After Work, I Brought Home a Devilish Beauty - Chapter 74

The wind was unusually strong that evening.

Chiba reached up and tidied her long hair, which had been tousled by the breeze. She then pursed her lips and gave a small nod.

“Fine.”

Yuichi froze.

For a moment, he wondered if he had heard her correctly.

“Really…? You mean it?”

“I said it’s fine. But just this once!”

Chiba’s answer was unmistakably clear, yet Yuichi still stood there in disbelief.

I thought there was no chance…

But now, he had received an answer that felt almost like a divine blessing.

Yuichi had always believed that he simply wasn’t the kind of man women would ever be interested in. He had long since accepted that he would probably never have a girlfriend.

And yet, Chiba had shown him mercy.

In that moment, Yuichi felt as though he had been rescued from a lifetime of loneliness.

Before he could stop himself, tears welled up in his eyes, and he rushed forward and hugged Chiba tightly.

“W-Wait! Hold on!”

Chiba was caught completely off guard by his sudden reaction. She hadn’t expected him to react so strongly, much less burst into tears.

But when she heard Yuichi quietly sobbing in her arms, her expression softened.

Normally, she would have sent him flying without a second thought.

But this time…

She let it slide.

I’m sorry for suddenly acting like this… but I really missed you.

Hearing his muffled voice, Chiba could only force a faint smile.

“Yeah. I know.”

“I’ve really been trying hard lately. I wake up early every morning, exercise regularly, and make sure I eat properly…”

“Mm.”

Perhaps realizing how embarrassing it was to cry in front of the girl he liked, Yuichi eventually raised his head. His voice was slightly hoarse.

“Please don’t leave again. From now on… let me stay by your side. Please. I’m begging you.”

Chiba didn’t answer immediately.

She lowered her eyes, her expression becoming complicated.

Yuichi really is a weakling.

If she left him alone, there was a good chance he’d eventually slip back into his old habits. And although she genuinely wanted to stay by his side and look after him, there was no telling what the future might bring.

She had been about to tell him that she couldn’t make such a promise.

But then she noticed how fragile Yuichi seemed at that moment.

If she rejected him now, wouldn’t he simply lose all motivation again?

Chiba didn’t want that.

So, in the end, she quietly answered:

“…Mm.”

Watching the scene from the sofa, Alice coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem.”

Only then did Chiba seem to remember that Alice was still in the room.

She hurriedly broke free from Yuichi’s embrace and, without warning, punched him squarely in the chest.

“Ow! That hurts!”

Yuichi stared at her in confusion.

She didn’t even resist that much just now.

And hadn’t she already agreed?

Why was he getting punched now?

Yuichi thought about it for a long time, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

After calming down, he scratched his head awkwardly.

I cried in front of the girl I like, kept talking about how hard I’ve been working, and then hugged her for that long…

Looking back on it now, that’s unbelievably embarrassing.

Desperate to escape the awkward atmosphere, Yuichi desperately searched for something else to talk about.

Then he suddenly found the perfect topic.

“Come to think of it, Alice… I had a feeling you might come back eventually, but I never expected you to return with Chiba.”

That was something he had been curious about from the very beginning.

Alice hesitated briefly and glanced at Chiba.

Chiba didn’t seem particularly interested, so Alice finally answered.

“…Chiba and I made up.”

“Huh? Really?”

Yuichi sounded genuinely surprised.

But then, as though he suddenly remembered something, his expression became slightly gloomy.

“Wait… You don’t seem very happy about it. Are you upset?”

Alice quickly waved her hands.

“No! Of course not. This is wonderful news for me too…”

She paused.

“Is it because of my parents?”

Yuichi immediately fell silent.

Indeed, that was exactly what had been troubling him.

Although he was overjoyed that Chiba and Alice had reconciled, he couldn’t simply ignore Alice’s past.

Alice stared at Yuichi for a moment before finally speaking.

“The person I want revenge against… isn’t Chiba.”

Those words immediately lifted a weight from Yuichi’s heart.

“Really? That’s great…”

He smiled in relief.

“I knew Chiba wasn’t that kind of person.”

Chiba slightly opened her mouth as though she wanted to object.

But after thinking about it for a moment, she decided against it.

There was no point arguing over something like that.

At Yuichi’s request, Alice then began explaining everything that had happened after she returned to Anstertantin.

She told them how she and Jebecarred had initially been captured by the guards and taken to the Church of Assis.

Before she could even understand what was happening, Jebecarred had struck her on the back of the head with the flat of his sword, knocking her unconscious.

Both Yuichi and Chiba were stunned when they heard this.

Yuichi, in particular, looked furious.

“I’ve been saying it all along! That guy was definitely up to no good!”

Alice nodded.

Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to confront Jebecarred afterward. Even now, she still wanted to ask him why he had done it.

But that was a matter for another day.

She continued recounting what had happened.

She had been taken to the execution ground while unconscious. Fortunately, Lucifer arrived in time and rescued her before she could be executed.

Eventually, Alice reached the part where she had stolen Lucifer’s key and escaped with Chiba.

Yuichi stared at her in disbelief.

“I never knew you could be this clever, Alice.”

“What?!”

Alice immediately puffed out her cheeks.

“I’ve always been clever!”

Yuichi couldn’t help but laugh.

By the time they finished talking, it was already midnight.

“I didn’t realize it had gotten this late… I should probably go to bed.”

Yuichi stood up, intending to return to his room.

But then he remembered something.

Alice and Chiba were still here.

“Ah… well, if you two don’t mind, you can stay here tonight.”

Chiba and Alice exchanged glances.

After a moment, Chiba spoke.

“Actually, I could stay at the house Lucifer and I rented.”

Yuichi immediately shook his head.

“There’s something you should know. Ever since you and Lucifer left last time, it seems like all traces of your existence disappeared from this world.”

He paused.

“Someone else owns that house now.”

“Oh… I see.”

Chiba thought about it for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright.”

As for Alice, that option wasn’t available to her either.

The house was far from the old haunted mansion, and after everything that had happened there, there was no guarantee that Miguel would allow her to stay.

In the end, there was only one solution.

“You two can sleep on the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Yuichi immediately closed the door to his room, as though the matter had already been settled.

Chiba looked at him with some concern.

“It’s pretty cold outside. Are you sure you’ll be alright sleeping on the floor?”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Yuichi grinned.

“Just knowing I’ll have two beautiful girls sleeping beside me is enough to keep my body warm!”

Chiba’s expression instantly went cold.

A moment earlier, she had actually been worried that he might catch a cold.

Now, she regretted it.

“You might as well just die.”