"Mm, yo-you're Sakiko's friend, and also my lifesaver."
No matter how you look at it, staring blankly at a beautiful young boy more than twelve years younger than yourself isn't exactly something to be praised.
Snapping out from the dreamlike amazement, Togawa Mizuho coughed once, hastily changing the topic to cover it up, "So just call me by name, Mizuho, or Mizuho A—cough cough, Mizuho Onee-san, either is fine."
Kaito frowned slightly.
It wasn't because he felt taken advantage of. Although by his real age, he could be Togawa Mizuho's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, generational hierarchy didn't necessarily depend on age.
He and Sakiko were friends, and facing a friend's mother, calling her "Auntie" wasn't a big deal.
'But... Mizuho Onee-san?'
Fine, if you're only judging by appearances, that form of address on Togawa Mizuho indeed didn't feel too out of place.
Still, considering a certain little secretary's mood, Kaito pondered for two seconds and chose a tactful compromise.
"Mizuho-san."
Togawa Mizuho clearly wasn't too satisfied with his reply.
'Miss this, Miss that, it sounds like he is calling me old. Doesn't feel like peers at all.'
Even though they weren't the same age to begin with, before regaining her youth, she wouldn't nitpick if he called her "Miss." But now that she'd gotten her youth back, and he still called her "Miss," wouldn't that make her rejuvenation pointless?
But alas, she couldn't force Kaito to call her Mizuho Onee-san, so she could only comfort herself inwardly. From "Togawa-san" to the more familiar "Mizuho-san," rounding up, that's halfway to her goal. Win!
Kaito didn't dwell on this topic and began preparing the ingredients for dinner. To help Togawa Mizuho feel involved, he assigned her the task of chopping potatoes.
No need to cut them into even shreds, just larger cubes would do, later to be stewed with beef brisket, not difficult at all. Just needed hands to do it.
Togawa Mizuho seemed to have trained in cooking; at least her posture with the knife looked pretty standard. It seemed like she'd easily handle the task.
The kitchen fell silent again, only the rhythmic "thud thud" of the knife hitting the cutting board could be heard.
"Speaking of which, Kaito-kun, have you thought about the issue of Mortis-chan's identity?", Before long, Togawa Mizuho couldn't take the quiet anymore and broke the silence. Her hands didn't stop chopping potatoes.
She wasn't just saying it randomly, this topic was quite targeted.
Though Mortis had already separated from Mutsumi and was living in modern society independently, just having a physical body didn't make her a legal citizen. Without documentation to prove her identity, she'd be considered undocumented. She couldn't even get a legitimate job, just the dirtiest and most tiring black-market work. She couldn't defend her rights if her wages were withheld. Anyone could trample on her.
Kaito hadn't considered this problem before. With him around, Mortis wouldn't be bullied by anyone.
But having a legal identity would help her truly integrate into this world, to truly put down roots, not just be a drifting weed.
"Thank you for the reminder, Mizuho-san."
Thinking this through, he nodded, "I'll settle this matter as soon as possible."
"Actually, what I meant was... if Kaito-kun doesn't mind, you could leave this matter to me."
Togawa Mizuho said seriously, "My father always taught me, return a drop of grace with a spring of gratitude. I've received a lot of favors from you before but haven't done anything in return... so, please give me a chance to repay you."
With the Togawa Group's scale, within Japan's territory, maybe not omnipotent, but definitely like a local emperor.
But this sort of small matter was obviously not enough to repay the favor. If she could, Togawa Mizuho would love to gift the whole company to someone, but alas, Kaito was willing, Mottis was unwilling. So she could only settle for helping in minor matters.
Kaito thought for a moment and didn't refuse. Though he could solve Mortis' identity issue himself, since someone offered help, that saved him trouble.
"Then it's settled!"
Even though she was the one offering help, Togawa Mizuho acted like she'd gained a big bargain. Her lips slightly curled up, "I'll get it done as soon as possible... By the way, should we list Mortis as Minami's relative?"
After all, the girl was born from Mutsumi's mental space. Though her physical body had no blood relation to Mori Minami, their souls... could kinda count as mother and daughter.
Kaito pondered for a while and didn't decide on his own.
"I'll ask Mortis privately later."
"Okay."
Togawa Mizuho nodded obediently and pushed the chopped potatoes aside. She was about to wipe the moisture off the knife blade when suddenly—"Ah!"—a chill spread from her fingertip.
The knife edge had sliced diagonally across the flesh of her pinky. The wound was about two centimeters long. At first, it looked a bit pale, but very soon, clear beads of blood emerged and gradually formed a thin stream, dripping down her finger.
The woman frowned slightly. It wasn't a particularly serious wound, but it did hurt.
"Kaito-kun, do you have a Band-Aid?"
She had often cut her fingers while cooking at home before, so Togawa Mizuho wasn't overly dramatic, just a bit annoyed. She should have been more careful.
'Now... I'll definitely be branded clumsy, right?'
"Band-Aids are in the bedside drawer in the bedroom."
Kaito shook his head slightly, "Actually, no need for something that troublesome. Leave it to me."
For small wounds like this, using spiritual energy to heal was faster.
Togawa Mizuho clearly also remembered that the beautiful boy before her possessed even more convenient, mysterious methods, so she stepped closer, biting her lip slightly with a bit of guilt, like a girl who just got into trouble.
"Sorry, I should've... been more careful."
"It's fine."
Kaito grabbed her hand and glanced at it. The red bead of blood on her fair, jade-like fingertip stood out strikingly.
He didn't delay, passed a wisp of spiritual energy through, and in the next second, the still-bleeding wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. Even any lingering bacteria didn't stand a chance.
In just a blink, the pinky had returned to its original state, completely unscathed.
'Though it's not the first time experiencing this feeling, it still feels so magical.'
Togawa Mizuho couldn't help marveling inwardly. But then she suddenly realized her hand was still being held. Her porcelain-white cheeks flushed faintly, and her heart fluttered in confusion.
She wanted to pull away, but also didn't want to. Just in that brief moment of daze, a small blue twin-tailed head poked through the kitchen door.
"Mom, I think I just heard you cry out, did something happen..."
Finally seeing the scene before her, Togawa Sakiko tilted her head, her previously clear vision slowly turning hazy.
"Eh?"
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