Yuuto and Belfast stood in front of the warehouse.
The sky had grown dark, and the city lights shimmered softly in the distance.
They watched as Umi, Honoka, and Kotori walked away along the road.
"See you tomorrow, Melusine, Belfast!" Honoka called out while waving her hand.
"Tomorrow's a holiday, so we'll come earlier," Kotori added as she turned back.
"And… thank you for the souvenirs," Umi said.
In Umi's, Honoka's, and Kotori's hands, small ornaments of gold and diamonds gleamed.
"You're welcome. Remember—never sell those items," Yuuto said lightly.
"Okay," the three of them answered at the same time.
After that, Umi, Honoka, and Kotori continued walking and gradually disappeared into the distance.
As their footsteps faded away, Belfast finally spoke.
"So… do you intend to take responsibility for them, Melusine?"
Belfast said, clearly emphasizing the name.
Yuuto turned his gaze elsewhere.
"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to avoid the topic.
Belfast looked at him calmly, but sharply.
"Don't dodge it, darling. You realize it, don't you?" she said quietly.
"Their feelings toward you aren't normal affection. They are clearly deeply obsessed with you."
"Eh… I don't know what you're talking about," Yuuto replied while turning his face away.
"Let's just go home. It's already dark," he said hurriedly, intending to leave.
"Darling!"
Belfast's voice stopped him.
Yuuto let out a long sigh and halted his steps.
"Alright… I give up," he finally said, lowering his head slightly.
Belfast looked at him calmly, her expression serious.
"Now," she said quietly,
"will you explain it to me?"
Yuuto then sat down on a tree root, leaning his back slightly.
"Like I said before," he spoke calmly,
"they're just ordinary humans who happened to find me when I first transformed into a fae."
Belfast looked at him for a moment, then crossed her arms over her chest.
"Hm… that's the same explanation you gave earlier," she said flatly.
"So where is the problem?"
"The problem is…" Yuuto drew a quiet breath.
"They were affected by me from the very beginning."
He lowered his gaze slightly, his voice growing more serious.
"When I first transformed into a fae, the aura I released was completely chaotic—like an uncontrollable flood. Without realizing it, they were swept up by it."
Yuuto slowly clenched his fist.
"And that's not all. My fae nature at that time was far too dominant. I played with their feelings too much… without truly realizing the consequences."
"They became deeply bound to me," Yuuto said.
"What about memory-erasing magic? Couldn't you just erase their memories of you and end your relationship?" Belfast asked.
"I already tried that," Yuuto answered quietly,
"but the side effects were too severe… and extremely dangerous."
"Dangerous how?" Belfast asked, her tone sharpening.
"At that time, it had already been a week since they started coming here. My fae nature had begun to stabilize, and I finally realized I had gone too far with them. So on that very day, I erased all their memories of me," Yuuto said as he took a deep breath.
Belfast listened carefully, not missing a single word.
"But the next day, something terrible happened. I was practicing magic when, for some reason, I had a really bad feeling. From morning until noon, my thoughts were completely focused on the three of them," Yuuto continued.
He paused briefly, then spoke in a quieter voice.
"In the end, I decided to go to Honoka's house. When I reached her place, I tried to look into her room. I know it sounds improper… but at that moment, I didn't care. I just followed my instincts and feelings."
"And then I appeared in her room. But what I saw… it was no longer a girl's room," Yuuto said heavily.
"It was in chaos. The walls and furniture were covered in scratch marks, clothes and books scattered all over the floor—everything was destroyed."
He swallowed before continuing.
"I saw Honoka curled up under the table, biting her thumb. Her face was pale, her body drenched in sweat, her eyes empty. She looked utterly exhausted, sleep-deprived… like someone addicted to drugs who had suddenly been cut off from their dose."
Yuuto clenched his fist tightly.
"And when I checked on Umi and Kotori… their conditions weren't much different."
"W–Was it really that bad?" Belfast asked in disbelief.
"Yes… after seeing them like that, I immediately restored their memories of me," Yuuto said quietly.
