The next day.
As expected, since it was a holiday, Maki and Mai arrived early at the courtyard.
Maki noticed that the door was still closed. Knowing their master was probably still asleep, she grabbed a heavy wooden staff and began swinging it skillfully in the yard.
Meanwhile, Mai deftly found the spare key hidden under the mat by the door. With a knowing grin, she unlocked it.
"Hehehe, cousin is so lazy. I'll go wake him up!"
The small girl dashed upstairs, rubbing her hands together mischievously as she reached his door. Carefully, she placed her hand on the doorknob.
"Ta-da! The sun's already up, wake up!"
She threw the door open and leapt onto the bed with all her might.
"Behold! Mai's Mountain Crushing Attack!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The small figure bounced twice on the mattress.
"Huh… who's there…"
Yuki sleepily opened her eyes, pulling the blanket down a little — and froze when she saw a wide-eyed Mai staring back at her.
"Oh, it's just the little one" Yuki mumbled, before pulling the blanket back up and wrapping her arms around the person beside her, snuggling closer against his chest.
Last night had been… intense. She'd gotten far too carried away and had underestimated her partner's stamina. No wonder he'd survived living off women for so long — he was practically a human battering ram.
Even a special-grade sorcerer like her had barely kept up. Now she was completely exhausted, planning to sleep until noon just to recover.
"It's that big sister from yesterday! Why are you in my cousin's room?!"
Mai blinked in confusion, then quickly tugged at the blanket — and sure enough, there was her cousin lying next to Yuki.
"Ah! You're here too?!"
Her mind froze for a few seconds. What was going on here? Why were the big sister and her cousin sleeping together? Maybe… maybe she got cold at night?
"Mai, could you step outside for a moment? I need to get dressed." Jinsuke sighed helplessly.
He really needed to remind Yuki to lock the door next time. Thankfully, his recovery ability was absurdly strong; even after a night like that, he didn't feel tired at all.
"Oh… okay."
Still puzzled, Mai left the room and shut the door behind her.
Out in the yard, she told Maki everything she had just seen.
Maki, who was entirely focused on her training, replied absentmindedly, "Maybe she just got cold sleeping alone."
"Yay! That's exactly what I thought!"
Mai beamed — happy that her sister shared her brilliant deduction.
A little while later, Jinsuke appeared as if nothing had happened, calling the twins to breakfast. They were just kids — there was no need to explain anything.
Over the next few days, Yuki didn't go anywhere. She stayed at Jinsuke's place, eating his food, drinking his tea, and now… freeloading from him completely.
Worse still, the money she owed him seemed more and more like a distant dream.
"Sniff… that was so beautiful…"
Leaving the cinema, Yuki clung to Jinsuke's arm, still emotional from the romance movie they had just watched.
"Seriously? It was just a movie," Jinsuke muttered, twitching the corner of his mouth.
Dating, he realized, was way more exhausting than mooching off people.
"You don't get it — you're a total steel-hearted man" Yuki shot back with a pout.
Since she'd never really dated before, she'd been trying all the "couple" things she could think of these past few days — and for the first time, she understood that life wasn't just about saving the world. There was joy in these simple, ordinary moments too.
"Come on, let's go home before the girls accuse me of stealing you again."
At first, Maki and Mai hadn't cared much. But after days of watching the two of them go out on dates, both sisters grew more and more annoyed. They finally understood what it meant to be "boyfriend and girlfriend."
When they got home, Maki was training diligently as usual. Mai, on the other hand, sat pouting on a stone by the door, looking miserable.
She had once hoped her cousin would find a girlfriend — but now, she was furious. Ever since Yuki appeared, her brother barely had time to play with them… or more accurately, with her.
It was infuriating! She even started wishing her brother would just stay single forever, so the three of them could always be together.
"Little Mai, why the long face? Look what I got you!"
As soon as Yuki stepped inside, she spotted Mai sulking.
"Hmph! Even if you bought me something tasty, I'm not talking to you. And cousin too — I won't forgive either of you!"
Mai turned away dramatically, though her eyes kept sneaking glances at the box in Yuki's hands.
Those two went out having fun without her — she definitely wasn't forgiving them easily!
"Alright, alright, don't be mad. Big sis will return your precious cousin to you soon," Yuki said, gently patting Mai's head with a smile.
She honestly couldn't imagine how this big, serious man had become so popular with little girls.
"Really?" Mai asked, her eyes flicking between Yuki's face and the cake box, swallowing nervously.
"Of course. I'm heading out on a mission tomorrow — and I'll be gone for quite a while. So your cousin will have plenty of time to play with you again."
She handed Mai the cake — one she'd bought using Jinsuke's money.
"Here, have some cake. And remember to share it with your sister, okay?"
"Alright… I guess I'll forgive you this time."
Mai took the cake, eyes sparkling as she stared at the strawberries on top. For the sake of dessert, she'd temporarily forgive them.
Cradling the cake carefully, she ran toward Maki.
"When are you leaving?" Jinsuke asked.
"Tomorrow," Yuki replied. "I've stayed long enough. If I don't get back to work soon, I'll turn lazy for real."
Though love was sweet, she couldn't forget her mission — to uncover and destroy the source of all curses.
"How about it? Want to come with me and look for a way to eliminate the origin of curses?" she asked, eyes filled with a quiet hope.
Jinsuke shook his head. "I'll pass. Being a hero isn't really my thing."
Saving the world was for protagonists. He just wanted to get stronger — and maybe change a few regrets along the way. Like the woman standing before him. He didn't plan on letting her repeat her past mistakes.
"Alright," Yuki sighed, slightly disappointed but understanding. "You're right… it doesn't really suit you anyway."
Honestly, he was more suited to being a house husband. She'd go out and fight; he'd stay home and take care of things.
The thought made her chuckle.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm just happy," she said simply, smiling.