Having sealed his deal with Sayuri, Rei Ao began to plan out his schedule like a true master of time management.
He met up with Michiru and joined up with Kobayashi so they could all head over to Kanna's elementary school together.
At the school gate:
"You two look pretty nervous."
Rei Ao grinned as he noticed how restless and jittery the other two were.
"Uh…"
Kobayashi scratched her head awkwardly.
"Picking kids up from school…it feels like something only a 'mom' would do. Even though Shin-chan keeps calling me 'Mama,' I've never really been a mother before, so how could I not be nervous?"
She was super tense—her palms were sweating.
"M-me too."
Michiru nodded timidly. She was even younger than Kobayashi, after all. Plus, some of the parents around them were whispering about "how young and pretty that mom is," making her feel self-conscious.
"Just relax. No matter how anxious you get, there's no avoiding this," Rei Ao said. There wasn't much else he could say to comfort them—it was their own choice, after all. They couldn't very well let Shin and Kanna go to school alone in the future.
Well…in this world, it's unlikely they'd run into any real danger.
Before long, the school bell rang.
"Riiing riiing!"
"Here they come!"
Kobayashi and Michiru both jumped, eyes wide as they stared at the elementary school gate, mentally rehearsing how to wave at Shin and Kanna.
"You two…" Rei Ao shook his head with a smile. Seeing them even more worked up than before, he turned his gaze toward the school gate as well. He wasn't just waiting for Shin and Kanna; he was also looking for that mind-reading girl named Anya that Shin had mentioned.
When the dismissal bell finished chiming, a stream of little kids—round-cheeked elementary schoolers—hopped out of the gate under their teacher's guidance, happily reuniting with their parents.
"Mama! Papa!"
Shin instantly spotted Kobayashi and Rei Ao, grabbing Kanna's hand as she dashed over excitedly.
"…"
Kobayashi stiffened. It was one thing for Shin to call her "Mama," but now she was calling Rei Ao "Papa"? How embarrassing! She sneaked a glance at Rei Ao, only to see him smiling back at her. Immediately, her face flushed red.
"Michiru."
Unlike Shin's liveliness, Kanna was much quieter. But from her bright, focused eyes, it was clear she was in a good mood.
"How's it going? How's life in elementary school?"
Rei Ao bent down, patting both of their little heads.
Shin pursed her lips.
"Hmph, it's a bunch of immature little brats."
She sounded dismissive, but her slight smile betrayed her good mood. Kanna, blinking her large eyes, said with a touch of excitement, "Kanna made a new friend."
She turned to point behind her.
"A new friend?"
Michiru followed the direction of Kanna's tiny finger and saw a red-haired girl peeking out from behind a pillar, hiding half her body as she stared at Kanna. The moment she realized she was being watched, she flinched and ducked fully behind the pillar.
"???"
Michiru was taken aback. Was she a friend, or some sort of stalker?
"Her name's Saikawa Riko. She thinks Kanna's really cute and suddenly wanted to be her friend."
Shin explained.
"Oh, her."
Rei Ao remembered that Kanna indeed had such a strange little friend in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid. An interesting character, if nothing else.
Just then, Kobayashi adjusted her glasses.
"Shin-chan, that other little girl seems to be looking over here too. Is she also your friend?"
She'd just noticed another young girl watching them.
"Papa Papa!"
Shin's eyes sparkled, and she lowered her voice, calling out to Rei Ao: "Papa, that's her—Anya! She's the telepathic mind-reader kid!"
"Telepathic mind-reader?"
Kobayashi and Michiru both blinked in surprise. There was a mind-reading expert in this elementary school?
Following Shin's indication, they saw a pink-haired girl standing not too far from the gate, occasionally peeking out.
She stood out among the other children in both her looks and attire: Shoulder-length pink hair with black hair ornaments, big green eyes, and a delicate face.
She was wearing a black dress adorned with a bow, white stockings, and black shoes. A pair of small, witch-like accessories perched atop her head. Odd though her getup might be, it didn't detract from her cuteness.
The moment Rei Ao laid eyes on her, he guessed that this was indeed "Anya" from that spy family—an intriguing detail.
"You all wait here for me."
After speaking, Rei Ao strolled forward.
"!!!"
The pink-haired girl, who'd been watching Kanna and Shin from the school entrance, froze when she saw Rei Ao approach.
At once, she tried to empty her mind and put on a dazed expression. This was exactly the "acting technique" her mother had taught her!
"Anya, is that right? I've heard you have some sort of 'psychic power'?"
"!!!"
Anya flinched at the sound of his voice. She gazed up at him in a daze. Then she realized he was smiling—but he hadn't opened his mouth!
"I'm using my mind to communicate with you."
Anya's mouth hung open in shock. She was certain she hadn't imagined it. She had indeed heard his voice, though his lips never moved.
"My telepathy can't do that!" she thought instinctively, her heart pounding.
"I know. Yours is the ability to read minds."
"Eh?! You really answered me?!"
Anya was stunned. She had never expected this big brother-like figure to be able to communicate with her without speaking.
"I'm not lying."
Rei Ao crouched down beside her.
"…"
Anya took a deep breath, glancing uncertainly over at Kanna and Shin. In her mind, she wondered, "Onii-chan, who are you? How do you know I have these powers?"
Rei Ao smiled.
"I'm Rei Ao, Shin and Kanna's guardian. Shin told me you have psychic powers."
"It was them!"
Anya looked a bit flustered.
"Rei Ao-nii, I—I can't read their minds at all!"
She sounded aggrieved.
"Oh?"
Everything Anya said was true—her mind-reading ability was usually very strong. She even knew that her adoptive mom had once been a highly skilled assassin.
However, in this elementary school, she'd encountered two exceptions: Shin and Kanna. Her ability didn't work on either of them, which was why she'd been so focused on them just now.
~~~
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