"With this, everything is finished, right, darling?" Belfast said as she placed the last of the washed plates away.
"Yes. Thank you for helping me," Yuuto replied, sitting on the sofa and stretching his arms along the backrest.
Belfast approached and sat beside him.
"What did you say, darling? That's already my duty as your wife," she said gently, then rested her head on Yuuto's shoulder.
Yuuto smiled and affectionately patted Belfast's head.
Slowly, Yuuto wrapped an arm around Belfast's waist, pulling her a little closer. Belfast noticed but did not resist—instead, she leaned in, calmly accepting the embrace.
But just as the atmosphere began to warm—
Ding dong.
The doorbell rang.
Belfast flinched slightly; her eyebrows twitched—a clear sign of irritation at their moment being interrupted.
Before she could say anything, Yuuto briefly kissed Belfast's lips.
"Wait a moment," Yuuto said as he stood up and walked toward the door.
Click.
The door opened.
Standing before him was a woman—the longtime neighbor Yuuto had first met when he moved into this apartment.
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Sakura, right? The neighbor next door?" Yuuto asked with a normal expression and a polite smile.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh—sorry to bother you," Sakura replied. "I saw your bedroom window open earlier, so I wanted to check. This apartment was empty for a whole month, after all."
"I see," Yuuto said. "Sorry for troubling you. I just returned today. I had some family matters, so I was away for a month."
"No, it's fine," Sakura said quickly. She brushed her hair behind her ear, looking at Yuuto longer than necessary.
Damn… why does he look even more handsome and charming now… Her face flushed.
Yuuto returned her gaze with a polite but distant smile.
"I-if it's not too much trouble," Sakura continued nervously, "you could come to my apartment. I got a lot of sweets from my hometown—"
She stepped closer, trying to reach for Yuuto's hand that was still on the doorknob.
But—
Yuuto brushed Sakura's hand away before she could touch him.
"Sorry," he said firmly but calmly. "I'm busy right now. I'm with my… hmm… wife."
Yuuto had almost lied—but decided not to.
At that moment, footsteps were heard from inside.
"Darling, what is it? Why are you taking so long?" Belfast's voice came closer—then stopped when she saw Sakura.
"Who is it?" Belfast asked.
"No one important, just the neighbor next door," Yuuto replied.
Sakura was still shocked by Yuuto brushing her hand away. Her eyes widened when she saw Belfast standing beside him.
Belfast stepped forward and gracefully wrapped her arm around Yuuto's.
"Eh… wife?" Sakura muttered in shock.
"Sorry," Yuuto repeated briefly, his tone unchanged.
Then he closed the apartment door.
Click.
Sakura was left standing in the hallway—silent, frozen, words she never got to say stuck in her throat.
Time passed slowly.
Yuuto and Belfast remained inside the apartment, chatting lightly and spending time together—sometimes laughing, sometimes simply enjoying the comfortable silence.
The clock pointed to 4:00 PM.
Yuuto glanced at the wall clock. He was sitting on the sofa, while Belfast had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder, her breathing steady and calm.
At that moment—
Click.
The sound of the front door opening echoed.
"Hm… it seems it's back," Yuuto murmured softly.
He lowered his head slightly. "Belfast, wake up. I need to do something."
He gently moved his shoulder to wake her.
Belfast opened her eyes, still half-asleep.
"What is it, darling…?" she asked with a small yawn.
"It seems my doll has returned," Yuuto replied.
"I need to check the memories it collected over the past month."
Belfast nodded, then stood and stretched. Yuuto stood as well.
Soon after, a voice came from the doorway.
"I'm home, Master."
Yuuto and Belfast turned at the same time.
Standing before them was the doll—its appearance now completely resembling Arthur Pendragon. Its posture, face, and even its outward aura were almost identical to Yuuto's.
"Wow…" Belfast held Yuuto's hand.
"It looks exactly like you, darling."
"It seems the transformation magic has fully taken effect," Yuuto said calmly.
"Thank you for your hard work over the past month."
The doll bowed its head slightly.
"I am your doll, Master. As long as it is your request, I will fulfill it."
Yuuto looked at it with his fae eyes—he could see absolute honesty behind those words.
"Good," he said shortly.
However, Belfast continued staring at the doll, her brows slightly furrowed.
Its body and face really are very similar to darling…
but why does it feel like something is missing…? Belfast thought.
Her gaze stopped at the doll's eyes. For some reason, an unpleasant feeling welled up in her chest.
What is this? It feels very uncomfortable… Belfast tightened her grip on Yuuto.
