A bath?
Asa's small face went blank. Before he could react, Haruno picked him up and headed straight for the bathroom.
Unlike Yukino's relatively modest figure, Haruno's body was much closer to Mrs. Yukinoshita's. Dressed in her thin, comfortable loungewear, her figure was perfectly curved and shapely. Asa, held in her arms, only needed to glance down for an unobstructed view.
"Haruno-neesan, I can take a bath by myself!" Asa struggled to get down by the bathroom door.
"No way! You're still so little, let me help you bathe."
"Don't worry, oneesan is very experienced. I used to help Yukino take baths all the time when she was little." Haruno refused him without hesitation.
This left Asa feeling a little helpless. This was the common scenario he often faced as a small shota. Adults generally thought he was still small, and thus made decisions for him. From Haruno's slightly amused tone, he could tell she was currently treating him more like a novel toy. Like a child who just got a new transformer, she needed to take it apart and look at the inner workings first.
If this were before, a bath would be a bath. Ai had dragged him in with her before.
But now... Asa looked at his own hand. Then he looked at the gleaming, smooth tiles beneath his feet. Yup, those look very slippery...
Looking at the beautiful girl beside him, who had already rolled up her sleeves and started running the water, Asa sighed. He wasn't the one losing out, anyway. Haruno's personality was quite similar to her mother's—she responded well to soft words but poorly to hard ones. Close physical contact might even speed up the "capture."
'Maybe I'm more suited for the H-anime blond guy route?' Asa wondered, walking toward the tub.
Even though he was as cautious as possible with every step his foot took on the tile... the Rito-style Fall arrived as promised.
Plop!
The shota slammed right into the girl's back. They both tumbled into the large bathtub.
Haruno lay half-submerged in the tub, her thin loungewear soaked and clinging tightly to her skin. Asa was clinging to her body like a koala.
A strange, intense sensation passed through him, body and mind.
"The floor is a bit slippery," Asa said with a perfectly innocent look, quietly moving his hand away.
"Be... be careful..." Haruno's cheeks were flushed, and she didn't delve into the strange sensation that had suddenly appeared on her body.
She grabbed Asa to help him up. However, her foot slipped on the smooth bottom of the tub.
Splash!
Water sprayed, and they fell back in again.
When people are startled, they instinctively grab and clutch the nearest object. Girls were no exception, and this was clearly demonstrated as Haruno hugged Asa tightly.
"Haruno-neesan..." Asa squirmed uncomfortably.
Haruno's expression shifted slightly, and her red lips parted.
"The bathtub is slippery too..." Haruno's voice was a faint whisper, her eyes slightly clouded.
She actually made that sound...
Following that, Asa stayed perfectly still, soaking in the tub. He was very certain.
This bathroom was likely going to be slippery all the way through today.
....
The next morning.
The handsome boy sitting cross-legged on the bed slowly opened his eyes.
"As expected, absorbing a whole night's worth of Lunar Yin Energy is much better!" Asa quietly felt the improvement in his physique, raising his fist in delight.
The absorption of Lunar Yin Energy required him to revert to his Incubus form. He had no chance to do this at the orphanage. However, absorbing female Yin Energy had no form restriction. He could be big or small!
"No wonder the Incubi of the past couldn't resist going out to hunt women regularly."
"If just absorbing Lunar Yin Energy gives such a big boost, the speed of power growth when 'bonding' with a girl would be terrifying!"
"But if my Incubus identity is exposed, then others will be hunting me..."
"Maybe I can start with the people around me..." Asa's mind flashed with images of the Yukinoshita sisters...
"Mhm, I should build up the relationship first..."
"Before that, I need to have the power to protect myself," Asa inwardly mused.
"System, Check In!"
[Congratulations, Host, you have unlocked a new location.]
Ding!
[Successfully Checked In at the Yukinoshita Residence. You have received the abilities [LV1. Invisibility] and [LV1. Time Stop]]
"Unlocking a new location actually gave me two abilities!" Shiraishi Asa was overjoyed.
[LV1. Invisibility: Can enter an invisible state for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 60 seconds.]
[Detection complete. You have two [LV1. Time Stop]. Do you wish to synthesize LV2?]
"Synthesize!"
[LV2. Time Stop: Can stop time throughout the entire universe, excluding yourself, for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 30 seconds.]
[Note: Beings affected by Time Stop will have a vague sense of it. The stronger the being, the stronger the perception.]
Time Stop plus Invisibility, isn't that the perfect recipe for doing whatever he wants?!
Knock, knock!
"Asa-kun, are you awake?" Haruno's voice came through the door.
The handsome boy sitting on the bed went Puff! and transformed back into the small shota.
"Coming!"
....
Shuchi'in Academy.
After breakfast, Haruno, a university student, had already left for an early meeting, having just become the Vice President of the student council.
Yukino and Asa traveled together to Shuchi'in Academy.
Even after a night had passed, Yukino still couldn't understand why her mother, who rarely came home, would adopt a little brother. And now she had to commute with him? Did this mean her mother was just dumping him entirely on her?
And what was with the way Haruno and this little shota interacted this morning? After only one night, they were already so intimate. She looked more like the biological sister than Yukino herself. She felt like an outsider in her own home...
The more Yukino thought about it, the angrier she got. She glared angrily at the small shota in front of her, then took her long legs and got into the car.
Once seated, Yukino's face had completely returned to its usual cool composure.
As the car began to move, Yukino finally spoke in a flat voice.
"Mieko-san has completed your enrollment. You're in Class 1-B in the elementary school division."
"You can find the classroom yourself once we get to school, right?"
"I have club activities after school. If you want to go home, call Mieko-san to pick you up."
A cool tone, a detached delivery. The main point was the completely undisguised distance.
Asa clearly understood. Yukino was directing her conflict with Mrs. Yukinoshita straight at him. He wasn't going to take the blame for that.
"Mhm..." Asa responded weakly.
Then he lowered his head slightly and whispered,
"I'll find the classroom myself..."
"I'll buy my own lunch, too..."
"And I won't trouble Mieko-san after school..."
"I can wait for onee-san outside the school gate until your club activities are over..."
"Don't worry, onee-san. I used to space out a lot at the orphanage, so I'm really good at waiting for people."
A faint voice, a humble tone. The main point was a perfect display of manipulative, 'Tea-like' words!
Hearing these words, Yukino was instantly stunned.
She turned to look at the little shota beside her. His head was slightly bowed, and the alternating light and shadow hitting his young face made him look like a kitten with no home.
Yukino's heart suddenly clenched. She opened her mouth, her eyes now filled with apology. Unconsciously, her tone softened as well.
"You... you don't need to wait outside the gate... I'll come get you and take you to the clubroom then."
"I'll take you to lunch with me..."
Yukino turned her head, only to perfectly meet Asa's uplifted face. His clear eyes were full of joy, and a bright smile lit up his cute face. It was as if her promise was the greatest happiness in the world.
Yukino froze, a strange, unprecedented feeling blooming in her heart.
'Mhm, got her!'