"Ah—Rei Ao-dono is back."
Tohru, the dragon maid who had been mopping the floor, was the first to look up, her smile bright and dazzling.
"And this is…?"
Everyone turned to look.
Kushina stiffened instantly.
What did it feel like to be stared at by five pairs of eyes at once?
Now she knew—like being shoved onto a stage as an understudy, a spotlight snapping on, her mind going completely blank.
"A new friend?"
The silver-haired girl tilted her head, her amethyst eyes brimming with curiosity.
"Rei Ao, didn't you say you were going out to handle something? How'd you end up bringing a little girl back?"
"This doesn't look like something as simple as 'a little girl.'"
The brown-haired girl with glasses, Futaba, pushed her frames up; the lenses flashed with reflected light.
Mai Sakurajima, the long–black-haired girl, set down her teacup, brows knitting.
"And she looks pretty young. Rei Ao, explain."
"Explain what?!"
The doll-like red-eyed girl, Sora, hopped off the couch and pattered over, circling Kushina once.
"Rei Ao-dono definitely has a reason, right? Right?"
Kushina: "…"
She wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the floor and disappear into it.
All these girls were gorgeous, each with a totally different vibe—but they shared one thing in common:
The way they looked at Rei Ao was familiar. Comfortable. Intimate.
So intimate it made something inside her feel… weird, for no reason.
No, no—what am I even thinking?!
Kushina shook her head hard, flinging the messy thoughts away.
"Um…"
She spoke softly.
"I'm Uzumaki Kushina. Rei Ao-san saved me, and then we…"
Her words stuck.
How was she supposed to explain?
Say they made a deal—he'd help her tame the Nine-Tails, and she'd agree to one condition?
But… where even was this place?
Rei Ao, on the other hand, picked up the thread like it was nothing.
"She's the new 'group member.' She's from the Naruto world, the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, and she's my trade target."
The air went quiet for two seconds.
Then—
"Huh?!!"
The silver-haired girl—Emilia—was the first to bristle.
"Wait, wait, wait! The 'deal' you mentioned before… was with this kid?!"
"No way!" Emilia's face flushed red.
"T-That's literally a crime!"
Mai Sakurajima pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I don't agree with Emilia's wording, but Rei Ao… this really isn't appropriate."
"What do you mean, 'kid'?!"
Tohru planted her hands on her hips.
"To us dragons, there's no difference. As long as Rei Ao-dono likes her, that's enough!"
"Tohru, that makes it worse, okay?!"
Futaba's hand was trembling as she pushed up her glasses.
Rei Ao: "…"
He rubbed his temples, wearing the expression of someone thinking, I knew this would happen.
"Can you let me finish before you explode?"
He sighed.
"First, Kushina's world matures early. Second, I'm not a pervert—this deal is completely serious. Third…"
He paused and looked at Kushina.
"For what comes next, she needs to be a bit older."
Older?
Kushina hadn't even processed the word when Rei Ao lifted his hand, his index finger lightly tapping her forehead.
Cold.
Then a warm current flowed from the point of contact into her body.
It felt strange—no pain, no itch, but she could clearly feel her body changing.
Her bones stretched. Her muscles filled out. Her chest became heavy. Her view slowly rose higher…
Wait.
Her chest?
Kushina looked down—and instantly turned to stone.
Her clothes—the same outfit she'd worn for years—let out a strained ripping sound. Buttons popped off and flew, fabric pulled apart, exposing pale skin underneath…
"YAAAAAAAHHHH—!!!"
The scream finally burst free.
But it only made it halfway out before Rei Ao scooped her up in his arms.
A real "scoop," too.
Like holding a child—one arm around her back, the other supporting the bend of her knees.
Kushina froze, even forgetting to scream.
From this new height, she could see the top of Rei Ao's head.
And her body felt so much heavier—especially her chest—that she could barely imagine standing steadily.
"My clothes… my clothes…" Her voice shook.
"I'll find you new ones later."
Rei Ao said it as casually as if he were talking about dinner, then turned and waved at the girls in the living room, who were still staring in shock.
"I'm going to finish the deal. You guys entertain yourselves—don't interrupt."
With that, he carried Kushina down the hallway to a door at the far end.
Click.
The door shut.
The living room fell into a deathly silence.
Five pairs of eyes stared at that tightly closed door, each face more dramatic than the last.
Tohru was the first to snap out of it. She chuckled twice.
"Honestly, Rei Ao-dono… so impatient."
"Is that really the issue?!"
Emilia clutched her head.
"This is basically—"
"Basically what?"
Mai Sakurajima cut in, her voice cool.
Emilia choked on her words.
Mai stood, walked to the door, and stared at it for a few seconds.
Then she turned, sat back down on the couch, and took a sip from her tea—already cold.
"If it's a deal, then there's a reason for it."
Her tone was terrifyingly calm.
"We'll just wait."
Futaba adjusted her glasses. "Mai-senpai, your teacup is cracked."
"You're seeing things."
"No, it's really cracked. Tea is leaking out."
"…Shut up."
Tohru looked from one to the other, tail swishing restlessly.
She had a bad feeling that when Rei Ao-dono came back out… he might be walking into something truly scary.
…
Night fell.
And in the living room, the five girls were still waiting.
Tohru had started making dinner—her knife thudding hard against the cutting board.
Futaba hugged her laptop and typed code, but her eyes kept drifting to that door.
Emilia couldn't sit still. Mai kept staring blankly at the crack in her teacup.
Illya was brewing tea.
Only Sora was still happily gaming.
"I'm just saying."
Tohru suddenly spoke.
"Doesn't Rei Ao-dono like Kushina a little too much? It's been so long—two days, right? How is it not over yet?"
"Tohru!"
Emilia's face turned red again.
"I'm being serious!"
The dragon maid tilted her head.
"Can that Kushina really hold up?"
"Uh… no idea… I guess…"
The door opened right at that moment.