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Seeing how Mai was acting, her mother just couldn't believe her once-obedient daughter had suddenly become so bold on her own. She blamed the boy in the paparazzi photos, convinced he must have brainwashed Mai. To her, it was the only reason Mai would start rebelling and trying to shut her out.
"D-Did he put you up to this?" Her mother's voice grew shrill with rising hysteria. "Where is he? Tell him to come out here right now! I want to speak to him face-to-face!"
She was set on exposing whatever scheme this boy was up to and pulling Mai back to reality.
"Mother!" Mai shook her head and let out a tired sigh. It felt hopeless. Her mother was acting irrational and desperate.
She started to argue, but the sound of a door opening stopped her. The bathroom door swung open, and Kai walked into the hallway with a white towel wrapped around his waist.
"You wanted to see me?"
He heard every word of their argument from the shower. At first, he didn't plan to get involved in their family drama. But since Mai's mother demanded to see him, he wasn't about to hide. He walked out, unfazed by the tension.
"Kai!"
Mai froze. She never thought he'd just walk out half-dressed in front of her mother. Even so, she didn't try to stop him.
"Y-You two..."
Her mother understood right away. Seeing Kai come out of Mai's shower in just a towel made everything obvious.
She'd tried to brush off the internet rumors as gossip that could be handled with PR. Now, the truth was right in front of her. Her daughter wasn't just dating—she was sleeping with him!
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Her mother's voice cracked, turning sharp and manic as she glared viciously at Mai. "Are you trying to throw your life away exactly like I did?"
Before Mai's father, she'd been a naive housewife who believed in love. After he left and she had to raise Mai alone, she learned the hard way that love didn't last. Only money could be counted on.
She spent years teaching Mai that lesson. She warned her over and over that men couldn't be trusted and that she had to rely on herself.
But even after all those warnings, Mai was making the same mistakes she did.
"This is my choice!"
Now that the secret was out, Mai stopped trying to hide it. She met her mother's angry glare with a steady, defiant look.
"He's the one I've chosen. I'll handle my own private life. I'm a legal adult now, and I'll take full responsibility for my own future!"
Her mother pointed a shaking finger at Mai, too shocked to speak. She never thought her calm, obedient daughter would act out like this.
"..." Kai stood off to the side, watching. He thought about stepping in, but the argument was too fierce for him to get a word.
"Who exactly are you?"
After a long, tense silence, her mother finally turned her angry glare on Kai. She had never even seen her daughter's secret boyfriend until now. She knew she had to question him or she wouldn't be able to sleep.
"Ahem." Kai cleared his throat, putting on a completely straight, serious face. "Kai. I'm currently a high school student at Sobu High."
There was no reason to mention he was a Jujutsu Sorcerer. She wouldn't get it anyway.
When he called himself an 'ordinary student,' Mai had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing. If Kai was ordinary, then no one was special.
"A student?"
Thinking she'd found his weakness, her mother scoffed coldly and looked at him with disdain. "Do you even know what Mai does for a living? Do you know how tough the entertainment industry is? What could a regular high schooler offer her?"
She wanted to give him a harsh reality check and make him see he was out of his league. Most teenage boys would feel crushed by those words.
But Kai didn't care about her insults. He was so thick-skinned that her words barely bothered him.
"Well, seeing as you just tried to force her into a degrading lingerie commercial, I'd say you haven't exactly been a massive pillar of support yourself, Auntie."
Her mother choked on her words.
It was a harsh truth she couldn't deny. She had been just an ordinary housewife. Mai's success came from her own looks and talent. She was discovered on the street and worked hard to earn her place. As a minor, Mai needed her mother to sign contracts, but that was her only real help. Her mother didn't provide any industry connections or resources.
"And what about you?" Her mother snarled, her eyes flashing with vicious intent. "Are you just planning to leech off her success like a parasite?"
Even if she hadn't helped much, she wasn't going to let this boy act superior. In Japan, society looked down on men who lived off their girlfriends, and most men would feel ashamed.
"That sounds like a fantastic plan..."
Kai clearly didn't have that kind of ego.
"Honestly, being a kept man has always been my dream." He turned to Mai and looked her straight in the eye. "Mai-senpai, would you be my sugar mommy?"
"You're ridiculous!"
Mai couldn't believe he was joking right now. Half amused and half annoyed, she gave his arm a light slap. With a fond, exasperated look, she sighed, "Well, I guess I'll have to work harder. If I don't, I won't be able to afford you."
Being Kai's sugar mommy? Oddly, the idea didn't seem so bad. She even felt a bit excited thinking about it.
"..." Her mother stared at them, stunned. She thought she could shame the boy into leaving, but he just accepted the insult, and Mai even agreed to support him. Had they both lost their minds?
"A-Aren't you afraid of what people will say?" she shrieked.
"Why would I care what anyone says?" Kai chuckled, but then his expression turned serious. "Besides, who says I can't support Mai-senpai?"
He liked to joke around, but when things got serious, he never backed down.
"I'm pretty sure if I made one phone call, every big company in Japan would rush to help me."
"Hah?" Her mother stared at him, then burst out laughing in disbelief. "Who do you think you are? Do you even know what a conglomerate is? What makes you think you have that kind of influence?"
"This."
Kai casually reached for his jacket slung over a nearby chair, pulling out a small black identification card. He flipped it open, revealing his official status as a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer.
"?" Her mother stared at the ID, completely lost. She had no idea what the title meant or how much power it carried.
But she wasn't foolish. Mai hadn't shown any doubt and stood by his side, showing complete trust. Her mother knew Mai was smart. If she wasn't being tricked, then this boy really did have the powerful background he claimed.
"If... if what you're saying is true..." She hesitated, wrestling with her own conflicting emotions before finally caving. "...then I'll stop interfering in your lives."
She cared about money, but she still loved her daughter. Her need to save up came from deep fear. She knew they had no real support in the industry.
Mai's success was built on luck and talent, but the entertainment world was harsh and always looking for younger, prettier girls. She was always afraid Mai would be replaced. She wanted to save enough so they'd be safe if that ever happened.
But if Mai really had someone powerful behind her, all those fears didn't matter anymore.
"Deal," Kai agreed.
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