“There you are, Nino. It makes me so happy to see you all grown up!”
Hearing that gentle voice, Nino froze.
She was reminded of her mother, who had long since left them.
This voice... so familiar, it's like...
“Ka, Kas...san...”
Her body stiff, Nino's voice trembled. She desperately wanted to turn around, to see her mother who had left them, the five sisters, to see that blurred face from her memories again.
But Nino was rational. Standing at the precipice of life and death, her mind was clear.
She knew that the one behind her wasn't her mother, who had died from illness long ago. This was an illusion created by the monster in front of her, including that gentle call.
Nino clearly remembered that in the story told by Touka, this monster named "Shiroi" had the ability to create illusions, to affect perceptions, and to entice people with their desires.
And the woman standing behind Nino now, constantly speaking to her, was the five sisters' own mother - Nakano Reina!
“Nino, have you been fighting with Miku lately?”
“You are the older sister, Nino. Don't get into arguments with Miku when you're all grown up.”
“Right, what about Ichika? Ichika always said she wanted to be a big star when she was little. Is she working hard for her dreams?”
Listening to her mother's casual chatter, Nino's eyes began to mist over. The mist blurred her vision, swirled, and finally turned into tears that streamed down her cheeks.
Nino tried to turn her head several times, to turn around and run into Reina’s embrace, to tell her mother about her longing for her over the past ten years and her grievances. But seeing Shiroi not far away, Nino's reason kept her from acting on her impulse.
But how long could this reason last? Nino didn’t know. The voice calling from behind had an odd kind of magic, and just listening to it made Nino feel her longing magnified countless times.
Reina's call continued, each word of advice reaching Nino's ears. It was her mother's tone of voice, something Nino hadn’t heard in a long time.
“Yotsuba and Itsuki too, Nino is the older sister, you have to take care of them.”
“And Yuu, though he's just an adopted brother, you must treat him like your own brother, right? Yuu's at that age where he should be finding a girlfriend.”
But no matter what Reina said behind her, Nino's gaze remained fixed on Shiroi.
It's true, Nino misses her mother very much, very, very much! And she also knows that if she misses this opportunity, she may never have another chance to see Reina.
But so what?
She has her family now, her sisters, her friends, someone even more important is waiting for her to come home!
She absolutely cannot stay here, Yuu is waiting for her to come home!
Thinking this, Nino first wiped the tears from one eye, making sure she could see Shiroi clearly.
The cold wind blew in her face, making her tear-filled eyes sting.
Nino couldn’t help but blink, and luckily, she managed to hold her hand up to shield them.
Actually, Nino didn't know how she managed to hold on until now. She, who was usually weak, was still afraid of this monster, but the fear wasn't as intense as before.
Ignoring Reina's voice in her ear, Nino gradually calmed down.
“Sigh...Nino, I know, I was so irresponsible to leave you five sisters... I know Nino resents me, I'm leaving.”
Reina's mournful words came from behind, making Nino, who had just calmed down, flinch.
How could she resent her mother? Even though she was a child back then, she wasn’t oblivious. Her mother had died after suffering from illness!
Her longing overwhelmed her, Nino turned her head slightly, wanting to see Reina, even if it was just her back, just the hem of her clothes!
“Click!”
Suddenly, a pale, wrinkled hand, like a withered corpse, slapped Nino on her shoulder.
Whether it was from fear or the bone-chilling coldness, Nino's body involuntarily trembled for a moment.
Only then did Nino realize that just now... she had moved her gaze! It was just for a moment, but the cursed ghost that was in front of her had disappeared!
Looking at the ghostly hand on her shoulder, Nino's heart sank. How could she be so careless?
It’s over! Now... she probably can't go home, she can't see Yuu.
The cursed ghost disregarded Nino's thoughts and slowly turned its head, twisting its grotesque face into a smile, seemingly enjoying the sight of Nino in this state.
Knowing her fate, Nino closed her eyes.
She had given up hope of surviving, but... she hadn't delivered the sweets to Yuu's mouth yet...
Just as Nino stood there like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, a ringing sound of a sword suddenly exploded through the dark night. Then, a golden light flashed in front of Nino, the light as if a great sun was about to break through the darkness.
“Buzz!!! ”
Along with the sound of the sword, came a voice that filled Nino with boundless reassurance:
“I told you, why are you not home so late, Nino? You were actually caught by this thing.”
Hearing the voice, Nino suddenly looked up, but saw a young man in front of her, surrounded by golden light runes, holding a golden longsword, walking towards her.
The young man was wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts, with a slender figure.
His face was as white as jade, his features were sharp yet gave a gentle feeling. At first glance, he was an incredibly handsome young man.
Now, the young man was smiling, but his jade-like eyes held a coldness. The gentle young man now exuded a chill.
The holy sword, Jauva You, was shining brightly in his hand, and wherever the light touched, the mist dissipated!
The person was none other than the young man who had just called Nino, the adopted son of the Nakano family, the only Demon King in this world - Nakano Yuu!
Seeing Nino staring at him with shock and confusion, Yuu shook his head with a smile.
He had just taken a break to do a task, and unexpectedly met his second sister. It was quite a coincidence, but it didn't matter. He had never thought of hiding his identity.
After coming here, Yuu had come clean to the five sisters, but they didn't believe him, and Yuu couldn’t do anything about it.
“Yuu! You... how...”
Looking at Yuu, who was holding the holy sword, radiating golden light, and looking like a god, Nino was stunned.
“I told you, I have superpowers, Nino, come here, don’t turn your head.”
Yuu shrugged and gestured for Nino to come over.
Seeing this, Nino hesitated. There was still a grotesque cursed ghost behind her! Would she put Yuu at risk by walking over to him?
This worried hesitation only lasted for a second, but quickly turned into trust in Yuu.
Taking a deep breath, Nino walked towards Yuu.
The distance between them was not far, after taking two steps, Nino had reached Yuu.
Yuu reached out and pulled Nino, shielding her behind him.
After confirming that Nino was fine, Yuu then looked at "Shiroi", his eyes full of amusement.
He didn’t expect this kind of monster to target someone close to him, and... a curse? Was someone deliberately guiding it to Nino?
......
Chapter 3