"Not only that—on the same day, I also manipulated their families' memories so the situation wouldn't spiral into even greater chaos."
He drew in a deep breath, his voice firming.
"And that's when I realized the most terrifying thing."
"They had become extremely dependent on me. You could say… my existence had become like a drug to them."
"Then… did you ever try to properly cut ties with them?" Belfast asked cautiously.
Yuuto was silent for a moment before answering.
"I did," he said quietly.
"But the result… was just as bad."
He took a breath, then continued.
"When I tried to lie—telling them that I was leaving forever—their expressions changed instantly."
Yuuto lowered his head, his voice growing heavier.
"They looked like people who had lost everything. Desperate. As if… they were ready to end their own lives right then and there."
He shook his head slowly.
"I couldn't continue."
"Then… why did they seem fine when you went to another world for a month?" Belfast asked, her tone calm but concerned.
Yuuto sighed softly.
"That's because I infused my scent into the bracelets they wear," he answered honestly.
"As long as that scent remains, their mental states stay stable."
"That way… they won't lose control, at least for a month."
Yuuto leaned his head back against the support.
"I've tried every method I could think of," he said quietly.
"But none of them truly worked. That's why… I decided to simply accept the situation."
He looked at Belfast.
"I'll continue treating them the same as before. I won't distance myself, and I'll keep interacting with them as usual."
Belfast fell silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.
"I see…" she said.
Then she looked at Yuuto seriously.
"In that case, you will take responsibility for them, won't you?"
Yuuto didn't hesitate at all.
"Yes," he answered firmly.
"If their feelings are still like that when they graduate, then I will take responsibility for watching over them."
Belfast smiled gently.
"Alright," she said calmly.
"If you've already made that decision, then I'll do my best to help them as well."
Yuuto looked at her, then nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Belfast," he said sincerely.
He then stood up and extended his hand.
"Now… let's go home."
Belfast wrapped her arm around Yuuto's, walking alongside him.
But as they walked, Belfast suddenly stopped.
"…The ones who experienced something like that," she said quietly,
"it was only those three, right, darling?"
Yuuto immediately broke into a cold sweat.
His expression stiffened for a moment before he forced a stiff smile.
"M–Maybe… not only those three," he answered awkwardly.
Silence.
---
"So… this is darling's family home?" Belfast asked as she looked at the building before them.
A house with a simple fence stood there, and Belfast gently wrapped her arm around Yuuto's.
"Yes," Yuuto answered shortly as he stepped closer.
In front of the fence, two bicycles were parked side by side—signs that there were guests in the house.
Yuuto paid them no attention at all.
They entered the yard.
Yuuto stopped briefly and said, "Wait outside. I'll just grab my things. It won't take long."
After saying that, Belfast slowly released her hold on his arm.
"Darling… what are you actually taking?" Belfast asked.
"My doll seems to have brought too many of my clothes here, so I need to take them back. My schoolbooks also seem to be left here," Yuuto answered as he walked toward the front door.
Click—
the door opened.
Yuuto closed the door behind him and entered the house.
"I'm home," he murmured quietly as he let out a long breath.
He walked further inside.
But as he got closer to the living room, his ears caught the sound of moans—clearly audible.
Yuuto's brows immediately furrowed.
"Damn it… doing that this early in the morning?" he thought irritably.
Without stopping or showing any outward reaction, Yuuto walked past the living room calmly, ignoring the sounds completely.
When he reached his room, he opened the door and went inside.
Inside, Yuuto began gathering the clothes and schoolbooks he had left behind, putting them away one by one with a neutral expression.
After a while, Yuuto left his room.
As he walked back and was about to pass the living room again, he paused briefly.
"Looks like they're resting," he muttered quietly.
He had just taken a step when the living room door suddenly opened slightly.
A woman's face appeared from behind the door.
Yuuto stopped.
The woman looked surprised for a moment, then smirked faintly.
She was wearing a loose shirt that was clearly not hers, with no underwear beneath it.
"Oh?" she said lightly, looking Yuuto up and down.
"So the 'peeping cat' finally came home. How've you been?" she said with a thin grin.