Rather than home, where I really should be right now, I was in a neighborhood I'd never visited before. The reason I'm here has to do with the plan I thought of after my mana capacity was increased.
I'd pay a visit to Miyabi's house, just to check if she was fine. If she was, then that would be the end of that and I'd happily wait however long she needed me to wait for her. If not, then I wouldn't waste a second more.
Of course, I had no idea where Miyabi lived, but that proved easy enough to find thanks to my good pal the Devil King. It's always good to have friends in the right place.
While this is a part of town I never visited before, it's actually not too far from home. Turns out I've lived in Yuugaoze territory my whole life.
"It should be… around here."
There was certainly a big house, or maybe I should say mansion? I'm never sure about the difference to be honest.
I'll call it a mansion because it reminds me of Aspite's. Though this one is a lot smaller in comparison.
What I guessed to be Miyabi's mansion was in a strange state. A lot of the lights were turned off, while only some lights, mostly near the entrance, were turned on. I could see a handful of people moving around, and they seemed to be carrying stuff.
It's almost like someone was moving in, or out. I'd like to try checking if Miyabi is home.
I don't see anything like a doorbell though. Should I try calling? I doubt someone will hear me though.
Luckily, I didn't have to figure that out. Someone opened the gate and came out. I'll try asking them.
"Haah, to think this is the last time I'll see this house…"
I stopped dead in my tracks before I could ask the person for information. That's because she was exactly who I was looking for.
Granted, the dress she wore now seemed like a young lady's casual wear, a far cry from her usual gal style, and her blond hair was let down, but there's no way I could mistake her.
"Miyabi?"
"Eh? Yuuto?!"
Miyabi even had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, but it really was me here.
Once she was convinced her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, Miyabi's cheeks reddened a bit. I have no idea why though, her usual clothes wore a lot more revealing.
Though, considering how voluptuous Miyabi's body is, she could make even this simple dress look sexy if she wanted to.
"Ahaha, this is embarrassing."
"… I was worried when Miyabi didn't show up today."
"Sorry about that. It's just… today is my last day in this house, so I wanted to stay here for the day."
Now I understood why Miyabi had skipped classes for the day. Still, I wasn't satisfied enough to go.
Miyabi noticed that, so she figured she'd let me in.
"Come in, Yuuto. I'll never get to show you around if not now."
I followed after Miyabi. Once inside the mansion, I saw that, other than Miyabi, there were only 3 other women present. 1 of them had a lot of resemblance to Miyabi herself.
This woman also wore a dress like Miyabi, but for her there was no escaping making it look sexy. How should I say this? This woman is like an evolution of Miyabi, there's no way they aren't related.
"Miyabi, this is…?"
"Ah, mother. He is Yuuto, the Candidate of Lovers I told you about."
Mother?! I thought she would be Miyabi's sister or something!
"I see, so that's him. It's good to finally make your acquaintance, sir Yuuto. My name is Miyako Yuugaoze. I hope Miyabi hasn't been causing you much trouble. Unfortunately, there's not much we can offer, but there might still be something around. Miyabi, please take him to the dining room."
"Yes, mother."
I was surprised by how formal Miyabi was acting, but maybe she just found it hard to act casual with her mother.
Also, the reason why Miyabi's mother, Miyako, was treating me with such respect is likely because I'm a Devil King Candidate. Technically speaking, a Candidate is only under the Devil King himself, since any 1 of them would end up being the next Devil King.
Of course, that's mostly left on paper. It's one thing to respect the Candidate you support, it's another to respect their opponent. And I have the added difficulty of being human, so basically rather than think of me as a possible Devil King, everyone just treats me as a parasite.
This is the first time anyone has treated me with that much respect. Honestly, it feels wrong.
I followed Miyabi to the dining room. It seemed really barren, which was a little strange to say considering that I could tell the furniture was really high-class, but the only thing in the dining room was exactly that table and chairs.
Miyabi told me to sit down, and she took a seat right beside me. It didn't seem like she had anything to talk with me about, so I decided to start the conversation.
"Miyabi, what's going on here?"
