After I finished telling Yuki the truth about Soom and Lazuli, rather than feeling angry, she was more annoyed and a little heartbroken, if anything. I may not have spent a long enough time with Soom to really be impacted by his death, but the same can't be said for Yuki. Soom would spend much of his time teaching Yuki how to control her earth mana, so it's not surprising that she was slightly heartbroken at the revelation of Sooms death.

"Y-Yuki-" Said Alexander softly as he tried taking a step forward, only for a slight gust of wind to hit him in the face, prompting him to come to an immediate halt.

Opening my eyes, I glanced at the large blue fist mere inches away from my face, causing me to nervously gulp as I followed the arm and looked at Yuki, who wasn't the least bit happy with me.

"Just… Be quiet right now, Alex; you've spoken enough." Stated Yuki in slight disappointment as she glanced at Alexander, who sighed before nodding.

It never felt good to be given a look of disappointment from someone you loved; matter of fact, it quite stung, almost like a scorpion had stabbed my heart. Anyway, I listened to Yuki and didn't utter another word. For now, I just sat down, leaning against the wall, and patiently waited for Yuki to say something.

Only after a few minutes did Yuki finally look at me, her eyes still carrying traces of disappointment, causing me to awkwardly avoid eye contact.

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Asked Yuki with a frown as she looked at Alexander, who awkwardly rubbed his head.

"I-I just didn't think it was best to speak about it then. After all, Lazuli was still going through losing her last family member, and I felt it would be better if none mentioned him. Sorry." Replied Alexander softly as he glanced at Yuki before lowering his head in defeat, causing her frown to deepen.

"So, when Lazuli attacked for a second time, it was because you were preventing her from following Soom; was that it?" Asked Yuki as she looked at Alexander, who gently nodded, causing her to click her tongue before going silent.

"Yuki, I-I understand you don't like Lazuli, but you've seen her; you've spent time with her whether you've wanted to or not… She's simply confused and misunderstood, and she's never held the desire to purposefully hurt or harm anyone for no reason. She attacked you 'cause she probably sensed the monster half from you, and she attacked again because I wouldn't let her follow after Soom, her father; those are valid reasons, granted I think she acted a little too quickly." Remarked Alexander softly as he raised his head and glanced at Yuki, who furrowed her brows while folding her arms.

"She's special, Yuki, and if we kick her out, she'll have nowhere to go, no one to help her, and before long, she'll stumble into something bad, whether that be through her own efforts on accident or someone else. Once that happens, her life will be over; they will learn she's special, take her to some secretive place, and take her apart while conducting experiments on her. You hate her, yes, but do you hate her enough to not care that she'll more than likely go through that?" Added Alexander lightly as he stared unflinchingly into Yuki's piercing yellow eyes, which held traces of hesitation and understanding.

Standing up, I grabbed Yuki's topmost hands as I squatted right in front of her while she stared at me.

"I'm not saying she needs to stay with us forever, just some months, maybe even a year; long enough to where she can live on her own without any of us worrying about whether she'll make mistakes and miss-read situations since she does that rather frequently." Said Alexander as he gazed deeply into Yuki's eyes, the two sharing a moment of silence, only for her to scoff before looking away.

"I… I'll think about it, s-so give me a few days." Said Yuki hesitantly as she looked away, avoiding eye contact and missing the massive smile that adorned Alexander's face.

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I was about to hug Yuki in joy, but before I could, I was lifted into the air by my foot, causing me to flip upside down while she stood up.

"…However, until I've come to a decision, you will not be using this room." Declared Yuki sternly as she opened the door and tossed Alexander out the room like a rag-doll despite his large stature, which was tiny compared to hers.

While lying against the wall upside down, I wryly smiled and waved at Yuki, who simply snorted before slamming the door shut, causing me to sigh; though I didn't try to argue with her, I felt like I deserved it.

'I just hope she doesn't take weeks to make a decision.' Muttered Alexander with a wry smile as he flipped himself and stood on his own two feet.

