"Eh?"

"Eh?"

Both Claustrine and Mateo are confused by Mateo's brother's words.

"What do you mean by 'friend'?" Mateo asked as he looked at his family, who still looked surprised, but he noticed that the three of them were not looking at him directly.

Mateo's brother didn't say anything and instead pointed a finger in his direction, though it wasn't entirely aimed at him. Mateo is still confused about what's happening and decides to look behind him, only to be completely shocked by the revelation.

Behind him is Claustrine, who is also shocked in realization that her [Midnight Cloaking] has finally faded away.

"C-Claustrine!?"

"H-Hello, M-Mateo... Hehe..." Claustrine's embarrassed reaction.

Suddenly, another man enters the room and looks at everyone, especially at Claustrine, with an awed expression.

"Who is she?" The man asked.

~~~~~°~~~~~~

Claustrine, Mateo, and the rest of the family are now sitting at the table. All of their gazes are focused on Claustrine, who is visibly embarrassed by the attention she's receiving.

"Maybe before we talk, we should introduce ourselves," the older woman proposed.

"Well, I guess I don't need to introduce myself here. Maybe you should start first, Mom," Mateo suggested.

"Mom?" Claustrine's surprised reaction.

"Ahem... My name is Ligaya Agbayani, and just like what my son said, I'm his mother. Nice to meet you," Ligaya introduced herself with a smile.

"And I'm his father. My name is Reymundo."

"Hello. My name is Beatrice, and I'm Mateo's sister. Nice to meet you!"

"J-Jade... I'm his little brother."

Claustrine gulps and then formally introduces herself.

"My name is Claustrine Evergreen, and I'm Mateo's friend and party member. It's nice to meet Mateo's family."

"Hmmm... So? You're not my son's girlfriend?" Reymundo asked with a disappointed tone.

"H-HUH!? W-WHAT?" Claustrine's flustered response, as she didn't expect the sudden question.

"Dad... I told you, you should ask my sisters for a grandchild," Mateo responded, cringing at his father's question.

"Hahahahaha! You're still as stubborn as always," Reymundo replied enthusiastically.

"Ahhmmm... Sis Claustrine, are you a wizard?" Jade asked curiously as he looked at Claustrine's staff.

Claustrine smiled and instead of telling, she used a training spell that summoned a floating blob of water over the top of her hand.

"Wow!" Jade's amazed reaction. The rest of the family was also amused by the display.

"We finally see the magic that Mateo was so against showing us," Beatrice ranted as she poked the blob of water Claustrine had conjured.

"First of all, I'm not a magician. And if I were, I would not show it here due to the risk," Mateo explained.

"Whatever you say..." Beatrice respond with annoyance.

Claustrine became confused by Mateo and Beatrice's conversation and finally snapped back to her curious senses. She erase the blob of water.

"E-everyone... Where exactly am I?" Claustrine asked as she looked around.

Mateo just sighed and stood up. Looking at Claustrine, he opened his arms as a gesture of greeting.

"Claustrine Evergreen from Grimael, welcome to Earth."

"Earth? Are we located on another continent?"

Mateo expected Claustrine's confusion, so he scratched his head.

"I know this might be hard to believe, but right now, you're in another world called Earth."

Claustrine's eyes widened as she didn't expected the truth.

"A-another world!?" Claustrine's surprised reaction. "WHAT?!"

"That's the truth. In this world, magic and monsters only exist in the form of fantasy."

"Now that explains your family's surprised reaction," Claustrine said as she slumped harder into her chair, having a harder time processing all the information she was getting.

"No wonder those words don't exist in Grimael's vocabulary!"

"No wonder nothing in this house makes sense!"

"No wonder the places Mateo mentioned aren't in Grimael at all!"

"Everything makes sense now!"

Claustrine adjusted her sitting position and looked at Mateo with sincerity.

"Mateo, answer this question of mine."

"Sure."

"Are you from this world?" Claustrine asked honestly.

Mateo just nodded. Claustrine felt a slight pain in her head as the information was just too much for her.

"Iha, are you okay?" Ligaya asked with concern.

"Y-yes, I'm fine, ma'am. I-I just need time to process everything," Claustrine answered honestly while holding her head.

"I see... Perhaps we should eat first. Maybe a good meal can make you feel better," Ligaya suggested. Mateo and Claustrine, both hungry, just nodded.

As they waited for Ligaya to finish cooking, Mateo looked at Claustrine with a curious expression.

"W-why are you looking at me like that?" Claustrine asked, confused.

"Claustrine."

"Y-yes?!"

"I think you should change your clothes first."

Claustrine understood what Mateo was implying but replied, "I want to, but I didn't bring any spare clothes with me." Mateo just nodded.

"I see... Sis, can you help my friend?"

"Geez. Leave it to me," Beatrice smiled, then she stood up and walked over to Claustrine. She grabbed Claustrine's arm.

"W-w-wait! What's going on?" Claustrine panicked.

"The food will take a while, and while we wait, we should take a bath first."

"B-bath!? B-b-but..."

"What's the problem? We are both females, so don't be shy," Beatrice smiled as she dragged Claustrine.

"T-that's not the only problem here... Noooooooo!"

Both Claustrine and Beatrice disappeared. Only Mateo and Reymundo remained at the table, as Jade went back to the sofa and played with his phone.

"Claustrine is cute, isn't she?" Reymundo remarked.

"Yeah..." Mateo replied shortly, already knowing where the conversation was going.

"Are you really sure that she's not your girlfriend?"

Mateo just sighed.