"It's… Ibiza's fault. He got my family's house with Rebecca and Maki's help. He ordered us to leave our home."
"But why? What does he want?"
"I don't know! I… don't know…"
I didn't mean to make Miyabi agitated with that, but I ended up talking without thinking. I had to let her calm down before we could continue with the conversation.
"For all I know, Ibiza just showed up one day and decided to bully me. I don't know what he wants from me. Does he just wants to use his power to have his way with me? He thinks I'm pretty? I'd rather take a knife and carve out my own face!"
Miyabi started tearing down. All this must really be taking a toll on her, I can hardly imagine a more stressful situation.
She was so stressed she had yet to let out even 1 of her usual sound effects. I'd already noticed she only let those out when she was happy, or at least when her mind wasn't so filled with other thoughts.
I lend a shoulder for Miyabi to cry on. No words I could say would help her, I also had no idea why Ibiza was doing all he was doing.
After about a minute, Miyabi stopped crying. But she still didn't lift her face.
"Yuuto, did I ever tell you how I learned about gal fashion?"
"I don't think so."
"It's not really anything big. There was 1 day years ago that seemed like it would just be horrible, Rebecca and Maki were sick so they weren't going to school, and then, when I was going back home, the car broke down. Since I was close to home anyway, I decided to walk the rest of the way."
Going by all the clues I have to far, I have to guess Miyabi has been friends with Rebecca and Maki since a very young age, at least. I don't know how many years ago this story is taking place at, but for Miyabi to have put emphasis on Rebecca and Maki not being there, it probably had never happened before.
"That's when I saw them for the first time, gals. I was never good at acting like a young lady of a noble house, but my parents and the rest of the Yuugaoze kept insisting on it. I felt so suffocated, yet those girls looked so free. Of course, it's not like I became a gal overnight, but I looked stuff up on the internet and bought some stuff on my own."
Miyabi finally lifted her face from my shoulder. Her eyes were still red, but there was also a smile on her lips now as she talked.
"I finally felt like I found myself. Rather than just staying quiet at the corner, I could finally 'pow' express myself. I had to keep it hidden from my parents though. Rebecca and Maki were quite 'waa' when I showed it to them and that was pretty fun. Even if they didn't really get the style, they still accompanied me. But now…"
Miyabi's smile was gone, she remembered who Rebecca and Maki were currently with.
I know I'm just hearing Miyabi's side, but their friendship seems like the real deal. Them siding with Ibiza is nothing if not strange. Could this have something to do with Ibiza's Characteristic Magic? Maybe some kind of mind control?
"… I never knew that."
Suddenly, we heard a voice. It was Miyako. It seems she had been listening in.
She had brought a tray with her, though it only had 3 cups of water. She placed the tray on the table and took a seat beside Miyabi.
"But I'm surprised you thought you were keeping it hidden."
"M-mother knew?!"
"Of course, I did. I'm your mother. Also, I already send everyone back, feel free to act as you please, since you feel so suffocated."
"No, that… I didn't mean to offend mother."
"None taken. It's actually quite funny, I used to be the same. Still am honestly."
"E-eh? Mother is?"
"Hmm, although unintentionally, Miyabi told me an embarrassing story, so I suppose I should also say something."
Miyako then told us a story of her past. More specifically, the previous Devil King War.
Apparently, much like Miyabi, Miyako was never much fond of acting as a daughter of Yuugaoze should. However, unlike Miyabi, she had a sister the same age as her called Miyoko.
As far as their parents were concerned, Miyoko was the star child while Miyako was a disappointment. Miyoko could use any kind of magic not long after she learned the formula and was able to act in a way that was considered proper for nobles, Miyako on the other hand had difficulty with anything other than Basic Magic and she had to stay quiet otherwise she'd embarrass her family.
Despite that, the sisters were actually really close. They were always there for each other, Miyoko would even help Miyako cheat on tests so they could keep taking classes together, though they parents never found out about that.
"We didn't know it at the time, but we were really happy back then. But our happiness came to an end when the Devil King War started. Miyoko was chosen as the Candidate for Devil."
