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Chapter 322: Chapter 318 ~ Mother… In Law?

Yuuji quietly stepped into the room, his gaze softening at the sight before him. 

Mother and daughter sat side by side upon the futon—Akeno nestled within Shuri's embrace like a child clinging to the warmth she thought she had lost forever. 

Shuri's arm remained firmly yet tenderly wrapped around her daughter, her other hand gently stroking Akeno's hair as though trying to soothe years of grief in a single touch.

Shuri herself now wore a shrine maiden's garb, pristine white and crimson, the same kind Yuuji had once seen on Akeno. He immediately realized this one must have originally belonged to Shuri herself, one that Akeno inherited from her and wore. The sight was almost ethereal—as though a fragment of history had been reborn before his eyes.

When Shuri finally turned and noticed him, her eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, words failed her.

Yuuji, however, only offered her a gentle smile and lowered himself into a respectful bow.

"It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Eh…? Ah…"

Shuri's breath caught. His voice, smooth and velvet-like, seemed to ripple through the air with a comforting warmth that wrapped around her heart. It wasn't simply the tone of his words—it was the sincerity within them.

And then there was his appearance.

Shuri had seen many men in her life, but never had she laid eyes upon someone so radiant, so striking, and yet so refined. His beauty was almost unearthly, yet softened by the grace with which he carried himself.

Seeing her mother frozen in awe, Akeno couldn't help but giggle.

"Fufu~ Mama, let me introduce you!"

She extended her hand toward Yuuji, beckoning him closer. He knelt beside her with fluid, courteous grace, and gently took her hand as if she were the most precious treasure in the world.

"This is Yuuji," Akeno said proudly, her voice brimming with affection, "my beloved boyfriend~"

Yuuji raised his gaze to meet Shuri's, his expression calm but respectful.

"My name is Tsubakihara Yuuji. I have the honor of dating your daughter, Akeno, and the joy of being in her care. It is a pleasure to meet you, Himejima-san."

He bowed once again, the gesture flawless, as though he stood before royalty.

Shuri's heart skipped a beat. Not only was his appearance dazzling, but his manners were impeccable—polished and noble without feeling forced. Her impression of him, already impossibly high the moment she first looked upon him, soared even further.

He's… He's perfect… she thought, utterly disarmed.

A warm smile blossomed on her lips as she turned to her daughter, eyes shining with tender pride.

"Ufufufu~ My little girl has grown up so much… I'm so happy you've found someone you truly love."

"Mama…"

Tears welled in Akeno's eyes again, and she buried her face against her mother's chest. Shuri embraced her, hand gliding gently over her daughter's hair in soothing strokes.

After a long, quiet moment, Shuri looked back toward Yuuji.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Yuuji-kun. My name is Himejima Shuri. Thank you… for taking care of my little Akeno while I was away."

Yuuji inclined his head, his tone soft yet firm with devotion.

"It is my greatest happiness to remain by her side."

Shuri nodded in acknowledgment, her eyes brimming with gratitude, before turning her attention back to her daughter. Akeno trembled in her arms, sobs breaking free once again, though these were no longer cries of grief—they were cries of release, of healing.

A long while later, when Akeno finally calmed down, Shuri dared to ask the question that weighed on her heart.

"How… how am I here? The last thing I can remember…"

Her voice faltered, her expression dimming with sorrow as fragments of her final moments flickered across her memory. 

Akeno's grip on her mother's hand tightened desperately, as if afraid that by voicing the truth, her mother might vanish once more.

But then, Akeno looked toward Yuuji with eyes that glowed with love and gratitude.

"It's thanks to Yuuji… thanks to his incredible magic that you're here again, Mama."

Shuri's breath caught in her throat. Even if she was not well-versed in sorcery, she understood instinctively how impossible such a feat should be. 

Magic that could restore the dead without sacrifice, without consequence—that was nothing short of divine. Her heart quivered between disbelief and awe.

Yuuji, sensing the weight of the moment, rose to his feet and bowed once more.

"Please… take this time together. I don't wish to intrude on your reunion. I will return home for now."

He began to step back, but Akeno caught his wrist swiftly, her eyes shimmering.

"Wait."

She pulled him close and, in front of her mother, leaned up to press her lips to his. The kiss was tender, lingering, filled with unspoken thanks.

Yuuji froze for a moment, flustered by her boldness with Shuri watching, but Akeno only giggled when they parted.

"A-Akeno?!"

"Thank you, my darling~"

"Ara-ara~"

The teasing, lilting chuckle came from Shuri, who rested her cheek against her palm as her smile widened. Relief and happiness radiated from her expression. For the first time since her death, her heart felt light.

Her little girl had grown, had found someone she could smile at so openly and brightly—a man who had not only given her daughter joy but had also returned her to life.

