever.
That left only Miku in the house.
She didn't linger. Clutching her study materials, she headed upstairs, shoes clicking on the floor, leaving Draconis—technically a stranger—in her home without a second thought.
Draconis couldn't help but wonder: Did he really look that harmless? He was a devil, after all. Yet none of them seemed to care.
As he packed up his materials, he spotted a book on the sofa. Not a textbook—something about military generals.
Huh.
He was still puzzling over who'd left it when Miku came clattering back down the stairs, a little breathless.
"Um, that's mine."
She looked mortified seeing him holding the book. Draconis handed it over. "So you're into military history, Miku?"
Her cheeks turned pink. "Y-yeah…" she mumbled.
"No wonder you got so fired up about duels." He went back to gathering his things.
"Just—don't tell anyone I like this stuff, okay?" Miku whispered, voice barely audible.
"What's embarrassing about that?"
"Of course it's weird! Everyone else is into magical girls and cute stuff, and I'm obsessed with middle-aged men with beards. Isn't that strange?"
Draconis snorted. "Honestly, liking magical girls is stranger."
He caught himself, softening his tone. "Look, as long as you enjoy it, who cares what other people think?"
That earned him a rare smile from Miku.
It was the first time he'd seen her smile. Normally, she sat in silence, saying little and keeping to herself.
He hesitated, then asked, "Does that book cover the Three Kingdoms?"
Miku nodded, suddenly more animated. "Yeah! It's based on real Chinese history, just with the stories focused on our side."
She lit up, talking about her favorite generals.
Draconis drifted into thought. Since arriving in this world, he'd noticed so many things that overlapped with his old life—angels, devils, countries that mirrored each other. There had to be some connection, or he wouldn't have ended up here.
Miku didn't notice his distraction. She'd finally found someone to talk to, and her eyes shone with hope.
"Have you read any of it?"
"Just a little. I'm nowhere near your level," Draconis smiled. "You're pretty passionate about it, huh?"
Miku ducked her head. "I guess I'm obsessed. That's probably why I'm so far behind in school…"
She looked regretful. "Out of all five of us, I'm the worst student."
"Not true. Didn't Yotsuba get a zero once?"
"But she's amazing at sports!" Miku protested. "That counts for a lot."
Draconis shook his head. "You can't compare your weaknesses to someone else's strengths. Everyone has something they're good at, Miku. If you keep measuring yourself that way, you'll never be happy."
"Really…?"
"Really. Honestly, I think mastering just one skill is enough. Focus on what you love and push it as far as you can."
Miku laughed. "But people always say you should be good at everything—well-rounded, top grades, sports, arts…"
"That's why everyone's so stressed."
Draconis's expression turned wry. "Master of all trades, bald by graduation."
Miku blinked, then burst out laughing.
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