Hearing the little boy's childish voice, still tinged with a babyish softness, Yotsuya Toruko fell silent.
Her slender fingers twisted nervously on her lap as she stared at him, worry clouding her beautiful face.
Yes, Shiraishi Asa was incredibly handsome, to the point where even she had felt an overwhelming urge to scoop him into her arms the moment she laid eyes on him.
But—
First grade.
No matter how charming he was, even thinking about it crossed a line.
Even if she wanted to approve, society, the law, and common sense definitely would not.
"Pull yourself together, Touko!"
"Be a responsible mother!"
"You have to straighten out your daughter!"
Toruko silently cheered herself on, trying to muster her maternal authority.
She prepared a fruit plate and sat down to probe into the relationship between Asa and her daughter.
From what she could gather...
Classmate's younger brother.
First meeting in a bathroom.
Known each other for barely a day.
Toruko's heart sank lower with every word.
Had she neglected her daughter so badly that this was happening under her nose?
Was she... turning into a shotacon?
Her face tightened with distress.
Meanwhile, Yotsuya Miko, oblivious to her mother's internal struggle, grabbed Asa's hand and led him into her room.
"For some reason, Mom's acting really weird today," she whispered, embarrassed.
"I think she's fine," Asa replied with a small smile.
From what he observed, Yotsuya Miko's family situation differed slightly from the original world.
In the canon version, Miko had a younger brother—but here, that brother seemed to have never existed, perhaps lost to one of the many supernatural disasters that plagued this chaotic anime reality.
"Asa, there are two evil spirits in my room—one in the drawer, one under the quilt."
Asa nodded.
He had come here precisely to help her cleanse the place.
Before the spirits could react, Asa moved.
Snap.
With casual flicks of his hand, he exorcised both spirits in an instant.
Yotsuya Miko, who had been standing nervously beside the bed, watched him lift her quilt with a slight blush.
Even though she knew he was chasing away spirits, the sight of a boy—any boy—lifting her bed covers sent her heart into turmoil.
It was the first time a boy had entered her bedroom.
The first time anyone had touched her private space.
Her cheeks flushed.
She quickly grabbed the quilt and covered herself in embarrassment.
"T-the bathroom is next!"
Without giving Asa a chance to comment, she dragged him out of the room and toward the bathroom.
Neither of them noticed Toruko standing frozen in the living room, her mouth hanging open in shock.
"My daughter... when did she become so bold?"
"And she doesn't even care that I'm right here?"
Toruko's hands clenched tightly.
Maybe she was overreacting.
Maybe she was reading too much into it.
Still—
She tiptoed toward the bathroom door, pressing her ear against it.
Inside, faint voices drifted out.
"...It's a bit too high."
"Then ride me."
"...Mhm."
"Good girl. Very impressive. As expected of you, Sister."
The words grew increasingly suggestive with each passing second.
Toruko's legs weakened slightly.
Her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
This sounded... much worse than she had feared.
Had it really come to this?
She couldn't let it go on.
She had to act.
Now.
With a deep breath, she shoved the door open.
"You disappoint me, Miko—!"
But she stopped dead in her tracks.
Before her eyes—
A little boy sat astride her daughter's shoulders, riding her like a horse.
Toruko's brain short-circuited.
Were kids nowadays really this bold?
Or... was this not what she had feared?
"Mom! You scared me! What are you doing?!"
Miko turned her head, startled.
She lost her balance.
With Asa still riding her, she toppled forward.
"Careful!"
Toruko recovered in a flash and rushed forward.
Using herself as a human cushion, she caught them both.
Bang.
The three of them collapsed onto the wet bathroom floor.
Asa, naturally, ended up cushioned between the two women.
His face accidentally pressed into something soft.
He tried to push himself up—
And heard two simultaneous, stifled moans, each with its own flavor of shame.
...
Minutes later.
Asa wiped his wet hands with a towel, sighing.
It was normal for bathrooms to have slippery floors.
He had simply knocked over a basin of water in the chaos.
Half of him was soaked.
Toruko, blushing furiously but hiding it under a strained smile, quickly found a change of clothes from Miko's late brother's belongings and handed them to Asa.
"Take a warm bath, Asa"
Living room.
Mother and daughter sat opposite each other.
The air between them thick with awkward silence.
Both of their pretty faces bore faint blushes.
Finally, Toruko cleared her throat.
"Stay for dinner tonight, Asa."
"I understand.."
Neither dared to bring up what had just happened.
...
A while later, Asa walked out of the bathroom, hair slightly damp, the oversized T-shirt hanging loosely on his frame.
Miko and Toruko looked up simultaneously.
For a second, they were both stunned.
A single word flashed through their minds—
Lotus emerging from water.
Miko found herself entranced.
Somehow, describing the little boy before her with such poetic imagery didn't seem wrong at all.
Quietly, Miko's heart skipped faster.
"He's still just a little boy..."
But somehow, an aching loneliness stirred inside her.
A bittersweet thought floated up:
"I was born before you... and you'll bloom when I am already fading."
Panicking, Miko jumped up.
"I'm going to take a shower too!"
She fled to the bathroom without looking back.
Toruko busied herself preparing dinner.
...
After Miko finished her shower and returned, she found Asa sitting quietly, watching her thoughtfully.
"Is... is something on my face?"
Miko stammered, cheeks heating up again.
"No. I just wanted to tell you..."
Asa's voice was soft.
"Sister Miko, your body constitution will attract more spirits in the future."
Her heart sank.
Of course she knew it.
She just hadn't wanted to admit it.
"But what can I do? I don't have any powers..."
As if reading her mind, Asa smiled gently.
"Sister Miko, have you ever heard of incubus?"
Miko blinked.
"I think... I came across it while researching ways to deal with spirits..."
"Incubus are a rare, nearly extinct race, right?"
"They have a special ability—if they bond with humans, they can help them awaken supernatural powers."
Asa's deep eyes locked onto hers, glittering with hidden meaning.
Miko shivered under his gaze.
Her world was about to change again.
Forever.
***
Aight, next chap, haven't written the smut, maybe in the latter when I'm in the mood—