"Dad, I still don't have any thoughts about things like that."

"But you brought her to our world."

"She just secretly followed me. I had no idea she was using an invisibility spell to sneak with me."

As the father and son talked, another man entered the house and was happy to see Mateo.

"Oh, bro, you're already back."

"Yeah, welcome home, Shiva." Mateo greeted happily.

Shiva placed his bag on the couch, removed some of his clothing, and then sat at the table with Mateo and Reymundo.

"Bro, can I borrow your motorcycle tomorrow? I'll pay for the gas," Mateo asked.

"Hmmm... Sure thing. But why so suddenly?" Shiva asked curiously.

"It's a very long story, but you'll learn about it later," Mateo replied briefly. He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Reymundo asked.

"I'm going to take a bath," Mateo answered, then he smiled before walking outside.

Meanwhile, inside the bathroom, Claustrine had mixed feelings of awe, confusion, and embarrassment as she was currently being washed by Beatrice.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

"Ms. Beatrice, I-I can wash myself."

Awww, don't be shy. Also, just call me Bea, okay?" Beatrice's friendly words made Claustrine soften a little.

"Sis Bea... These shampoo and soap smell good."

"Of course! They're my favorites, after all."

Claustrine just smiled as she let Beatrice wash her. Even though she was shy, she could feel the sisterly feeling that she missed for a very long time.

But still, despite knowing magic, everything in this world still felt magical for her. As Mateo said, magic doesn't exist in this world, but in front of her was a device that spouted a huge amount of water, and above them were some sort of apparatus that simulated rain.

And even while she was in the kitchen, she could see that Ligaya looked like she was cooking with some sort of magical device that spouted flames, and nearby is a device with rotating part that blew cold air. The lights were easily turned on with some sort of switch, and even the device Jade used that looks like what Mateo used have some form of entertainment.

The shampoo and soaps Beatrice used on her were also phenomenal. They were incomparable to any soap and shampoo used in the city, even the ones used by the nobles, as those had weaker scents and their floral fragrances were faint compared to what Beatrice used. The ones she used were silky smooth on the skin, smelled great with a high floral scent, and also created a huge amount of bubbles. Claustrine thought that if she could somehow bring those soaps and shampoos to her world and sell them, the nobility would be willing to pay a huge price just to get such high class product.

After the bath, both Claustrine and Beatrice were now in Beatrice's room, drying Claustrine's hair with another device that blew hot air. After that, Beatrice picked out the clothes that Claustrine was going to wear. But...

"W-where are my clothes?" Claustrine asked, shyly.

"Don't worry. Mom will wash those tomorrow."

"B-but..." Claustrine stopped talking and just accepted everything. Beatrice had done all of this for her, so she must feel grateful.

But she still felt embarrassed while looking at the attire that Beatrice gave to her.

After several minutes. Mateo, Beatrice, and Claustrine returned to the dining table to the surprise of Shiva and Mateo himself.

"W-who is that!? Why there's a foreigner in our house?" Shiva asked with a shocked expression.

"She's Claustrine, a guest from another world."

"Another world? YOU MEAN-!"

"Yes. That world." Mateo's short answer.

"To think that you finally brought someone here from the other side of the door."

Mateo just looked at Claustrine, who was visibly shy. Probably because of the dolphin shorts and plain white fit tank top Regine had lent her. He could understand why Claustrine felt that way.

"That looks great on you," Mateo said.

"Great!? Dear gods and goddesses, I feel so naked right now."

"C'mon, it looks cute on you. Also, that's pretty much a house and sleeping attire."

"B-but... It almost feels like nobilities' undergarments."

"But here on Earth, that's typical. The difference in culture is just so huge. Also, if you think about it, we've seen far worse than that in Grimael, right?"

"What do you mean Mateo?" Claustrine said raising one of her eyebrows.

"Didn't some of the female warriors and rogue adventurers we encountered in Grimael wear sexier attires? Like... some sort of Armor underwear?"

"Ugh... Fine." Claustrine stopped, unable to deny Mateo's words.

"Bikini armor? Now that's interesting." Shiva's words made Ligaya and Beatrice look at him with disbelief as Ligaya brought the food to the table.

"Now I understand why you want to borrow the motorcycle tomorrow."

"Motorcycle?" Claustrine's curiosity was piqued due to Shiva's words.

"You'll know about it tomorrow. Right now, we should eat first." Mateo's happy words showed his excitement to eat his mother's cooking again.

Claustrine was perplexed to see the food Ligaya brought to the table. It was a completely new dish despite knowing some of the ingredients used. She tried the soup with meat, radish, some sort of sticky potato that possibly made the soup slightly thick, eggplants, and some sort of green leaves with stems and a tube-like appearance. At first, she was surprised that it was sour, but not so sour that it made the dish inedible. The taste left her feeling refreshed somehow.

Claustrine noticed that Mateo's family paired the soup with some sort of white food with a grainy appearance. She understood that it must be the staple food in this world.

The dinner was spent with Claustrine telling some of their adventures to the family's delight. It was fun for everyone from start to finish.

