"Hmm..."

Amelia had her legs crossed on the sofa between Erina and Angelina. Kai was on the floor doing a seiza in front of them.

"So, you're planning on going to the other side of the continent under a secret identity and planned to hide all of this from me and Erina?"

"...Nn."

"And the reason you're doing this is because you blew up a member of the council and kidnapped the other which basically endangered the kingdom with your status."

"Nn."

Amelia's face was quite the sight, her eyes were sharp and glaring at Kai, for some reason Kai could also see a dark aura floating around her despite not a trace of magic in the air.

"And you decided all this without even getting our opinion on the matter? Kai, we're your lovers, we have the right to know if you are doing anything dangerous."

"...I'm sorry."

"Sorry is not enough to cut it. In the first place, why are you even fighting the council? Surely you could've used extra effort and manipulated that guy's memories to buy time but you just had to act impulsively and kidnap him. Now, you faced not only a member of the council but also his trusted aide whose title is well-known even to the other continents as the continent's strongest swordsman. Couldn't you have delayed them by using a magic circle to teleport them to other side of the continent? Why do you have to use it and not them? Didn't a similar thing happen in the past, that time you-"

Full lecture mode. Kai couldn't refute at all. Erina and Angelina were overwhelmed by the pressure being produced by Amelia.

"Don't even get me started about how you sometimes isolate yourself for months inside the workshop while ignoring me. When was the last time you had a proper rest? You only woke up for two weeks before going without sleep for a month and now you plan to go on the run? Did you think I would allow that?"

Kai planned to hurry but they've been there for three hours already. Amelia already went off topic and kept complaining about Kai not pampering her or that he's never in the house. It was very different from how she usually acted and every time Erina and Angelina tried to stop her, they received her glare which froze them. A vampire's glare was no easy thing to brush off because it instinctively plants fear into human hearts.

"-Now, where is my apology?"

"...I'm sorry."

"I can't feel your sincerity!"

"I'm sorry, I love you from the bottom of my heart and I swear that I will take proper care of myself."

"And?!"

"...I also swear to come home every night whenever possible."

"Good."

Amelia huffed feeling satisfied. Next, she walked up to Kai and bit his neck, but she didn't sink her fangs, she simply left a bite mark.

"Remember that promise."

"Yes..."

Erina who had her eyes partially covered by her hands slowly peeked out with a red face.

"Y-you two are too bold!"

Angelina scratched her cheek.

"I agree, Erina please don't be like them in the future."

"I-I certainly won't! Though doing it in private may be a different matter..."

She muttered that last sentence but with everyone's enhanced hearing, it was heard loud and clear. None of them spoke or reacted to it though.

"Kai, go back to school as Kenji, I'll delay the council further. You only need a month or two to master that reflection spell right?"

Kai smiled at Amelia.

"Thanks."

"It's only natural as your lover."

"Um... I'm also his lover though..."

Erina muttered at the side.

"Why of course, that's why you take good care of him at school and prevent any pests from gathering near him. Though you can't announce your relationship with 'Kenji' publicly because it would conflict with 'Kai', you can still meet him like you have before."

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To actually call the girls that gathered around Kenji as pests, this girl was ruthless. She even emphasized it.

...Is that also how she thought of me at first?

Erina had cold sweat dripping down her forehead. Needless to say, she already knew that Amelia was strong, very strong. Without Kai's secret technique, Amelia would hold the advantage. If by some chance, Amelia couldn't handle being jealous, Erina wouldn't be here right now.

"I will, though I still have to work out how to hide our relationship..."

"Can't you just use that emotionless facade you had in the past?"

Amelia said so.

"...True, but I did that subconsciously. I don't even know where to start."

"I might have an idea."

Kai gestured for Angelina and Amelia to leave, which they complied with. He locked the two of them inside the living room and sat across Erina.

"Why did you lock the door?"

"..."

Kai unbuttoned the top of his trench coat which revealed his undershirt.

"Eh?"

He began walking towards Erina who was on the sofa. Erina shrank backwards as Kai neared.

"No... We can't do this here..."

Kai placed his hands on both of Erina's sides and leaned close.

"B-but if you really want to..."

Erina slightly puckered her lips and closed her eyes while placing both of her hands on her chest with a red face.

"Erina, this is going to hurt a bit but bear with it."

"I-I know that the first time hurts, but I'm ready to accept all of yo- Ow!"

