When they returned home, Sei wasn't in the living room, but the TV was still on, and an unfinished bag of chips lay on the sofa.
It seemed she had sensed Raize bringing unfamiliar people home and had proactively avoided them for the time being.
Based on his contract with Sei, Raize glanced upstairs toward his room when he entered the living room.
Eu, Tohru, and Haruna were all sitting there. Raize first went upstairs to find some clothes for Haruna. In the end, she just wore his younger sister's old pajamas.
Eu's calm gaze briefly swept over the table holding memorial photos of Raize's family, then turned back to the TV.
After making sure Haruna was decently dressed, Raize returned to the living room and explained what had happened to Tohru.
After hearing everything, Tohru cast an unfriendly glance at the carefree Haruna, then looked at Eu with great respect.
Curious, Raize asked, "Tohru, are you familiar with Eu?"
"…Not exactly familiar. It's more one-sided. Hellscythe once visited the world I lived in and had some exchanges with my father."
A nostalgic look appeared in Tohru's eyes—it was clearly something from a long time ago. Her gaze grew complicated as she looked at Eu watching TV in silence.
"When Hellscythe came to my world, because of her immense and uncontrollable power, she was targeted by certain evil gods and humans. Our dragon clan knew about it and once… protected her for a period of time."
"That's how I came to know her."
In truth, Tohru was being polite. The dragon clan simply didn't want enemy forces to obtain Eu's power.
Many dragons had slaughtered those who coveted Eu's power. Several large-scale wars had even broken out because of her.
Proud and powerful, dragons disdained stealing another's strength. To them, stealing power meant denying one's own. A shameful, laughable act that disgraced dragonkind.
But they would never allow petty villains or enemy factions to harm Eu.
"Mr. Zhe, if anything happens again, please pour energy into this dragon scale. I'll appear by your side immediately."
After understanding everything, Tohru pulled a green dragon scale from her tail and solemnly handed it to Raize.
Today's incident had raised her vigilance. She needed to watch this area even more closely.
"Thank you, Tohru."
Seeing her serious expression, Raize accepted the scale without refusing, feeling warmth in his heart.
After talking for a while, Tohru prepared to leave, but before going, she hesitated. "Mr. Zhe… forgive my bluntness, but you're not planning to take Lady Hellsing in, are you?"
"There are many vile beings watching her. If you stay close to her, you'll also be targeted. If she's only staying temporarily…"
Her meaning was clear—staying with Eu meant no peaceful days ahead. He would draw the attention of dangerous existences.
Tohru respected Eu, but Raize mattered more to her. She didn't want Kobayashi involved either, nor did she want Raize endangered.
So she gently hinted that he should keep his distance.
Raize fell silent for a moment, then interrupted her kindly advice with an apologetic, complex smile.
"Sorry, Tohru. I've decided to help Eu."
"But—" Tohru grew anxious, wanting to say more.
But Raize's next words made her fall silent.
Raize looked at Tohru in front of him, who was anxiously worried about him. Thinking back to the scene in the forest where Kobayashi had invited Tohru earlier, he spoke with a somewhat complicated tone.
"Eu… she's actually very similar to you, Tohru. She might also be looking for a place where she can truly feel at ease. Kobayashi didn't care at all about your identity as a dragon and invited you to live in her home. I can't let Kobayashi look down on me."
"Even though I didn't really want to cause trouble before, there are times when you have to face things head-on. I don't want to be the kind of person who only knows how to run away."
In the original Dragon Maid story, Kobayashi—just an ordinary human—could still muster the courage to confront the Emperor of Demise for Tohru's sake, not caring about the trouble Tohru brought with her, advancing and retreating together with her.
Compared to Kobayashi, Raize's situation was actually better. How could he justify avoiding problems just because he was afraid of trouble?
"Tohru and Eu are both lonely and confused. Kobayashi reached out and pulled you up once. This time, I want to reach out to Eu."
Hearing this, Tohru fell silent, her expression becoming extremely complicated. The smiling Raize in front of her seemed to overlap with Kobayashi's figure.
She recalled her meeting with Raize and Kobayashi, and then thought about every little moment she had spent with Kobayashi during this time. Although they hadn't known each other for long, in Tohru's long lifespan, this period had been unbelievably fulfilling.
She rarely smiled in the past, yet after meeting Kobayashi, she found herself smiling often—something that once felt completely unimaginable.
"…Raize, you really are just as incredible as Kobayashi. Being able to meet you both… that's truly wonderful."
The silence on Tohru's face faded away, replaced by a sincere smile in Raize's view. Her beautiful dragon eyes sparkled, shining like precious jewels.
The dragon girl looked at Raize, no longer having anything to say to dissuade him. Just like how she always wanted Kobayashi to eat her tail meat, yet Kobayashi stubbornly refused, Raize was also someone with an unyielding temperament.
Kobayashi treated Tohru as family. How could family ever eat each other's flesh? Even if Tohru didn't mind, Kobayashi simply couldn't accept it.
Raize, too, had principles he would never violate. Once he made up his mind, he would only stop after running headfirst into the wall.
"Raize, would you be interested in learning magic from me in the future? You should know things probably won't stay peaceful for long, so…"
Tohru looked at Raize seriously, choosing another way to help him. No matter how careful she was, there would always be blind spots. She couldn't watch over him at all times, so she wanted Raize to grow stronger to deal with future troubles.
She had once tried teaching Kobayashi as well, but Kobayashi showed no interest at all, completely unmotivated.