~~~~~°~~~~~

Claustrine went downstairs, still visibly sleepy, as both she and Beatrice had spent more time telling stories to each other.

"Good morning, Trinee," Mateo greeted.

"Good... Morning..."

Claustrine scratched her eyes and looked at Mateo, only to see him dressed in an unusual attire. He was wearing a black jeans and a white T-shirt with an unknown logo painted on the front. She also noticed Mateo's shoes; they were the same shoes she had seen in his room the previous night.

"Trinne, get dressed."

"Huh? Why?" Claustrine was confused.

"Let's stroll a little bit. And also show you this world."

Claustrine got excited at Mateo's offer, but a realization hit her.

"But... I don't have any formal wear." Claustrine felt sad.

"I HEAR THAT."

Claustrine was surprised to hear a voice behind her, and when she looked, she noticed Beatrice with a very wide smile.

"Good morning, sis."

"Good morning. Going to explore with Claustrine?"

"Yes. It's better if she learns a little bit about our world."

After hearing the answer, Beatrice grabbed Claustrine's shoulder, to her surprise.

"Let's go back to my room," Regine said with an excited smile.

"W-w-why?"

"I'm going to lend you some clothes."

"Ehh?! Are you sure, Sis Bea?!"

"Of course! Someone like you needs formal clothes, so leave everything to me." Beatrice said with ethusiasm followed by a wink.

