After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 51

“…Chihiro.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Mommy has to leave you.”

“W-Why?”

“I don’t want you to go…”

“We’ll meet again someday.”

“If you ever find yourself in trouble…”

“…you can ask humans for help.”

“But remember…”

“…be kind to them.”

Chiba slowly opened her eyes.

For a moment, she simply stared at the ceiling in silence.

Then she sat up and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

The dream still lingered vividly in her mind.

“…Another nightmare.”

She placed a hand against her chest.

An indescribable feeling welled up inside her.

Why did I dream about… her again?

She looked around the room.

“…?”

Then she remembered.

This was Yuichi’s bedroom.

They had arrived at his hometown that morning…

And she had apparently slept for hours.

“…Yuichi?”

She glanced toward the tatami mat on the floor.

It was empty.

Yuichi was nowhere to be seen.

“…How long did I sleep?”

Muttering to herself, Chiba quietly left the room.

The moment she stepped into the hallway…

She heard a loud humming noise downstairs.

Curious, she followed it.

In the living room…

Yuichi was enthusiastically vacuuming the floor.

“You woke up already?”

Noticing her, he switched off the vacuum cleaner and smiled.

Chiba nodded.

Without saying a word…

She wandered over to the sofa and lazily lay down.

From there…

She quietly watched Yuichi cleaning.

He’s surprisingly diligent…

For someone who preferred staying indoors all day…

He certainly kept his home spotless.

Evening arrived before they knew it.

Yuichi stood in the kitchen helping Orina prepare dinner.

Chiba watched the two of them from the side.

After a while…

She couldn’t resist asking,

“…Is there anything I can help with?”

Without turning around, Yuichi smiled.

“No need.”

“You’re our guest.”

“Just relax.”

The moment those words left his mouth…

Chiba frowned.

“…Human.”

“Are you looking down on me?”

Yuichi immediately panicked.

“W-What?”

“No!”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“I just…”

Seeing Chiba’s expression growing colder…

He hurriedly changed his mind.

“…Actually…”

“Could you wash those vegetables for me?”

“…Fine.”

Chiba nodded.

She obediently walked over to the sink and began washing the vegetables.

Watching the two of them…

Orina couldn’t help smiling to herself.

Just then—

Knock. Knock.

Someone was at the front door.

“Oh.”

“That should be Dad.”

Yuichi quickly rinsed his hands.

“I’ll get it.”

“I’ll go.”

Before he could move…

Chiba had already walked toward the entrance.

The front door opened.

Standing outside was a middle-aged man in a business suit.

This was Yuichi’s father—

Sakai Tamura.

“Sorry.”

“It started raining on my way home.”

“So I got held up a little.”

Then he noticed Chiba.

“…Oh?”

“And who might you be?”

He looked genuinely puzzled.

I don’t remember having a daughter…

From inside the house, Orina cheerfully explained,

“She’s the friend Yuichi brought back from Tokyo.”

“Her name is Chiba-chan.”

“I see.”

Tamura nodded.

Then…

A thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“…Wait.”

“Is she…”

“Yuichi’s girlfriend?”

Chiba immediately frowned.

“We’re just ordinary friends.”

“Please don’t misunderstand.”

“…I-I see.”

For some reason…

Tamura instinctively straightened his back.

The pressure coming from the petite girl before him was strangely overwhelming.

Hold on…

Why am I the one being lectured in my own house?

He looked utterly defeated.

Seeing his father’s conflicted expression, Yuichi walked over sympathetically and patted him on the shoulder.

“…Dad.”

“You’ve worked hard today.”

Tamura blinked.

“…What was that supposed to mean?”

Soon…

Dinner was served.

The family gathered around the table.

Tamura took a bite of the stir-fried vegetables and smiled.

“Mm.”

“Your cooking just keeps getting better.”

Orina laughed happily.

“Chiba-chan helped too.”

Tamura glanced toward Chiba.

She was sitting politely at the table.

Yet…

She hadn’t touched a single dish.

“…Aren’t you going to eat?”

Chiba quietly shook her head.

Orina looked worried.

“Now that I think about it…”

“You didn’t eat lunch either.”

“Are you feeling sick?”

Once again…

Chiba remained silent.

Tamura and Orina exchanged puzzled looks.

Watching them…

Yuichi’s heart sank.

If his parents kept asking questions…

There was a real chance they might discover Chiba wasn’t human.

And if that happened…

No one could predict what would follow.

He couldn’t allow that to happen.

Suddenly pushing back his chair, Yuichi stood up.

“…Excuse us for a moment.”

“I need to talk to Chiba.”

“We’ll be back after a quick chat.”

Without waiting for a reply…

Yuichi gently motioned for Chiba to follow him upstairs.