At that moment, Himejima Shuri felt relieved.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

As Yuuji stepped into the courtyard of the shrine, the night wind whispered through the trees, carrying with it the faint scent of incense from the offering hall. His footsteps slowed, and for a moment he simply gazed up at the heavens—vast, unending, and studded with stars like scattered diamonds upon velvet.

Then, his eyes began to glow.

His left eye ignited in a bloody crimson radiance, fierce and consuming, while his right gleamed with the golden brilliance of divinity. The contrast was stark—one the light of judgment, the other the flame of salvation—yet together they radiated perfect balance, as if heaven and hell themselves resided within him.

He raised his hand slowly, fingers outstretched, and in a voice barely above a whisper, spoke two words that reverberated with divine authority.

"[Pantheon]. [Pandemonium]."

Though soft, his voice shook the air with resonance, echoing like a decree not merely heard, but felt within the soul. They were not simple incantations, but edicts—commands to the very fabric of existence.

These were no ordinary spells. Each was a Super-Tier Spell—magic so far beyond mortal comprehension it was said to belong only to gods. For others, casting even one would require monumental preparation and sacrifice. But Yuuji was different.

As the [Descendant of the First Light], he bore the right to wield them freely. He could summon forth two such miracles each day without mana, without reagents, without price—just as he could grant [True Resurrection] and [Mass Heal] at will, as though they were the most natural extension of his being.

To his right, motes of golden light gathered, shimmering like the dawn breaking against the darkness. They flared brighter, coalescing until six towering figures emerged.

With the proud heads and flowing manes of lions, four mighty wings—one pair stretched wide, another folded in serene protection—and bodies clad in radiant armor, the Cherubim Gatekeepers descended. Their shields, etched with unblinking eyes, gleamed with vigilance, while their lances burned with eternal fire. Six divine guardians stood at attention, protectors of heaven, their presence alone radiating an overwhelming sanctity.

And then, to his left, the world seemed to tremble.

From nothing, a conflagration of hellfire erupted, rending the air as the very earth seemed to scream. The courtyard shimmered with heat as an infernal blaze devoured space, reshaping it into something resembling its origin: the abyss. Slowly, the fires condensed, shaping themselves into six titanic monstrosities, each unique and terrible to behold.

A knight in barbed armor, shield in one hand, a crushing mace in the other.

A blood-maddened berserker, eyes wild, clad in carapace and bone, swinging a blade stained in eternal rust.

A floating horror of writhing barbed tentacles wrapped around a colossal, unblinking eye.

A tall bounty hunter draped in torn black leather, a massive crossbow in hand, blood-soaked bandages covering his eyes, skeletal wings spreading like a vulture's shadow.

A skeletal spirit king clad in shattered royal armor, a golden crown fused cruelly into his skull, wielding both staff and broadsword, blue flames blazing in the sockets of his helm.

And finally, a towering, voluptuous demoness, wings unfurled, her leather bindings glistening with menace, wielding a barbed whip dripping with a venomous, translucent film.

The air crackled with holy brilliance on one side and abyssal dread on the other. The courtyard had become a crossroads where heaven and hell alike bent knee to a single man.

In perfect unison, all twelve—guardians of heaven and spawn of hell—lowered themselves, kneeling before Yuuji. Their voices rang together like a chorus, solemn and eternal.

""Master… We await your command.""

Yuuji regarded them with calm authority, though his eyes softened with resolve.

"Protect Himejima Akeno and Himejima Shuri with your lives. No one and nothing must harm them. Remain hidden until absolutely necessary. Do not draw attention to this place."

The angelic and demonic host bowed their heads as one.

""Understood.""

"Good," Yuuji affirmed with quiet weight. "Then go."

The Cherubim Gatekeepers spread their four wings, their radiance illuminating the night sky as they silently took positions around the shrine. Their shields glowed faintly as they erected unseen barriers, fortifying the land with divine protection.

The demons, meanwhile, departed in chaos befitting their nature—some vanished like shadows swallowed by void, others thundered away with earth-shaking steps, and others soared into the night sky like predators seeking their perch. Yet even in their malice, their loyalty to the First Light was absolute.

Soon, the courtyard was silent once more. Only the gentle song of cicadas and the distant rustle of leaves remained.

Yuuji lingered, turning his gaze back toward the shrine. His enhanced hearing caught the faintest of sounds: the laughter of mother and daughter, their voices mingling with warmth and joy, echoing through the night.

His lips curved into a faint smile. For that moment, he allowed himself to savor the peace.

Then, lifting his head once more, he whispered:

"[Gate]."