"Then I'll be in your care, Dragon-sensei~"
Raize didn't refuse. After all, this was Tohru's goodwill—her way of caring for him. He smiled and accepted.
Tohru's abilities were no joke. She was more than qualified to teach magic. With guidance from both Sei and this dragon girl, Raize was confident he could grow stronger.
---
After Tohru left, Raize returned home and glanced at Eu and Haruna, who were looking over at him. When Eu saw Raize, the expression on her face didn't change, but there was a slight fluctuation in her eyes—fleeting like a flash of light. Raize didn't notice it.
He looked upstairs. Whether Sei was willing to come out and meet them depended entirely on her mood.
Gurrr…
Suddenly, a faint rumbling sound was heard. Raize recognized it immediately—it was the sound of a stomach growling. He had basically fed Eu enough already, so that meant…
Haruna, who looked rather reserved, blushed slightly and covered her small belly. When she noticed Raize looking over, she huffed and turned her head away in a tsundere manner.
"I'll prepare something for you to eat. Let me introduce myself first—Yotsuki Raize is my name. You can call me whatever you like."
"My name is Haruna. I'll be in your care from now on."
Haruna replied in a subdued tone. After speaking, she looked around restlessly, as if she couldn't sit still—probably because she wasn't used to being in an unfamiliar place.
Raize didn't mind her attitude. He went into the kitchen, took out frozen white-fur Dulara beef from the fridge, and spent some time preparing a large bowl of steak fried rice with golden grains for Haruna.
The fragrant steak fried rice was placed on the dining table. When Raize called out to her, Haruna smelled the aroma and hurried over, sitting down with sparkling eyes fixed on the food.
After glancing at Raize, she politely said "I'm going to eat now," then started eating.
"Mmm… delicious!"
After the first bite, Haruna's eating speed increased dramatically. Seeing her wolf down the food, Raize turned around and poured her a glass of water, just in case she choked.
Sensing someone's gaze, Raize looked toward Eu in the living room and saw her staring at Haruna's fried rice. Thinking she might be hungry again, he took out some BB popcorn as a snack and placed it in front of Eu.
Bang! Bang bang bang!
Suddenly, loud knocking sounds came from the ceiling above Raize's head.
Somehow, Raize instantly understood the meaning behind it.
Hmph! You still haven't made my dinner!
Under Eu's calm gaze, Raize shook his head with a wry smile and explained, "There's another guest living here. I'll introduce you tomorrow. I'm going to prepare your rooms first."
(Thank you, sorry for the trouble.)
Eu conveyed her words through her notebook. After nodding, Raize went back to the kitchen to prepare more food.
"Sei, meat dishes for you tonight. I'll bring them up later."
He called out toward the ceiling, knowing Sei could hear him.
The stomping sounds quickly responded.
Bang bang bang! (Didn't you say you were making soup?)
"Uh… I gave it to a hungry girl," Raize replied awkwardly.
Bang bang! (You have another woman outside!?)
"We just met. Also, I gave her your rainbow pudding too."
Raize spoke teasingly, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes.
Bangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbangbang…
This time, the stomping turned furious. Raize listened with a broad smile.
(You cheating scumbag! Using my offerings to please other women—are you trying to betray your faith in this god!?)
Absolutely unforgivable! Bringing strange women home is one thing, but you even dare give away my offerings!
Did you bring her back to declare ownership in front of me!?
If Sei weren't unwilling to meet people right now, she would've rushed downstairs already and bitten Raize's head hard.
The stomping reached an unprecedented intensity, filled with strong dissatisfaction and even a hint of warning.
Both Raize and Haruna, who was eating at the table, felt a dense resentment seep down through the ceiling.
Haruna wiped a grain of rice from the corner of her mouth and pointed upstairs with a subtle expression.
"Aren't you going up? I feel that resentment is turning into killing intent."
"She's angry because I forgot about her while hosting you two. I'll go up right away. Haruna, are you full yet?"
Raize glanced at the ceiling. The resentment was getting stronger. He looked at the colorful, aromatic dishes he had prepared, then at the remaining steak fried rice, and asked out of a desire not to waste food.
"One more bowl!"
Haruna unhesitatingly held out her large bowl. Raize's food was special—it faintly helped restore her magic power.
Still hungry and wanting to recover her magic, she naturally wanted another serving.
After refilling Haruna's bowl, Raize took out frozen rainbow juice from the fridge, poured a large glass, and placed it on a tray with the dinner.
Reaching his bedroom on the second floor, Raize tried to open the door, only to find it blocked by a barrier.
…Yeah, she's angry.
Steadily holding the tray, Raize leaned toward the door, cleared his throat, and spoke very "respectfully."
"Honored God, it's time to eat. There's your favorite rainbow juice. It tastes best when it's hot."
Buzz!
A golden holy light appeared on the tightly shut door. An image formed—a chibi Raize nailed to a golden cross, being punished. Just seeing it made Raize's eye twitch.
"Sigh… I've committed a sin, haven't I? Since you're angry, you must be full of anger already. I'll take the dinner away, then you—"
Before Raize could finish, a golden, vortex-shaped spatial gate suddenly appeared. A pair of fair, delicate hands shot out, snatched the tray from Raize, and the gate vanished instantly.
Silently lowering his head to look at his empty hands, Raize pushed his bedroom door again. The barrier remained.
"Such a grown-up god, yet still throwing childish tantrums…"
Knowing he wouldn't be able to enter his room tonight, Raize went to prepare rooms for Haruna and Eu. The troublesome day finally came to an end.