Feeling that refusing Beatrice's offer would make her sad, Claustrine accepts the offer, and both of them return to their room while Mateo returns to his work.

"Mateo."

Mateo looks to the one calling him and sees his father approaching him.

"Good morning, Pa. What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Reymundo hands him some cash.

"Huh? What is this, Pa?" Mateo asked in confusion.

"Pocket money."

"Eh? Is this really okay? This is a huge amount of money. Also, I can just exchange some gold."

"You don't have time for that right? Also, your mom said that use that money to buy gifts for Claustrine. Consider it us our welcoming gift for her."

"How about your budget?"

"Don't mind it. It's nothing compared to the amount of help you've given us. Also, it's been a while since you enjoyed your time in our world, and you brought a wonderful friend."

Reymundo puts his hand on Mateo's shoulder.

"I wish both of you a nice day-off."

Mateo smiles and nods.

After waiting for a few minutes, Claustrine finally appears, and Mateo is surprised to see her in new clothes. Claustrine still has her double long braided blonde hair, but now she wears black slacks and a white blouse partnered with white sandals and a stylish beige sling bag; all of them look very fitting on her. Very formal yet elegant.

"What do you think?" Claustrine asks as she blushes a little bit.

"It looks great on you," Mateo honestly says, which makes Claustrine happy, while the other members of the family are amazed by Claustrine's look.

And now the two go outside, and Mateo prepares the motorcycle they going to use for their little exploration.

"Is this... the motorcycle?" Claustrine asks as she remembers what Shiva said.

"Yes."

"Hmmm... Based on the two wheels, it might be a transport vehicle. But can it really carry both of us? Also, can it really balance itself?" Claustrine doubts that the two-wheeled vehicle will transport them.

Mateo hops on the motorcycle and waits for Claustrine to get on.

"Perhaps you should try it first instead of asking questions," Mateo says and then smiles. Claustrine has no choice but to follow Mateo.

Due to riding a motorcycle for the first time, Claustrine struggles to the point that they almost lose their balance.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Just hold on to me tight."

Claustrine does what Mateo instructed, and Mateo finally starts the engine. To Claustrine's surprise, the motorcycle moves, and they quickly leave the house. The two of them now explore the neighborhood.

"Is... this... magic?" Claustrine asks.

"No. Magic doesn't exist in my world."

"Then what the hell makes this machine work?!"

"It's complicated. But if I had to summarize it in one word, I would say it's science."

"Science?"

"It's really hard to explain, but you might understand a little bit once you look into it. You're a magic scholar, after all."

Claustrine stays quiet, not knowing how to process the answer Mateo gave her. So she just proceeds to sightseeing, and everything around them is truly a very new experience.

The buildings are very diverse; she sees small houses and very large mansions all in a single area. There are also some box-type buildings with shops in them. Claustrine is also shocked to discover that not only is the motorcycle a common mode of transport with multiple designs, she also sees carriages with no horses pulling them and very large vehicles that transport multiple people once they reach the highway. Claustrine can't believe that people in Mateo's world managed to create such a wide stone road that can handle a huge amount of vehicles.

"Your world is amazing," Claustrine says with wonder.

"Really? Maybe everything is new to you, just like how amazed I am when I see your world."

"Perhaps we're the same. Hehe."

Claustrine notices tall poles with rope-like things running on them.

"Mateo, what are those tall poles?"

"Ah. Those are power lines where we get one of our main power sources. Electricity."

"Electricity?" Claustrine feels like she's heard the word before.

"It's like some sort of controlled lightning."

"LIGHTNING!?"

"More like a weaker version of lightning. Electricity runs through those wires, which lead to our homes and power most of our machines, like cell phones and lights."

"I see. It's truly amazing. I can't believe lightning can be used as a power source."

"Ah, right. Grimael is powered by magic."

"I can't believe something like this is made possible with science."

"Trust me. That's just the surface."

Claustrine enjoys more of the scenery. She even sees a place called Jollibee in the distance which she remembered as one of the words she heard from Mateo. The buildings start to become even larger until they finally reach their destination.

