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Thanks to the barrier that blocked out sound and the one that repelled people, their effectiveness once again proved trustworthy.
An hour later—
"Thank you for shopping with us~!"
With the cashier's cheerful voice echoing behind them, the Succubus stepped out of the boutique and into the late afternoon sunlight, arms filled with bags of various shapes and sizes. Clinging tightly to her side was Bokue Keikain.
"That all you needed?"
Bokue glanced at the stack of packages she was carrying.
Sure, Sheila's haul looked big, but in reality, it wasn't that many items—just a few outfits really. Most of the volume came from the decorative packaging. Quantity-wise, it was barely enough for a rotation if she did laundry every day.
And heaven forbid a rainy day roll around—she'd be out of clean clothes entirely.
"It's enough~"
Sheila smiled with a contented squint, nuzzling his arm affectionately as if her entire being radiated rose-tinted bubbles of bliss.
"Clothes are just something you need enough of. And besides, it was your money, Bokue. The 'price' I've already paid might be more than I can handle~"
"...Price?"
Bokue blinked, clearly not following.
Price? What price?
"Ara, Bokue, don't play dumb~"
Sheila pouted.
"You were so enthusiastic in that changing room just now… One set of lingerie cost me an hour of 'manual labor.' If we go by that rate, and we count the other clothes too, I think I still owe you… another twelve hours of intense effort~"
"Where the hell are you getting this weird math…"
Black lines practically fell across Bokue's face.
"And besides, it's not like those outfits were expensive or anything. They're just average."
"...Really?"
Sheila tilted her head, slightly surprised.
She hadn't been in the Human world long enough to understand the value of money here. Back in the Underworld, as long as a garment covered your body and kept you warm, it was already considered high quality. Anything with design or tailoring was basically a luxury item reserved for nobles.
So when Bokue took her to what seemed like a high-end boutique, she'd naturally assumed everything inside must be ridiculously pricey.
He gave her a gentle, slightly pitying look.
"Of course. I wear normal stuff too. Why would I drag you out to buy designer gear?"
"Oh…"
The Succubus blinked. Suddenly, something she'd misunderstood this whole time became clear.
So it wasn't that Bokue had taken her to a luxury boutique—it was that all human clothes were this stylish and affordable?
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Just as Sheila was quietly reflecting, a strange ripple distorted the air around Bokue. It was like a glitch in a hologram. For a moment, his body twisted unnaturally—then snapped back to normal.
"…Huh?"
"What was that?"
Sheila immediately stopped in her tracks, startled by the magical fluctuation. She almost dropped her bags.
Her gaze flew up to Bokue, whose expression had also darkened slightly.
"Are you okay? What happened?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. But…"
He looked down at his palm, brows furrowed.
It felt like a teleportation spell had just tried to trigger—but in reverse. Someone was trying to teleport him somewhere using a beacon he'd previously left behind.
The only one he'd taught that technique to was Asagi. And no way Asagi could pull off a long-range reverse summoning with her current spiritual reserves.
That left only one possibility.
He suddenly remembered what had happened the day before—how he'd tried to warp to Yukina, but ended up beside Nagisa instead.
"…Don't tell me she figured it out on her own?"
"Sorry—I've gotta go. You'll have to walk back by yourself. Tell Mio and… Sheila… that I had to leave."
"Ugh… got it~"
The word "Sheila" almost made her sigh out loud.
Tell herself, huh? Sure, whatever.
But for now, she couldn't let her cover slip—so she simply smiled and agreed.
Before she could say "see you later," Bokue's body had already vanished.
"…Seriously."
She stared down at her now-empty arm and let out a wistful sigh.
She'd really wanted to walk home together, hand-in-hand like an old married couple… but so much for that.
Still, maybe this was for the best.
They'd left the hotel before 2:00 PM. Back then, everyone was still napping. But between the shopping and the… changing room "workout," it was already 4:00 PM now. By this point, Mio and the others would be awake.
Marching back in together would've been hard to explain.
And honestly, after all this time… Bokue still hadn't realized who she really was.
"Well, I guess I'll save that revelation for next time~"
After all, today had been a pretty fulfilling day.
She pressed a hand gently over her belly, which was still puffed out and swollen from the "cream filling." Her lips curled into a satisfied, wicked little smile.
"Guess I'll just say Bokue bought all this for Maria…"
The outfit she currently wore, now completely soaked with "cream," probably wouldn't be included in that little gift bag, though. No need for a little girl like Maria to be wearing lingerie this early—bad for development.
With that, her figure vanished, leaving the bustling late-afternoon street behind.
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Meanwhile, back at the Itogami Island apartment—
In the bedroom, the moment Bokue appeared in a shimmer of spiritual light, a small body hurled itself into his chest.
"Nagisa…"
He didn't even need to open his eyes. The scent of shampoo mixed with warm milk gave her away instantly.
"You're back~!"
Nagisa buried her face in his chest, rubbing into him like a little kitten finally reunited with her owner.
"I was starting to think you were gone forever… but poof! You just appeared!"
"But where'd you go all day anyway?"
She leaned back just enough to sniff the air around him, her nose twitching.
"And why… do you smell like other girls??"
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