"Aunty was?"
Looks like Miyabi was starting to act more casual around her mother, but now wasn't the time for that. I had to listen to the rest of the story.
"Of course, being as great as she was, she got allies in no time. Her boyfriend at the time even announced his family's support of her, and he even said he would marry her after she won the Devil King War. But I… was afraid."
I could see where this was going. Noble devils usually try to find a Candidate or another to support, but what if your own sibling becomes a Candidate? What choice do you have then?
"Everyone expected me to become my sister's Card, even she herself. I don't know what position she had in mind for me, but I was afraid. The Devil King War is just a sick killing game, why would I want to take part of it? When I saw that my sister was coming to recruit me I… ran away."
"Mom…"
"I spend a whole year in the Devil World, in a part I knew no one would find me. It was tough, but I survived. I didn't know what was happening in the Devil King War, but I came back when I figured it was over. I knew Miyoko would forgive me even then, after all, she could do anything, so winning the Devil King War should be easy for her, especially if she didn't have to worry about someone as useless as I was. That's when I found out she had been killed."
That was the expected ending. I knew the survivors of the previous Devil King War, and Miyako's sister isn't one of them.
That said, it doesn't make this any less shocking. Somewhere deep down, I hoped there was a good ending to this story, even if I knew it was impossible.
"Everyone was mad at me, but they couldn't do much, since now only I could carry the future of the Yuugaoze family. They forced me to make up for my sister's absence, and I also felt I had such an obligation, that's how I even ended up marrying the man my sister left, your father, Miyabi. Every day, I'd have thoughts about how I shouldn't have run away, how I should have died in my sister's place. But then you were born, Miyabi. I was happy again after so long, but then, with every passing day, you became more and more like me."
"So that's why mom suddenly started being more strict with me."
"Yes, I thought that, if I acted early, I could save you from becoming like me. But I suppose an apple doesn't fall far from the tree. For years now, your father as well as the rest of the family wanted me to 'fix' you. I've spent countless nights up, thinking what I had done wrong and what I could do to fix it. But you know what? Screw them! They're nowhere to be found now that we need them. I'm not losing my daughter because of such stupid people."
Miyako took Miyabi's hands into her own. She squeezed them hard, and there were even tears flowing down her eyes.
"I know it won't be easy, and I don't even know what we'll have to do to survive, but I want to ask you something, Miyabi. Would you please stay by my side? I promise we'll make it through this."
"Of course! Of course we'll stay together, mom!"
Parent and child hugged. There was clearly a lot of emotion between them. With me just dropping in like this, there's no way I could tell what this means for the both of them, but I could tell it was good.
Needless to say, I stood out like a sore thumb. This is clearly not a moment I was supposed to be a part of, but it would be even more awkward to leave now.
There wasn't much I could do but give them the time they needed. After a few minutes, Miyako remembered about me.
"I'm sorry, sir Yuuto. We showed you something embarrassing."
"N-no, I feel like I'm the one who should apologize. Also, there's no need for the 'sir' thing, just Yuuto is fine. I'm your daughter's friend after all."
"I-I see. Fufu, you're a strange Candidate, but maybe this is normal for humans. Then, would you mind listening to a request of mine?"
I could already tell what it would be from how serious Miyako's eyes were.
"I'll hear it."
"Could you please Release Miyabi? I don't want to lose her like I lost my sister."
"Mom?!"
Release is what it's called when a Card is dismissed. The only ways that can happen is if the Candidate themselves Releases the Card, or if the Candidate dies.
Of course, I could understand where Miyako was coming from. Personally, I'd rather not lose Miyabi. But ultimately, I feel like that's a decision neither of us can make.
"That depends on Miyabi. If she wants out, I'll Release her. If not, then I'll be glad to have her."
"Of course I'll stay with Yuuto!"
"But it's dangerous, Miyabi!"
"I know mom, but… if nothing else, I have to save Maki and Rebecca. I'll think about it after that. Is that fine?"
