After helping Uncle Tachibana deal with the [Black Hair], Nakano Yu left without any hesitation. As for why he had lured the paranormal entity to the rooftop to deal with it, it was simply to slightly reduce Uncle Tachibana's work pressure, because the Police Department was always so secretive, which was surely exhausting.
However, Nakano Yu was beginning to lose interest in his daily missions. Those paranormal entities were far too weak—so weak that Nakano Yu didn't even have the desire to give them a second glance.
He wondered when he would be able to draw a power that could crush those paranormal entities without even needing to lift a finger.
With the accumulation over this period, plus today's mission rewards, Nakano Yu had once again saved up for nine consecutive draws. As long as he completed one more mission tomorrow, he would be able to do a ten-pull, although a ten-pull did not necessarily guarantee good items.
While he was thinking about this, Nakano Yu's phone suddenly rang with a message notification, causing his steps toward home to stop.
Taking out his phone, Nakano Yu realized the message was from Miura Yumiko:
[Yu-kun, are you home? (shy.JPG)]
Looking at Miura Yumiko's message, the corners of Nakano Yu's lips curled slightly into a smile. Seeing this, Nakano Yu understood what Miura Yumiko wanted to do.
Nakano Yu hid nothing from Miura Yumiko. Last time, he had told her that he could help her surpass the peak of humanity, but the condition for activation was the unity of their minds and bodies, a deep emotional bond.
Although Nakano Yu had spoken very elegantly at the time, Miura Yumiko was not a fool and certainly understood.
Miura Yumiko was not particularly interested in becoming stronger or turning into a superhuman like Nakano Yu. She felt that having Nakano Yu was enough; she was very satisfied relying on Nakano Yu to protect her.
However, Nakano Yu told her that if the contract succeeded, she could obtain a lifespan far exceeding that of humans, as well as certain beauty and maintenance functions.
Of course, beauty and maintenance functions were not something the [Wing Contract] could directly achieve; it was simply that the harmonious balance of yin and yang naturally had certain conditioning effects, so Nakano Yu was not actually lying.
[I'll be at your place soon.]
Touching the screen, after Nakano Yu replied to the message, Miura Yumiko immediately sent a hooked-finger emoji.
After briefly chatting with Miura Yumiko, Nakano Yu took out his phone, found Miku on LINE, and sent a message:
[Miku, have Nino make dinner tonight. I have something to take care of and won't be coming back tonight.]
After sending the message, Nakano Yu put away his phone and turned in the direction of Miura Yumiko's house.
Miura Yumiko's house was often empty; her parents were too busy and didn't have time to accompany her. This time, Nakano Yu only intended to comfort the lonely Miura Yumiko.
Hm, in various ways.
In the Nakano household, Miku, who was watching a Sengoku-period warrior drama on her phone, suddenly received a message.
Opening it, she was surprised to see that Nakano Yu would not be coming home overnight. A trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.
Her intuition told Miku that something was happening, and that it was something big!
"Ding-dong~"
On Nakano Yu's side, as evening approached, he arrived at Miura Yumiko's house before night had completely fallen. Just a moment after pressing the doorbell, Miura Yumiko, wearing an apron, ran over to open the door.
"Yumiko, good evening…"
Seeing the girl, Nakano Yu extended his hand to greet her, but unexpectedly, when Miura Yumiko saw him, her eyes instantly filled with tears. She buried her head into Nakano Yu's chest and tightly hugged the young man.
"Good evening, Yu."
Miura Yumiko hugged Nakano Yu. The scent of girlish shampoo filled Nakano Yu's nostrils, causing the young man to instinctively lift Miura Yumiko up.
"Yu, I made dinner… and the bath water is ready…"
Nestled in Nakano Yu's warm embrace, Miura Yumiko's cheeks flushed red, and her voice was as soft as the buzzing of mosquito wings.
"Neither of those is the best option."
Nakano Yu said with a smile, leading the girl into the room.
Soon, the lights in the room went out. No, it seemed the light in the bathroom was still on.
"Yu isn't coming home tonight?"
"Mm, he just sent me a message."
In the kitchen, Nino was chopping vegetables, while Miku helped by washing vegetables beside the sink.
"That guy, he's definitely up to something, right?"
Nino spoke casually as she put the chopped vegetables into a bowl for later use.
However, Miku didn't immediately respond to Nino. After some time, Miku suddenly spoke, and her question stopped Nino's busy movements:
"Nino, you like Yu, don't you?"
Nino froze and turned to look at Miku, only to see Miku looking back at her. She opened her mouth, and after a moment, replied:
"Uh… Miku, don't say such nonsense, okay? Which one of the five of us doesn't like Yu?"
"Mm, I like Yu too."
Miku nodded in agreement, then turned around to hand the cleaned vegetables to Nino.
"Shua-shua~"
Water continued to flow from the kitchen faucet, and a strange silence settled over the kitchen.
"Miku, what did you just say?"
Looking at Miku in front of her, Nino couldn't believe her ears. It must have been the loud water that made her hear wrong.