Kai's finger was on Erina's forehead. A cold sensation spread from her forehead towards her brain. She normally didn't feel cold from using her own spells but Kai's finger felt like a never-ending brain freeze. This continued for about ten seconds before the pain suddenly vanished as Kai hugged Erina.

"Sorry for that, I froze your brain's ability to manipulate facial muscles excessively. I only limited it so that even if you show emotions through actions or words, none of these would show on your face."

Kai made an ice which was clear on one side and cloudy on the other, a makeshift mirror.

"Here."

Erina took the mirror into her hands and checked her face. She tried smiling, it was possible but she had to put in effort. When she tried to put in the amount of muscle she normally uses to smile which was basically nothing, her face didn't move at all.

"Amazing..."

The tone in her voice still made it possible to determine her emotions but seeing her emotionless face, it sounded sarcastic.

"In the past, I couldn't control ice because I had fear of the cold. At that time, I did everything I could to suppress it and ended up losing my emotions for months. That was a different case because not only my facial muscles, my emotions themselves were frozen."

Erina held Kai's face in her hands.

"...Why did you fear the cold?"

"..."

Kai turned his eyes away from her.

"Was it because of that time?"

"...That's not all of it. It's because in the past, I felt life slipping away from my very hands. Someone who I cared for with all of my heart, disappearing in front of me. Feeling that sensation happening to me, it caused fear. When we were still children in this world and if I was asked to rank the most important people to me in this world, my parents and Akane would take three spots then Yoko and you would take fourth and fifth. But if you were to ask me who my most important people were, the person who'd take first place is someone from my previous life, Satou Chinatsu."

"Satou... Satou Kenji."

Erina muttered.

"It was my father's name. Satou Himari was my mother. And Satou Chinatsu was my big sister."

"What about your name?"

Kai smiled to avoid the question.

"What happened to her?"

Erina forced Kai to look at her by turning his head.

"She died just as she was about to graduate high school. Her body had always been weak since she was born and fell sick at the start of the year. Christmas eve, I spent that day at my sister's deathbed. A cold environment accompanied by the disappearing warmth of her hand, it left something inside me, and that fostered when I experienced it myself. Honestly, I wonder why I was so weak in the past. Experiencing it now wouldn't even make me flinch-"

Before Kai could finish, Erina pulled him into a kiss. Kai opened his eyes wide but soon gave in.

After a few seconds, they parted.

"Don't say that. I don't ever want to see you suffer and neither does Amelia. If you experience something like that, you can rely on us."

"...Thanks."

Kai smiled and stood up.

...I was so nervous! I'm so glad that I can't show my emotions! Hurray!

Inwardly, Erina was already screaming.

Kai unlocked the door and just as he was about to head out, he turned back.

"By the way, even if you can't show your emotions, it's still painfully obvious that you're embarrassed with you covering your face with both hands."

...

----------------------------------------

"Casualties?"

"Only a handful of soldiers can move while the rest are gravely injured. There are miraculously no deaths but our army would have to rest for a month or two before they can fight in their best condition again."

Warlock clicked his tongue.

"That boy really got us. To think he was able to use magic circles to transport us. It looks like we're inside the Empire, it might cause problems because we're here unannounced but I'm sure the empress would forgive us this one time. We'd have to hide the fact that the troops have been injured though. Rein, go with the soldiers and inform the Empire of our condition and make it discrete. Tell them that we'll provide proper compensation in the name of the council but don't inform them of the reason the soldiers were injured, we don't want diplomatic strife between countries, just the subjugation of that single man."

Rein bowed and left the tent that Warlock was staying in.

"I have to think of countermeasures for that spell..."

The soldiers that were injured had already been given first aid by Warlock but because he wasn't proficient in healing, they were only at the condition that they wouldn't die even if left alone. The damage taken by Warlock and Rein was basically nonexistent, an S-class mage and a warrior with an S-class body were not to be underestimated. Kai would have to expend more effort than when he fought with Hyosuke to defeat them.

"First, Ethereal Moon made a visit for unknown reasons which led to the council being occupied. Then, when we were about to subjugate the boy, some interference came up and from the members of the council, only I could mobilize. This is too much of a coincidence, that boy somehow has connections with that continent of mystery, or at least has connections with someone who has connections there. The first one is troubling but the latter would be even more so, I have not heard of a single person from this continent who visited that continent, made connections then came back. At most, they were there to check the rumors about women."

Warlock scoffed.

"But if this boy is being supported by that continent, the council can't hesitate anymore, we must be rid of him before that continent claims their connection."

Warlock's eyes sharpened.