Both Miyako and I nodded at Miyabi's decision. So she would stay for now and, if she wanted to quit later, I'd let Miyabi go. Like I said, I wanted her to stay with me until the end, but I won't force her. Whatever decision she makes, I'll have to respect it.
With that, I suppose there's nothing else for me to do here. Maybe it's time I finally go home.
"I think I should go now, Miyabi."
"A-ah, wait. We should go too, mom. I don't want to meet those guys."
"Yes, I suppose it's for the best."
Miyabi and Miyako got their stuff. A single baggage each. Now that I remember, Miyabi said they'd have to leave the house.
I wondered where they would go. I wouldn't mind offering the guest room back home if they had nowhere to go.
But, before I could ask, the encounter Miyabi wanted to avoid had arrived.
"Oh, isn't that Miyabi? And is that your mother? Damn, if I'd known you were so hot, I would have been going after mother and daughter this whole time."
Ibiza had already arrived, with Maki and Rebecca at his side, clearly just to provoke Miyabi. There were also other people coming, it looks like they were bringing Ibiza's stuff.
Directing them was a man that had his arm broken, just like Rebecca. If I remember from what she said yesterday, then that man would be Miyabi's father.
I thought maybe things would get violent, but Miyabi just squeezed my and Miyako's hand and continued walking. She was mad, but this was the right move.
Considering the Devil King's orders, it's unlikely Ibiza will attack as well. So we should just leave as soon as we can.
"Not even a word? Don't be so cold."
"Don't worry about it, Ibiza. Neither the older or younger whore know how to properly greet someone. I doubt they even have the brains for that."
Miyabi stopped first, then Miyako a second after. While I'd love to just continue on, there's no way I'd leave them here.
"F-father, it's been a long time since I've seen you."
"Huh?"
I'd have to guess he didn't expect a response. Miyabi's father walked until he stood right in front of her.
"Fa-father, what happened to your arm?"
"Your friend broke it, but I got my revenge after she became Ibiza's sla- I mean his Card. I even taught her how to be a proper woman. The same 'lessons' I gave your mother, except this one actually learned."
"I see. Then, I won't feel bad for this."
In a split second, Miyabi activated her spells and aimed a punch at her father.
But Miyako stopped her. I could feel the same magic as Miyabi from Miyako. Were they alike even in magic?
"Heh, you always were a coward, can't even defend yourself or let others defend you. 'pew'"
Miyabi's father spit on Miyako's face. What the hell is this?! Even if they don't have a good relationship, is there any need for that? I barely noticed my hands balling into a fist.
Yet, Miyako remained unperturbed. She just wiped the spit off her face and turned around.
"Let's go, Miyabi."
I understood why Miyako had done that. It wouldn't be good for us if things got violent. We should just be grateful that we could leave without a fight, even if we had to endure some bad things to get that result.
As much as I would love to say I would protect them, I knew very well I wouldn't be able to right now. I can only blame my own weakness.
"Oh well, I guess that's that. Say bye girls."
"Byee, miss Miyabi."
"I hope you'll join us soon, miss Miyabi."
Ibiza was trying to provoke her, but Miyabi just kept going. Soon enough, we were out of the mansion's grounds.
Even I was starting to get sick at the mere thought of him. But right now there's nothing we can do. We'll fight when the time for it comes during the Athletic Festival.
"Say, Miyabi, I was going to ask this before, but… where are you 2 going now?"
Miyabi turned to look at Miyako, who just shook her head. As I thought, they don't have anywhere to go.
"If you don't mind, you 2 could stay at my house. I've yet to ask my parents, but I doubt they'd mind."
"W-we couldn't possibly intrude on a Candidate's home."
Miyako slipped back into her formal mode for a little. I laughed it off to show her it was fine.
"There's no problem. Rather, it's just a normal home, so please don't expect too much. But I'm not leaving you 2 to aimlessly wander the streets alone."
"… Mom, let's accept Yuuto's offer."
"B-but… fine. Thank you, Yuuto."
And with that, we settled where Miyabi and Miyako would go for the time being. I just hope we can solve this whole mess sooner rather than later.