"Um, is everything okay between you and Yuki, Alex?" Asked Chloe softly as she peeked her head out from the bathroom and glanced at Alexander, who tilted his head before nodding.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Replied Alexander curiously as he approached Chloe and softly rubbed her head, causing her to faintly smile.

"B-Because I heard you and her arguing, and whenever Mom and Da-Sam argued, it would always end up with her getting mad, and he'd leave the house." Remarked Chloe lightly as she looked up at Alexander, who frowned before softly smiling with a raised eyebrow.

'Huh, calling her father by his name, he really wasn't in her life, was he? Though, now that I think about it, this is the first time I've ever heard his name.' Mused Alexander lightly as he glanced at Chloe before picking her up in his arms.

"Well, Yuki is probably a little upset with me, but it's nothing serious, and she'll eventually move past it. But to help with that, I should cook something delicious for dinner, and to do that, we'll need a lot of ingredients." Said Alexander lightly as he walked down the stairs with Chloe in hand, Michelle and Lazuli nowhere to be seen.

"Ohh, can I come? I haven't seen Cassandra yet." Asked Chloe with a pleading expression, causing Alexander to nod with a smirk.

"Yes, sure, I don't mind, but just know, if Michelle gets upset, you're taking the blame." Stated Alexander solemnly as he stared at Chloe while leaving the house, causing her to nod excitedly.

"Alright then, off to the market district!" Said Alexander with a smile as he walked down the street with Chloe in his arms, not knowing their actions would come to bite them in the ass.

___

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Spending a few hours at the market, I didn't hesitate to splurge as we still had two gold coins left even after buying the house; yeah, the house cost forty gold coins, it was expensive, but since it was our future home where we'd live, I didn't want to be stingy. Besides, although I'll try not to, I can always just make those potions again, so really, money isn't a problem for us.

Once, my space pouch was stuffed with several sacks, which were filled with spices, herbs, vegetables, fruits, meat, bread, and pretty much anything edible I could find in the market; only then did Chloe and I return home. However, the moment we got home, we were met with an absolutely furious Michelle, causing me to question whether we should even enter the house, though I wasn't brave enough to turn back around.

"… Hmph, you should've known to inform me, Alexander! I was worried sick!" Yelled Michelle furiously as she took several deep breaths while glaring at Alexander, who was sitting on his knees with his head down.

"Tsk, you're sleeping on the couch for the next week." Added Michelle sternly as she stared at Alexander.

"B-But I sleep with Yu-" "Did I stutter young man?" Said Alexander and Michelle, respectively, as she forcefully interrupted him with her firm voice.

"N-No Mam." Replied Alexander weakly with a nod as he lowered his head again, causing Micelle to grunt as she picked up Chloe before sitting down and laying her over her knee.

"Don't think you're safe either, little girl; I'll ensure you understand you can't leave anywhere without first informing me." Stated Michelle with a stern expression as she eyed the petrified Chloe before pulling down her pants.

"W-Wait M-Mom-AHHHHH!" Said Chloe fearfully as she tried to stop Michelle, only for a loud smack to echo throughout the house, followed by a shriek of pain.

Watching Michelle punish Chloe by repeatedly smacking her butt, causing her to scream in pain, I promptly lowered my head, feeling both terrified and apologetic for Chloe since this was my fault.

After some time, Michelle eventually stopped, leaving behind a sobbing Chloe.

"Haa, I'm sorry, dear, but you can't go and do something like that." Said Michelle apologetically with a pained expression as she hugged Chloe, kissing her on the head before standing up and walking away, ignoring Alexander.

Once Michelle and Chloe vanished upstairs, I finally heaved a sigh of relief, only to sigh again as I plopped onto the ground.

'Today just isn't my day; first, I made Yuki mad with me, and now Michelle is. Haa, fuck me.' Thought Alexander, in exhaustion, as he repeatedly knocked his head against the floor.

'Language, M-' Said Trina softly with a faint smile, hoping to lighten the atmosphere, only for her to be interrupted.

"Not now, Trina." Stated Alexander blandly as he ruthlessly cut her off.