Maybe Draconis was right—neither Mai nor Nodoka could muster a comeback. Whatever history those sisters shared, Draconis didn't pry. He kept his opinions to himself.
With someone else staying at Mai's place, it didn't feel right to linger. After dinner and a round of dishwashing, Draconis stood to leave. Mai walked him to the door.
"Did your sister say when she's heading out?" he asked quietly, once they'd stepped outside.
Mai shook her head. "No idea. She ran here after fighting with her mom."
Mai's little sister was a handful. She'd always looked up to Mai, practically idolized her. Maybe that's why Nodoka had followed Mai into the idol business.
Draconis blinked. Another mother-daughter spat. Another girl who'd already debuted as an idol. Wasn't this just Mai all over again? With someone like Mai as the gold standard, Nodoka had to be feeling the pressure. Anyone would.
He didn't voice that thought. Mai was sharp—she'd noticed, surely.
"Alright, I'll teleport from here," Draconis said, stepping forward and wrapping Mai in his arms, kissing her softly.
She blushed, but her arms found their way around him, and the kiss deepened. For a moment, longing and love flowed between them—until Mai pulled back, breathless and smiling.
"I'll wait until you leave before I go inside," she said, her voice sweet as honey.
Draconis smiled. "Your sister's alone in there. Go talk to her."
"Yeah, you're right. I'll go." Mai turned, pausing at the door to look back. Draconis was still there, watching her with a gentle smile.
She smiled, closed the door, and disappeared inside. Draconis stretched, feeling his magic surge—a fresh boost from the contract's reward. If only he had more faith contracts. That would be perfect.
Unfortunately, his only other contracts were with the Nakano quintuplets. And those five? As complicated as they came.
They'd warmed up to him lately, but reaching Mai's level of devotion was still a distant dream.
He had time. Why not drop by the quintuplets' place? It'd been a few days.
Teleporting in, Draconis was greeted by the scent of shampoo and the whir of a hair dryer. In the living room, a girl sat on the sofa, long hair whipping around as she dried it. She wore nothing but a bath towel.
Snow-white thighs. Bare shoulders. The towel trembled dangerously with every movement, threatening to slip.
…Who was this?
Draconis mentally cycled through Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki—trying to match features. But aside from Ichika's signature short hair, the other four were impossible to tell apart without their usual markers. He was stumped.
"Who's there?" the girl called, not turning.
That voice. Nino Nakano. The resident firecracker.
Draconis grinned. He'd recognize that attitude anywhere.
"Yotsuba? Grab my contacts, will you? They're on the shelf over there."
Nino squinted in his direction, completely failing to recognize him.
Right—Nino was practically blind without her contacts. As the saying goes, for the severely nearsighted, ten meters and everyone's gender blurs; twenty meters and people start looking like livestock.
Draconis was just far enough away for Nino to mistake him for Yotsuba.
"…Nino, it's me. Draconis."
He cleared his throat, voice gentle.
"…Huh?!" Nino froze, then realized what was happening and clutched her towel to her chest.
"Dr-Draconis?! What are you doing here? I'm not dressed!"
He shrugged. "Look again—you're wearing a towel."
Nino nearly choked. "A towel doesn't count as clothes!"
"Turn around!" she barked, then bolted up the stairs.
"Hey, careful!" Draconis called after her.
Predictably, Nino's foot slipped. A slipper shot off, and she tumbled. The classic post-shower stair mishap—some tropes never die.
Draconis didn't hesitate. In a flash, he was at her side, catching her before her face could meet the stairs. His arms hooked under her legs, scooping her up in a bridal carry.
"Told you to be careful."
Nino blinked, flustered. "What are you doing? Put me down…"
"Relax. I can only see your legs—everything else is covered. I'll get you to your room. Nothing's gonna happen."
His calm, matter-of-fact tone left Nino speechless.
He carried her to her room, set her down gently, and placed her glasses on the vanity.
"I put your contacts on the dresser," he said, and turned to leave.
Inside, Nino fumbled with her lenses, glancing at her reflection. Draconis's steady hands, his unflappable attitude… her cheeks flamed red.
Why did he seem so cool just now…?
That easy confidence. The way he didn't make a big deal out of anything. It was… kind of hot.
Draconis was exactly her type. And now, she was definitely crushing a little.
If Draconis could read her mind, he'd probably wonder if this girl had a bit of a masochistic streak or something…
—
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