— — — — — —
The next day
Haruno Yukinoshita lay awake all night, tossing and turning in her little sister Yukino's apartment. She couldn't sleep a wink, caught up in a tangle of emotions so delicate she couldn't even name them.
At first, Yukino only felt an odd heaviness in her head and wondered why. But when she noticed her big sister restless beside her, she awkwardly voiced a rare concern.
"I'm fine now. Probably just not used to sleeping in this bed. Give me some time, and I'll adjust."
Haruno forced a smile and then, half-joking, leaned toward her sister.
"…So, Yukino-chan, for the sake of our poor health, why don't we just move in together starting today?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
Yukino rolled her eyes, already regretting she'd bothered worrying about her. She slipped on her shoes at the entrance and headed out to school.
The moment her lil sister left, Haruno didn't waste a second. She called the driver and told him to take her straight home.
The car pulled up in front of the family estate.
"Mother… that man from yesterday. Has he already left?"
The moment Haruno stepped inside and saw her mother in the living room, she froze. The woman's radiant smile was a far cry from the cold, strict figure etched into her childhood memories.
For just a second, Haruno's heart skipped. She forced her lips into a twitch of a smile.
"He's gone," Yukiko answered with a nod. "Why? Did you need him for something?"
"Um… it's about the Demonic Heaven Codex. I wanted to ask him a few questions."
Haruno rattled off the excuse she'd prepared on the way. "You know, Mother, my Codex and Yukino's Longevity Chant seem… strangely connected. I thought he might know something about that."
"That's because both of your techniques originally come from the same source," Yukiko explained smoothly. "They just developed in different directions under different philosophies."
"I see…" Haruno nodded, pretending she understood.
"Also—your mind is in disarray."
Just as Haruno thought she'd gotten away with her little act and was about to slip out to pester Shizuka Hiratsuka for more details, Yukiko added lazily, "I'll overlook it this time. But if you want to lie to me in the future, at least try not to make it so obvious."
"…." Haruno had no words.
---
Elsewhere.
After a night of unrelenting passion—extended again and again by bending time itself, stretching a single second into hours—the entire Yukinoshita estate had become their battlefield.
Everywhere you looked, there were signs of their frenzy: spilled fluids, broken furniture. Yukiko seemed like she had been training her whole life for this.
By morning, Veyron had finally settled what Yukiko had been "missing out on" for the past two decades. Now, he found himself wandering toward his next destination.
It was a grand manor, perched on high ground overlooking Tokyo Bay. From the deck, one could watch the sun rise over the sea in perfect clarity.
There, seated alone, was a woman of striking elegance—yet her face was gaunt, exhausted, almost lifeless. In her hand she clutched a bottle of wine inlaid with golden filigree, the sort of vintage that cost a fortune. She drank it like water, mouthful after mouthful.
"My lady, why is it that every time I see you, your face is clouded with sorrow?"
Veyron appeared and greeted her casually.
"…It's you?"
The sudden voice startled her. She turned, half-drunk eyes blinking blearily. When she finally recognized his face, her already unsteady body collapsed against him. She clung to him tightly, as if terrified he might vanish if she let go.
"Yes… it's you. It really is you!"
"Of course it's me."
Veyron smiled faintly. "So, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time? Come on, tell me."
"Give it back!"
"…What?"
"Give that back to me!"
Her voice cracked, trembling on the edge of tears. "I was wrong—I really was. I never should've taken that card from you back then. Punish me however you want, but please… please don't take that away from me…"
"…You do realize you haven't actually said what 'that' even is, right?"
"I don't know."
Confused, the woman lifted her head, eyes swimming. "I don't remember. I only know… it's important. So, so important to me."
Veyron fell silent.
Just a few days ago, when he came by to visit Saeko Busujima and the others their little strengthening packages, this woman hadn't seemed nearly this far gone. If she had, he would've stepped in immediately.
Her name was Maya Sakurajima.
More than twenty years ago, when Veyron was running bond missions in World-5—before it was absorbed into World-∞—she'd ended up with unlimited money as a gift from Veyron.
And Maya didn't have a name in the show (Bunny Girl Senpai); people just called her "Mai Sakurajima's mom."
And the "that" she was crying over now? Naturally, it was none other than Mai herself, who had been "erased" from the world's perception thanks to Puberty Syndrome (Adolescence Syndrome).
Even though Mai hadn't faced the original series' middle school scandal that nearly drove her to quit, she still became a star. With a famous-child debut, her mother's financial backing, and an endless spotlight, Mai Sakurajima was a success.
Until her third year of high school, when Puberty Syndrome struck—and the world forgot she existed.
The difference this time was that Maya Sakurajima hadn't completely forgotten. She still had a hazy memory of something—someone—precious.
"I want it."
Now, after all this time, when fate threw them together again, Maya had pinned all her blurred memories and regrets squarely on Veyron.
…Well, wasn't that just perfect.
"Hm?"
Still exasperated, Veyron suddenly realized that the woman clinging to him had begun to squirm restlessly in his arms.
Ah. He knew this scene.
Yesterday, at the Yukinoshita house—when Yukiko's twenty-year void was stirred awake by the clash of fate—she'd reacted the same way.
'Should I just use the Soul Light this time?'
A nanosecond later, he dismissed the idea.
There were three things Veyron valued above all else: fairness, fairness, and… fairness.
If he hadn't used the Soul Light to suppress Yukiko's abnormal state yesterday, then he sure as hell wasn't about to treat Maya any differently today.
As for why he hadn't helped Yukiko with the Soul Light yesterday… well, the answer is simple: what would you do if a beautiful, busty, virgin MILF demanded that?
There's only one correct answer here; anything else makes you GAE.
.
.
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