"Alright," Yuuto said, breaking the silence.
"I'll check your memories. After that, you can deactivate. From now on, I'll go to school and home myself."
"You may rest."
"Yes, Master."
As soon as those words were spoken, the doll lost consciousness. Its body changed, the form of Arthur disappearing, leaving behind an ordinary doll sitting motionless on the floor.
"Alright… next," Yuuto muttered.
He turned to Belfast, who was still holding his arm.
"Wait a moment."
Yuuto released Belfast's grip and stood directly in front of the doll.
Click.
Magic activated.
A faint light enveloped the room—
Wooosh.
All of the doll's memories from the past month flooded violently into Yuuto's head.
Yuuto's eyes widened. His body staggered; he nearly fell, but managed to brace himself against the wall.
Belfast immediately rushed to him.
"D-darling!" she cried in panic, supporting Yuuto's body.
"I'm fine," Yuuto said quickly.
"I was just surprised… too many memories came in at once."
At that moment—
KLNK.
A familiar sound echoed.
Yuuto took a deep breath, his body suddenly feeling much lighter. He looked up—the dharma wheel above his head was slowly spinning.
"It seems I've adapted again," he murmured.
Yuuto's gaze fell to the doll sitting motionless on the floor.
"You went through many difficult things," he said softly.
"You even witnessed my two siblings doing 'that' with Asahi and Mei… they've been in a relationship for a whole month. They're pretty crazy too."
Belfast frowned.
"Asahi and Mei? Who are those two women?"
"Are they your mistresses?"
"No, it's not like that, they're just…" Yuuto replied quickly, then paused to think.
Belfast stared at him sharply.
"Just… what?"
"Just acquaintances," Yuuto answered smoothly, without changing his expression at all.
"Hm… is that so?" Belfast said.
"Yes."
Yuuto then changed the subject.
"By the way, Belfast… do you want to come to my family home tomorrow?"
"I need to stop by for a bit. There's something I have to take care of."
"Your home, darling?!" Belfast's eyes sparkled.
"Will we meet your parents?"
"Should I bring a gift?"
Yuuto gently patted Belfast's head.
"No need. I'm just stopping by briefly."
"Tomorrow I also need to visit my cousins. They recently moved to this city."
"Oh?" Belfast leaned in.
"Why do you need to visit them, darling?"
"They live by themselves," Yuuto replied.
"Their parents often leave for work. They're just girls… and it seems I was asked to look after them since my apartment is close to their house."
"I see…" Belfast smiled softly.
"I'll go with you, darling."
Then she asked curiously,
"What are your cousins' names?"
Yuuto paused briefly, recalling the doll's memories.
"Hm… if I'm not mistaken," he said at last,
"Riko Yuuki and Mikan Yuuki."
Yuuto glanced at the wall clock again. The hands moved slowly, and suddenly he remembered something.
"Oh," he murmured softly.
He turned to Belfast.
"Belfast, do you want to come with me?" Yuuto asked.
Belfast lifted her face.
"To where, darling?"
"To my workshop from earlier," Yuuto replied.
"I want to greet my friends. They must have been waiting."
Belfast nodded without hesitation.
"Alright, I'll come with you, darling."
Not long after—
Yuuto and Belfast flew across the Tokyo sky, wrapped in Yuuto's wind magic. The wind swirled gently around them, making the journey feel like gliding through the air.
Belfast was carried in Yuuto's arms, one arm looped around his shoulder.
"By the way, darling," Belfast said softly,
"why do your friends know about that workshop? Wasn't it supposed to be hidden?"
"Oh, that…" Yuuto smiled slightly.
"They accidentally entered when I transformed into a fae."
Belfast looked slightly surprised.
"The bounden field I set up somehow broke. Fortunately, no one else entered… except the three of them."
"I see," Belfast said quietly, processing it.
"And since then," Yuuto continued,
"they've been using that place as a gathering spot—like a secret base."
"After school or during holidays, the three of them often go there," he added.
"We're quite close. They're good people."
Belfast looked at Yuuto's face from the side.
There was a gentle light in her eyes, like someone who was genuinely comfortable talking about people he trusted.
Darling looks happy… he must really like them, Belfast thought.
They continued flying until Yuuto slowed down and stopped right above his workshop.
"Look," Yuuto said, glancing down.
"There they are."
Belfast followed his gaze.
In front of the workshop, three girls in school uniforms stood side by side. They looked around, clearly searching for someone.
Belfast's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"…Those are your 'friends'?" she asked softly.