"What the... where am I?" Claustrine's nervousness is clearly visible as she sees a very large building that looks like it's made of stone and glass.

"This is a supermarket."

"Super? What does that even mean?"

"Well... let's go inside and see what I mean."

As they enter, Claustrine is greeted by a new environment. There are so many people everywhere, and as they explore, Claustrine sees numerous shops that sell different things.

"I-I think I finally understand why it's called a supermarket."

"Good to know."

"But... why are we here?"

Mateo shows the bundle of cash Reymundo gave him. Waving it like proudly.

"Let's go shopping."

And thus, the shopping spree commences. First, they eat at a Western-style restaurant, and to Claustrine's amazement, she recognizes most of the dishes like pastas and breads. But the difference is that these are more delicious compared to her world's versions. Once they finish eating, Claustrine and Mateo go to a clothing store.

At first, Claustrine is sad, as she feels bad about spending what seems to her like a huge amount of money. But Mateo insists that it's a gift from his parents, and they should accept their gratitude. Claustrine then decides to accept their kindness.

Right now, Claustrine is excited to see different types of clothing, and the staff assist them with smiles on their faces. Perhaps, Claustrine's cheerfulness influences them.

After picking a few clothes, she tries all of them. From jeans, shirts, and blouses to different assortments of colorful dresses. Claustrine shows all of them to Mateo, who is happy to give compliments.

And Claustrine finishes picking her favorites, and Mateo pays for everything.

"Thank you very much!" one of the sales crew says as the two leave the store.

"That foreigner is so beautiful. Everything just fits her like a glove," the crew who assisted Claustrine said.

"True. Do you think they're a couple?" a boy clerk says.

"Of course. Not only did the guy pay for everything, but the two of them also look so sweet with each other," the assisting crew said.

"Damn, I wish I also had the luck just like that guy," the boy clerk said with sadness.

Meanwhile... The two decide to take a break and eat some snacks.

"Trinne, I noticed something."

"What is it?"

"I see that you are very specific about the clothes you buy."

"Ah... I see. You noticed it, hehehe."

"Perhaps it's related to your world?"

"Yes. I decided to pick clothes that would not create suspicion for me. That's why most of them are dresses instead of other unusual attire."

"I'm happy that you put some thought into it."

"Well, your secret is also becomes my secret after all." Claustrine then smiles.

"So... where do you want to go next?" Mateo asked.

"Hmmm... Can we go to a perfume store? I want to try the perfumes of your world."

"Oh sure. Then how about soaps and shampoo? My sister says that you really love her soaps."

"Eh?!" Claustrine blushes.

"Hahahahaha. To hell with that reaction." Mateo says.

"Yes... I wish I could also have soaps like those. They smell great and are smooth on my skin."

"Hahahaha. No worries. I understand you."

"Oh? And how so?"

"Because I also use the soap here while I'm in Grimael."

"No wonder you always smell good!" Claustrine's surprised reaction.

"I don't intend to smell like a flower field. It's just that I can't handle those soaps that feel like rough stone and also smell weird. And noble-class soaps are so expensive."

"I understand you," Claustrine sighs, then smiles.

The two continue their shopping, and Claustrine falls in love with different perfumes. They easily buy amount of soaps that will last for a few months. Claustrine is very happy as they continue to explore multiple stores and restaurants. They even experience the cinema, which blows Claustrine's mind.

"Hey... Did those scenes really happen in real life?" Claustrine tries to lower her voice as she points at the giant screen where humans are getting killed by aliens.

"Hahahah. No, it's just acting."

"And how is that even acting? It looks so real. Look! He even got decapitated!"

Claustrine's voice gets louder, but thankfully the movie's audio is loud enough to hide Claustrine's voice.

"Just think of it like advanced theater."

After some time...

"Phew! I guess our shopping ends here."

Claustrine stays silent with a serious look on her face.

"Trinne? What's wrong?" Mateo asks.

"Uhmmm... Mateo, can I request something?" Claustrine shyly asks.

"No problem. What is it?"

"Can we go to a bookstore?"