A portal shimmered into being, its surface a whirling vortex of darkness. Without hesitation, Yuuji stepped through, leaving behind the shrine cloaked in both heaven's blessing and hell's watchful eyes.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Yuuji stepped through the [Gate] and reappeared within the familiar confines of his home—a traditional Japanese bedroom spanning twenty tatami mats. 

The dim lantern light cast long shadows across the wooden beams, and the rhythmic sound of the bamboo shishi-odoshi echoed softly from the garden outside, blending with the gentle murmur of running water.

It was serene. Comforting. Home.

But to his surprise, the room was not arranged as he had left it. Instead of a single futon laid neatly for his use, six had been laid out side by side. And upon them sat Aika, Erika, C.C., Albedo, and Rias, all dressed in loosely worn night yukata, their relaxed postures betraying the fact that they had been waiting for him.

The moment his figure shimmered into being, five pairs of eyes turned toward him. And almost at once, they moved.

"Hubby~ You're back~!" Aika called playfully, her lips curling into a bright smile.

"My love!" Albedo's voice trembled with relief and longing.

"Yuuji!" Rias' voice was soft but filled with warmth.

Before he could so much as respond, Albedo and Aika dove into him from each side, clinging to him tightly, as though afraid he might vanish again. Their warmth pressed against him, their presence grounding.

C.C. and Erika approached at a calmer pace, but no less heartfelt. Erika smiled with quiet relief as she slipped her arms around him, while C.C. tilted her head with her usual cool poise, though her eyes betrayed the flicker of affection as she wrapped him in her own embrace.

Yuuji blinked in surprise, then let out a quiet laugh, his voice soft as he spoke.

"I didn't expect all of you to be here. It's late."

C.C. was the one to answer, her voice as smooth as ever, though with a gentleness few others would ever hear.

"Aika predicted you'd return tonight… to give Akeno and her mother their privacy after their reunion. So, we waited here."

Yuuji's eyes widened for a moment, then softened as his gaze lowered to Aika. She giggled proudly, her face glowing as she nuzzled into his chest.

"Hehe~ See? I told them you'd come back to us tonight."

Yuuji leaned down and kissed the top of her head, his voice tender.

"As expected of you. You can read me like an open book"

"Of course~" she whispered back, her cheeks warm as she pressed closer to him.

"Yuuji…"

The gentle call made him raise his head. Rias was standing just before him, her long crimson hair flowing around her shoulders, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. She wore a smile, yet it was fragile, trembling with emotion.

"Thank you… for saving my best friend's heart."

Her words struck him, quiet yet laden with weight.

For so long, she had stood beside Akeno, watching her smile, watching her laugh, but also watching her carry a wound she knew she could never heal. Rias had wished, prayed, and tried in her own way, but to heal the emptiness of losing her mother had been something beyond her reach.

No matter how much she loved her… she could not give Akeno what she had lost.

But Yuuji had.

Through him, her best friend's tears could finally dry, and her heart could finally mend.

Rias' voice broke as the tears slipped down her cheeks. 

"I… I could never heal her. I couldn't be the one. But now… she has you. And because of you… she isn't alone anymore."

Yuuji stepped forward, his expression warm as he gently cupped her cheek.

"And thank you… for being with her all this time, Rias. You were the one who carried her until now. Because of you, she was never truly alone."

Her composure shattered, and the tears fell freely as she leaned into his touch, her heart releasing the frustration, guilt, and helplessness she had carried for years. A soft, muffled sound escaped her lips as she buried herself against him, and Yuuji held her with quiet strength.

Aika and Albedo loosened their hold on him, stepping aside with tender smiles to let him comfort Rias.

When her tears finally stilled, the other girls wasted no time dragging him toward the futons, their playful determination breaking through the heavy emotions.

"Change already, Yuuji~!" Aika teased, handing him a yukata.

"Don't even think of escaping, my love," Albedo warned sweetly, her smile radiant.

"You'll sleep with us tonight," Erika added softly.

Yuuji chuckled helplessly but obeyed, slipping into the night yukata with a simple flick of magic to cleanse himself of the day's wear. Soon enough, he was pulled into their midst, surrounded by warmth, by soft laughter, by the comfort of five women who cherished him.

As the futons grew quiet and their breathing steadied one by one, Yuuji lay awake for a moment longer. His lips curved into a gentle smile, his heart swelling with peace. Somewhere not far from here, Akeno was curled in her mother's embrace, sleeping soundly, whole once again.

And here, surrounded by the warmth of his beloved, he too closed his eyes, happiness wrapping around him like a second blanket.

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AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please comment your thoughts~! I would love to hear what you think about it~!!!! 

Also, if you'd like to read additional chapters ahead and get a pdf version (Light & Dark), please feel free to check out my at patr_eon.com/verglasx ~! 

Thank you~!