Otherwise, how could she have heard Miku say that she wanted to marry Nakano Yu?
"I love Yu, just like you do, Nino."
However, Miku didn't understand the hint Nino was offering. Instead, with a serious expression, she expressed her feelings toward Nakano Yu.
"Miku, Miku, we and Yu can't…"
Seeing that Miku didn't look like she was joking, Nino forced a smile and was just about to sternly persuade Miku to give up, when Miku's calm voice interrupted Nino:
"Then why can Nino?"
"Miku…"
Nino was stunned when Miku said this. She knew that her relationship with Nakano Yu had been exposed, but when?
Nino still wanted to persuade and calm Miku, but in the next moment, Miku was like a bomb whose fuse had burned out, and the dissatisfaction she had suppressed in her heart instantly turned into protest:
"It's not fair!"
Miku's sudden outburst made Nino step back half a step, looking at Miku, only to notice that her eyes were already bloodshot.
"Itsuki said that Yu would choose one of the five of us sisters, but before that, Nino and Yu were already together, weren't you?"
After calming down a bit, Miku looked at Nino, her tone no longer calm, carrying a trace of questioning.
Faced with Miku's question, Nino fell silent.
She didn't know how Miku had found out about her and Nakano Yu, but… Miku was right. When Itsuki told the Five Sisters that, she was already holding Nakano Yu's hand and confirming their relationship.
That was unfair to the other four sisters.
But! Clearly, she was the one who disregarded everything else, who actively pursued Nakano Yu regardless of the world's opinions. Clearly, it was her own courage that allowed her and Nakano Yu to be together, so why… why was she being questioned now?
"That's right, before Itsuki said that, I was already with Yu."
After a moment of thought, Nino, who had sorted everything out in her mind, no longer wanted to hide it. She raised her head and admitted it generously.
Hearing this, Miku's expression stiffened. She clearly hadn't expected Nino to admit it so easily.
But Nino's next words made Miku momentarily not know what to say.
"But I was the one who gathered the courage, I was the one who first confessed to Yu so I could be with him. You like Yu, but you keep it inside and don't have the courage to confess. Why are you turning around and questioning me now?!"
Looking at Miku, Nino's words were full of resentment. She didn't feel that she had done anything to get ahead of others. She had simply faced her feelings for Nakano Yu and followed them.
That was all. Nino felt that because of this, she shouldn't be considered unfair!
Nino finished speaking, and Miku fell silent.
Yes, Nino was the one who had gathered the courage to confess. If she… if she had been able to gather that courage, maybe she would have been with Yu many years ago, and even gained the support of the other four sisters.
After all, all of this happened because she was too cowardly, because she didn't have the courage to confess to Nakano Yu, because she was late…
Biting her lip, Miku tightly clenched the hem of her skirt.
But even though she had lost for her own reasons, Miku felt only… such great unwillingness!
Clearly, at the very beginning, Yu and she had the best relationship…
Suddenly, Miku remembered herself from a few years ago. When she realized that her feelings for Nakano Yu had gone through what she considered a "deterioration," she suppressed her passion for the young man, causing their relationship to gradually become less close.
Of course, all of that was due to her own actions…
If she hadn't been confused back then, but had firmly chosen Yu, even if it had been just a moment of courage…
"I… won't give up. Nino and Yu aren't married yet…"
Clenching her fists, Miku, her face flushed red, gathered her courage for the first time and looked Nino straight in the eyes as she said this.
Seeing Miku like this, Nino wanted to say more, but she opened her mouth, and thousands of words ultimately turned into a sigh:
"As long as you're happy, Miku, but… I won't give Yu up to you either."
Hearing this, Miku said nothing and quietly continued washing the vegetables.
"Miku, you don't need to wash the garlic."
"Mm."
"How do you feel now, Yumiko?"
In the Miura residence, Nakano Yu lazily lay on the bed, looking at the girl beside him, and asked softly.
"I feel great. I feel like I could even beat Yu."
Clenching her fists, Miura Yumiko turned toward the young man and said.
That's right, after a night of intense exchange between Nakano Yu and Miura Yumiko, the "Wing Contract" was successfully activated.
It was just that the prerequisite for activating Nakano Yu's "Wing Contract" was somewhat excessive. In addition to the necessary deep communication, the contractor also had to have a certain emotional dependence on Nakano Yu for it to activate.
However, that was nothing to Nakano Yu, because he would not casually use the "Wing Contract" on someone he didn't know well anyway.
"Is that so? Then why don't you try, Yumiko?"
Hearing this, Nakano Yu beckoned the girl with a gesture, his tone full of provocation.
"Damn it, today I'll make Yu admit defeat!"
Seeing how irritating the young man was, Miura Yumiko immediately threw off the blanket and pounced on him, baring her teeth and waving her hands.
However, the girl wasn't arrogant for long. The power granted by the "Wing Contract" was still weak in the face of Nakano Yu. After teasing Miura Yumiko, the White Horse neighed, its golden hooves trampling through the ebony forest, crossing rivers, climbing mountains, until it charged into the abyss, carrying the blazing sun upon its back.