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Lucian froze. "Huh?"
Wasn't this… going completely off-script?
Yukino Yukinoshita lifted her pale chin slightly. She forced the tremor out of her voice and spoke with the calm, structured tone of someone giving a formal report:
"This was an accident caused by circumstances beyond our control. We're both adults… no, correction—I'm not legally an adult yet, but I do have basic common sense. This was simply a necessary process to neutralize the toxin."
"So there's no need for you to feel guilty, Teacher. And you don't need to take responsibility for me."
Hearing her flawless, almost overly rational explanation, Lucian sucked in a quiet breath.
As expected of Yukino Yukinoshita … that ironclad logic and stubborn pride.
Her body was still trembling, yet she managed to lay everything out so cleanly, as if nothing had happened.
Still… it did save his teaching career.
The atmosphere finally eased a little. Yukino let out a small breath, about to ask Lucian to turn around so she could get dressed—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
BANG BANG BANG!!!
The bedroom door suddenly shook under a barrage of violent pounding. The deafening noise exploded through the quiet room like thunder.
Then came a clear, sweet voice from outside—except it was laced with grievance and burning anger:
"Lucian! You're in there, right?!"
"Open the door! I can already smell another woman in there! It's your first day as a teacher and you're already bringing girls home?!"
Oh crap. This is bad.
That voice belonged to his adopted little sister—Kasugano Sora. A terminal-level brother-con.
Yukino, sitting on the bed, went completely rigid.
She glanced at her torn, unusable school uniform scattered across the floor, then toward the door. The composure she had forced together shattered instantly.
"Lucian… Teacher…" A flicker of panic finally surfaced in her deep blue eyes. "Wh-Who is that?"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Lucian! If you don't open the door, I'm picking the lock!!!"
Sora's voice carried a clear, dangerous final warning.
Click… click…
The grating sound of metal scraping against metal came from the front door lock. In the quiet room, it sounded especially sharp.
Lucian's eye twitched.
That silver-haired girl outside wasn't joking.
As her brother, he knew exactly what she was capable of.
If he didn't open the door, it wouldn't even take thirty seconds for that tiny black hairpin to destroy the lock.
"W-Wait!"
In the corner of the bed, Yukino—who had just been clinging to logic to preserve her dignity—now looked completely flustered.
She lowered her gaze to the floor, despair filling her eyes.
Sobu High's girls' uniform was already form-fitting to begin with. After everything that just happened, both the sailor-style top and skirt had been reduced to little more than scraps.
And that wasn't even the worst part.
The toxin was gone, but the long ordeal had left unmistakable traces behind. For someone as particular as Yukino, the embarrassment alone made her curl her toes.
"I… can't wear this…" she whispered, biting her lip.
"Wear mine."
Lucian immediately realized the problem.
He rushed to the wardrobe, grabbed a loose white shirt, and tossed it onto the bed.
"Put this on. The one outside is my sister, Kasugano Sora. She's… a bit clingy. If she sees you like this, tomorrow there might be two cement-filled barrels floating in Tokyo Bay."
Yukino grabbed the shirt. Her fingers trembled slightly as she felt the faint, clean scent that belonged to him.
She looked up at Lucian—only to find him still standing there, clearly anxious… but also very much looking at her.
After defeating the creature earlier, the "God-tier Charm" reward he'd received was quietly taking effect. His already handsome features now carried an almost unreal, otherworldly allure.
Yukino's heartbeat skipped.
Her cheeks, already flushed, grew even hotter.
"T-Teacher… could you turn around first?" she said, clutching the blanket tighter, her voice unsteady.
Click! Click!
The lock-picking sounds outside sped up.
Sora's muttering even seeped through the door:
"Another woman… definitely another woman… unforgivable…"
"There's no time for that!"
Lucian took a sharp breath and pointed at the door. "At this rate, she'll get it open in ten seconds! Just put it on! And listen—what happened with that monster earlier, you absolutely cannot tell her! She's just an ordinary person. I don't want her getting dragged into anything dangerous. Just say… it was some kind of experiment that went wrong."
Protecting Sora was part of it.
But Lucian also didn't want to expose his identity as an exorcist. If the school or any authorities started investigating, his peaceful life as a teacher would be over.
Even in her flustered state, Yukino understood immediately.
He didn't want his family to worry… and he didn't want trouble from the supernatural world.
"…Understood."
She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and finally pulled the blanket away.
It was a sight that could make anyone's pulse spike.
Lucian's gaze drifted down along her slightly messy black hair… then suddenly stopped.
At the collar of the oversized shirt, her delicate collarbone was clearly visible.
He blinked.
"…Wait. You're not wearing anything underneath?" he blurted out instinctively.
"....."