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"Hi there, Hotaru-gusa!"
The moment she laid eyes on the adorable little girl, Miko Yotsuya felt her heart melt. The maternal instincts she didn't even know she had burst into full bloom.
Really, who wouldn't love a sweet, well-behaved little kid?
"Mmm~ Big Sister Miko's hands are so soft~"
"Hold hands!"
As Miko gently rubbed Hotaru-gusa's head, the girl let out a blissful little hum, clearly enjoying herself.
Miko didn't mind at all. She simply reached out and took Hotaru-gusa's right hand.
"Yay! Let's go play!"
With Asher on her left and Miko on her right, Hotaru-gusa tugged both of them along and took off running toward the entrance of the shopping street.
Dragged along by her enthusiasm, Asher and Miko exchanged a glance, then both smiled.
And so, just like that, the two of them and one shikigami began wandering through the bustling shopping district.
Hotaru-gusa was endlessly curious about modern society. Almost everything caught her attention, and she wanted to look at it all.
Watching how lively and excited Hotaru-gusa was, Miko finally relaxed.
After all, this was her first time going out shopping with a guy.
At first, she'd been nervous. If it were just her and Asher alone, forget shopping, she'd probably be so shy she wouldn't even know what to say. Just imagining it made her cheeks burn.
But with little Hotaru-gusa tagging along, all of those worries vanished completely.
Before she knew it, Miko found herself fully immersed in the cheerful, easygoing atmosphere of strolling around together.
…After a long while, the three of them finally stopped, feeling a bit tired.
Asher was now loaded down with bags.
Naturally, every single one of them held toys that Hotaru-gusa had been fascinated by.
"Alright, you two must be tired by now," Asher said, glancing at the crowded street.
"How about we find a milk tea place, sit down, and grab something to drink?"
Neither Miko nor Hotaru-gusa had any objections.
But just as the three of them were about to look for a shop, an unexpected figure appeared in their line of sight.
And clearly, that person spotted them too.
She froze for several seconds before finally reacting.
"Whoa! Miko! And Mr. Asher!"
After calling out in surprise from afar, Hana Yurikawa immediately jogged over.
"Huff…!"
"Mr. Asher, Miko—what is going on here?!"
Stopping in front of them, Hana stared at Asher and Miko with a completely shocked expression.
She'd only come out for a casual stroll, yet she'd run into both of them. And not only that, Miko was actually out shopping on her own initiative?
To Hana, this was practically a once-in-a-century miracle.
"Uh… well…"
For a moment, Miko had no idea how to explain. Her face flushed bright red.
She'd gone out shopping with Asher, and now her best friend had caught them in the act.
The embarrassment hit her all at once, like she'd been caught red-handed. She wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Before Miko could say anything, though, Hana's gaze dropped to the little girl holding both Asher's and Miko's hands.
"Huh?"
"Who's this adorable little sister?"
"Wait…"
"No way, right?!"
"Miko, don't tell me…"
"You and Mr. Asher already have a kid together?!"
As if she'd just uncovered a shocking secret, Hana's eyes flew wide open as she stared at Miko in disbelief.
That was why she'd frozen earlier. At first, she'd thought her eyes were playing tricks on her.
A man, a woman, and a little girl. No matter how you looked at it, they resembled a family of three.
If she hadn't rubbed her eyes to make sure it really was Asher and Miko, she never would've believed what she was seeing.
"Ah?!"
Hearing Hana's guess, Miko let out a small shriek and immediately rushed to explain.
"N-no, it's not like that!"
"Hana, she's not my and Asher's child!"
"Hotaru-gusa, she… she's…"
Miko grew more and more flustered, her words tumbling out in a mess. Even she wasn't sure what she was saying anymore.
At that point, Asher stepped in to save her.
He wore a helpless smile as he spoke.
"Hana, she's not our child."
"Her name is Hotaru-gusa. She's one of my shikigami."
At his explanation, Hana finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh, I see. I thought…"
She didn't finish the sentence, but everyone understood what she'd been thinking.
After all, even if Hotaru-gusa's true age as a youkai shikigami was unknown, she looked about ten years old at least.
And Miko was still a high school student.
If she really had a child that old with Asher, then just how much of a monster would that make him? Someone who'd go after Miko back when she was still a little girl?
As those thoughts flashed through her mind, several black lines appeared on Asher's forehead.
He coughed a few times to break the awkward mood.
"Ahem… so the misunderstanding's cleared up now, right?"
"Hana, please don't say things like that again."
Hana scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed.
"Ehehe~"
"I just didn't know the whole story."
"So she's a shikigami!"
"Ms. Hotaru-gusa is so cute!"
"Ms Hotaru-gusa, my name's Hana Yurikawa. Nice to meet you!"
As she spoke, Hana immediately squatted down and vigorously rubbed Hotaru-gusa's little head.
Hotaru-gusa's face lit up with pure enjoyment as she was petted, letting out a soft, sweet sound.
"Mmm… Hello, Sister Hana!"
The more Hana looked at her, the more she adored her.
In the next moment, she scooped the soft, warm Hotaru-gusa into her arms and took a deep breath.
"Ms Hotaru-gusa, you smell so nice~"
The way she acted made her look exactly like a creepy pervert.
"Ehehe, that tickles, Sister Hana…"
Hotaru-gusa's laughter rang out like silver bells.
"…."
Watching this scene, both Asher and Miko felt a bit of secondhand embarrassment.
After a while, the chaos finally died down.
Hana still hadn't let go of Hotaru-gusa, keeping her hugged close as she shot a resentful look at Asher and Miko.
"Miko, honestly, you're terrible. Sneaking out on a date with Mr. Asher and not even telling me. That really hurts, you know."
"But since Ms Hotaru-gusa is this adorable, I'll let it slide this time."
"By the way, I've been walking around for a while too, and I'm starving."
"How about we go eat?"
"Yes! Yes! Hotaru-gusa's hungry too!" Hotaru-gusa cheered, raising both hands and feet in agreement from Hana's arms.
Asher and Miko exchanged a glance.
Asher smiled.
"No problem. Let's go, then."
"....."