Pa! A crisp sound rang out.
Looking at Yotsuya Miko's slightly raised little bottom, Arthur couldn't help but lift his right hand and give it a light smack.
"Ah! What are you doing?"
Already flushed with embarrassment, Yotsuya Miko instantly covered her rear with both hands, turning her blushing face toward Arthur.
Her golden eyes shimmered like rippling water.
Shyness turned into delicate waves of light.
Arthur smiled faintly at her. "Come on, get up. I'll take you to see our future base of operations."
"Base of operations?"
Yotsuya Miko blinked in surprise, confusion flashing in her eyes.
The sudden interruption dispersed her embarrassment. She flipped over and got up from the sofa.
Arthur hadn't told her anything about the Mirage Realm yet.
Snap.
With a flick of his fingers, a Gate of Mist appeared.
"Follow me."
Arthur stepped through first.
"This… is a door?"
Instead of stepping right in, Yotsuya Miko circled the Gate of Mist curiously before finally entering.
As soon as she crossed through, her vision blurred—
—and the next instant, she found herself in another world.
Mountains rose on three sides, shrouded in drifting mist beneath the sunlight.
Before her lay a vast heart-shaped lake, its banks dotted with lush trees and fully blossomed cherry trees.
The water's surface gleamed like a mirror, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and verdant shadows of the surrounding forest.
The sound of rushing water echoed through the air.
To the south of the world—the lower edge of the heart-shaped lake—a river flowed.
The overflowing water cascaded down in a waterfall, plunging thousands of feet below.
"Wow!!!"
Taking in the breathtaking scenery, Yotsuya Miko's eyes widened, her lips parting in awe.
She was utterly dazzled.
"What… What is this place?"
Her gaze turned toward Arthur, filled with curiosity.
"My world—the Mirage Realm," Arthur said.
"The 'mirage' of the sea mirage."
"At the moment, the Mirage Realm's size equals the total land area of Earth."
"But it will continue to grow—"
"Eventually, it'll be tens or even hundreds of times larger than Earth."
Hands in his pockets, Arthur smiled faintly as he explained.
"Nani!!～ˇ!"
Yotsuya Miko's jaw dropped in shock.
Her gaze flickered as if she were staring at a kami—a divine being.
She already knew Arthur was powerful, but the more time she spent with him, the more she realized he was like an endless abyss—unfathomable and full of surprises.
Every so often, he'd do something that shocked or amazed her anew.
Looking around again, Yotsuya Miko couldn't hold back any longer. "Arthur… be honest. Are you actually a god?"
Owning a world that could be hundreds of times larger than Earth—that had to be the power of a god.
And not just any god—a Creator God.
"God…"
Arthur paused for a moment, then curved his lips into a smile.
"You can think of me as a god if you like. Compared to many so-called deities out there, I'm no weaker."
"There are strong gods and weak ones."
"Some of them—I could crush a whole bunch with a single finger."
He was referring to those yokai who had gained divinity through human worship.
"I knew it…"
Yotsuya Miko's eyes gleamed with wonder.
In her heart, Arthur was already indistinguishable from a god.
No wonder he had once said she was "like a shrine maiden serving a deity."
If Arthur was truly a god, that made perfect sense.
She never imagined she'd have the honor of being chosen by a god—
—and to be cherished by him, no less.
Her gaze softened, filled with tender emotion and rippling affection.
"Arthur… kiss me."
"Hmm?"
Though a little surprised, Arthur wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered his head to capture her lips.
Yotsuya Miko responded passionately.
Five or six minutes later—
Arthur withdrew his hand from beneath her shirt, keeping his other arm around her waist as he whispered in her ear,
"We'll continue tonight."
"Mmm…"
Yotsuya Miko's cheeks were flushed, her fingers laced behind his neck as she leaned weakly into his chest.
After a few more minutes, she finally calmed her racing heart and slipped from his embrace, still blushing.
Feeling a certain dampness, she blushed even harder, quickly took a deep breath, and forced herself to regain composure.
"Let's go."
Once she'd steadied herself, Arthur opened the Gate of Mist again, and the two returned to the living room of their residence.
"Xiao Lin!"
The moment they appeared, Tohru was standing not far away.
She smiled warmly at Arthur, then turned to Yotsuya Miko and gave her a friendly nod after a brief once-over.
Yotsuya Miko also studied Tohru.
The horns on her head and the long green tail behind her made it clear—this was the dragon Arthur had mentioned.
Her gaze inadvertently drifted downward.
When she saw Tohru's… magnificent figure, Yotsuya Miko instinctively lowered her head and glanced at herself, clenching her fists slightly.
If Tohru's were giant meat buns,
then hers were little dumplings.
She wasn't small by normal standards, but—
Without comparison, there's no pain.
Suddenly, Yotsuya Miko thought of her best friend and felt an even deeper pang in her heart. ┭┮﹏┭┮
"Alright, let me introduce you two."
Arthur stood between them, smiling. "Tohru, this is Yotsuya Miko."
"Miko, this is Tohru."
Yotsuya Miko smiled politely. "Nice to meet you, Tohru."
"Nice to meet you too, Miko," Tohru replied with a cheerful grin.
After the brief greeting, neither knew what to say next, and an awkward silence fell.
Arthur chuckled. "Tohru, why don't you and Miko go to the third floor and tidy up a bedroom together? That'll be Miko's room from now on."
"…Alright."
Tohru glanced at Yotsuya Miko, smiled, and nodded.
"Let's go," she said, turning toward the stairs.
Yotsuya Miko looked back at Arthur, who gave her a subtle wink—she immediately understood his intention and followed.
"Tohru, why are you… wearing a maid outfit?" Yotsuya Miko asked curiously as they walked.
Tohru glanced back with a smile. "Because I'm Xiao Lin's personal maid."
"Personal maid?" Yotsuya Miko blinked. "You chose to be one?"
"You could say that," Tohru replied. "Xiao Lin asked me to be his personal maid. I thought about it and agreed. It's my own choice."
"I see." Yotsuya Miko nodded thoughtfully.
To have a mighty dragon as his maid… that's just like Arthur.
As they chatted, the atmosphere between them gradually grew more comfortable.
Outside, the night deepened as time passed.
By midnight, when the world was silent and still—
Wearing pajamas, Yotsuya Miko quietly slipped out of her room, her bare feet padding softly toward Arthur's bedroom on the second floor.
In another room, Tohru suddenly opened her eyes and sat up.
"…Where is she going?"
A flicker of doubt appeared in her gaze—
for she could sense that Yotsuya Miko had just entered Arthur's room.
…
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