I shouted happily to the girl.
"Nobita? You're back!" Miyoko's face lit up with joy as she flew into my arms like a swallow returning to its nest.
Holding her fragrant, soft body in my arms, my expression softened even more.
"How long have you been waiting here?" I asked the girl in my arms.
"Not long—from the time you went to find Doraemon until now, it's only been half a day."
Miyoko replied.
"So, I didn't come back too late!"
I was a bit worried that the delay might be too long and King Demaon would make a move on Shizuka and the others.
But it had only been half a day, so Shizuka's side should still be safe.
"Come on! It's only been half a day, and you missed me that much?" I laughed and ruffled Miyoko's smooth hair.
"Mm!" Miyoko buried herself in my chest, greedily breathing in my scent.
A girl who's just tasted love is always especially clingy.
"This time, I didn't just bring back Doraemon—I brought back one of your relatives too!"
I patted Miyoko's soft back, signaling her to get up first.
"A relative?" Miyoko was puzzled. Wasn't her dad already gone? Besides him, what relatives did she have now?
"Miyoko!"
Just as Miyoko lifted her head, she heard a voice that had haunted her dreams for years.
Turning her head, she saw a woman in a white magic robe, with a face similar to her own, standing there with tears in her eyes, looking at her.
"You... you're Mom?"
Miyoko couldn't believe it.
She stepped out of my arms and stumbled toward the woman.
Slowly reaching out, she finally touched something real.
"It's Mom, it's really you!" Miyoko burst into tears.
Miyoko's mom couldn't hold back and pulled Miyoko into her embrace.
"I'm sorry, Miyoko. Mom came too late. It's all Mom's fault."
"You've suffered so much!"
The two hugged and cried, pouring out their longing for each other.
Miyoko's mom slowly explained to Miyoko what had happened to her.
"Mom, I can't believe you were Medusa. We were so close before!"
Miyoko was shocked.
"I'm sorry, Miyoko. I even attacked you back then and cast a spell on you."
Miyoko's mom felt apologetic.
"It's okay, Mom. It wasn't your fault—you had no choice."
Miyoko comforted her mom in return.
From their conversation, I also learned that the lifting of Miyoko's later magic curse was partly due to her mother.
"Mom, how did you recover?" Miyoko asked, puzzled.
"I have to thank Nobita for helping me recover!" Miyoko's mom looked at me and smiled lightly.
Miyoko's gaze toward me became even gentler.
While the two were expressing their family affection, Doraemon and I started preparing.
Doraemon and I first retrieved the remains of Miyoko's magic carpet from the South Pole.
Then we used the Time Cloth to repair it.
This was key for escaping with Shizuka and the others later.
By the time I returned, Miyoko and her mom had finished talking.
But just as we were about to set off, I thought of something and pulled Miyoko and her mom aside.
Doraemon and Dorami were both confused, not knowing what we were up to.
Before they left, the atmosphere was still cheerful.
But faintly, they could hear Miyoko shouting, "Mom, how could you do that?"
When they came back, Miyoko looked furious.
Miyoko's mom had an awkward expression.
Only I was in a good mood.
I didn't explain anything to Doraemon and Dorami.
Of course, what could I say?
I'd just spilled everything about me and Miyoko's mom.
Of course, it wasn't because I was some honest guy.
It was just that this was a golden opportunity.
With me about to face life-threatening danger, revealing this now would minimize the fallout.
Miyoko, seeing that I was risking my life to stop the Demon King, would at most throw a tantrum and not go all out fighting.
Maybe, after this Demon Realm adventure, the mother-daughter issue could be resolved.
Sure enough, defeating the Demon King was both dangerous and an opportunity!
Back in place, Miyoko was still a bit angry. She'd thought it was a joyful mother-daughter reunion, but it turned out her mom was here to steal her boyfriend.
And me?
I'd already been with Shizuka, and she hadn't even made a fuss about that since Shizuka came first. But now her own mom was getting involved?
I was such a pervert—having her and Shizuka wasn't enough?
Now her mom too?
Miyoko's mom was also embarrassed.
When she'd first seen her daughter hugging me, she knew her daughter's relationship with me was more than casual. What she'd done before—wasn't that basically stealing her daughter's boyfriend?
She'd originally planned to keep it buried forever.
But I pulled the two of them together and said right away, "Auntie, we shouldn't hide this from Miyoko anymore."
And I laid it all out.
Though I changed the purpose to say it was unavoidable to lift her curse.
But the part about her sneaking into my room at night and reverse-pushing me?
I didn't change a thing.
It made Miyoko's mom's face burn with embarrassment, and she didn't know how to refute it.
Miyoko's mom obviously knew my purpose in saying this.
--
That little rascal!
He wanted both mom and daughter!
What a greedy guy.
Sure enough, when Miyoko first heard it, she was furious, but then that guy immediately brought up how I was going to face the Demon King alone.
He said he was afraid that if something happened, he wouldn't get to tell Miyoko.
---
That softened Miyoko's heart a lot right away.
Though she still looked puffed up and angry, for someone like me with a savior's aura, she couldn't stay too mad. She just gave her mom a bad look?
It seemed like she was blaming her for seducing her own son-in-law!
We'd just been immersed in the joy of reunion—how did it turn into this?
Sigh!
My poor daughter, played right into Nobita's hands.
After this Demon Planet business is over, it looks like neither I as the mother nor my daughter will escape his grasp.
Thinking of this, Miyoko's mom looked at me with eyes full of resentment.
I didn't pay too much attention to Miyoko and her mom's negative emotions—after all, it wouldn't be normal if they didn't have any.
But saying it early would let Miyoko accept it sooner.
Plus, with me heading into battle, she wouldn't make a scene now.
Honestly, there was a bit of moral blackmail in it.
But for keeping the harem stable later, it was worth it.
After all, risking my life in this adventure—wasn't it all for this?