Chapter 20
"I learned that my sister was sent to this continent," Asuka said, her voice carrying the weight of unspoken truths. "I also discovered that the resistance forces fighting the Saikyo Empire are recruiting skilled football players to strengthen their ranks. Instead of wandering around looking for my sister endlessly, I decided to enroll in a school and showcase my football skills. When the resistance sees my abilities and approaches me, I should be able to find my sister."
Damn. She delivered that answer smooth as silk, like it was the gospel truth.
Wait. Maybe it was the truth. Hell, right now I couldn't tell what was real anymore.
All I knew was this: because we had to hide the demon business, even if what Asuka said was true, it couldn't be the whole story. Not by a long shot.
"Wow, that's amazing! Little Asuka is so strong!" Mom clapped her hands.
Looked like we'd cleared the mom hurdle. But my sister? She was going to be tougher than I thought.
"Then why did you agree to marry my brother?" Levina asked.
Yeah, that's what I wanted to know too.
I'd proposed without knowing a damn thing. But that didn't mean she had to say yes.
"Uh... well... that's..."
Asuka went into full panic mode, stumbling over her words.
Levina saw her chance and pressed the attack.
"Why do you look so flustered? Is there something unusual about your answer?"
Asuka took a deep breath and said:
"I agreed because... my heart told me to."
"What...?"
Levina's jaw hit the floor. But Mom? She lit up like a Christmas tree and wasn't about to let this moment slip away.
"How did you feel after you agreed, dear Asuka?"
"Rain falls on the window..."
"Not yet! Give me fourteen more beats first! Don't rush to the rain!"
I delivered the punchline, and our marriage interrogation ended with the mad laughter of all three of us.
Mom seemed satisfied now. But my sister? I could see she still didn't trust us. She kept shooting suspicious glances at Asuka.
Still, it probably wouldn't be a big problem. Living together, they'd warm up to each other eventually.
After that, we started cooking and had dinner together.
It seemed like Asuka really had been ordered to play football all day. Her cooking skills were practically nonexistent. Even Levina, our clumsy rookie chef, looked like a master in comparison.
[Relationship with Agnes increased to LV3. Ultimate technique 'Rush Up' upgraded to LV3]
[Relationship with Asuka increased to LV3. Ultimate technique 'Dark Flame Strike' upgraded to LV3]
After dinner and random chatter, it was time for me to walk Asuka back to her place. Mom protested a bit—she wanted Asuka to stay the night so they could talk more and get to know each other better.
But honestly? I was embarrassed as hell. We'd met less than an hour ago, agreed to get married, then kissed. If we slept together tonight...
At least wait until I'm a bit older. Or let me prepare myself mentally, get in shape or something.
I wanted the first time to be memorable, you know?
Alright, enough of that nonsense.
Life's about more than what's below the belt. Get too obsessed and you'll end up a perverted kid.
Even if I wasn't really a kid inside.
Walking alongside Asuka, I saw the brightly lit shops and towering buildings lining the streets. It lifted my spirits considerably. The area where she lived seemed safe enough for this cyberpunk dystopian era.
We left the main road and entered an alley that screamed danger just by looking at it. Right turn, left turn, and we found ourselves at a Japanese-style snack bar. It fit Asuka's nationality and appearance perfectly, but all my earlier feelings of safety vanished completely.
Inside the bar, a few customers sat drinking. The mama-san behind the counter saw us and immediately started clapping and calling out.
"Aha! Our bride is back! Oh, you brought the groom too!"
"I'm back, Mrs. Sato," Asuka replied. "I'll go change clothes and come back down."
"No, no, no," Mama-san shook her head. "These days the housewife look is trendy, sure. But if it's a seventeen-year-old housewife like you, we'd all end up in jail. No need to work anymore. Go upstairs and be happy with your husband."
Hey now, that's pretty heavy talk for a high school kid, Mama-san.
I opened my mouth to ask for some respect, but then I remembered—
Mom said the same damn thing...
Maybe this level of crudeness was just the conversational standard of this era.
Asuka smiled lightly. "Thank you. Let's go, Assarun."
We climbed the stairs to the second floor. There was only one room up here, and it was Asuka's.
The room wasn't huge, but it wasn't cramped either. At least it had a private bathroom. There were hardly any belongings or furniture inside. The liveliest thing in the room was probably a single football rolling around on the floor.
It looked lonely as hell.
"When I left the kingdom, I didn't bring any treasures with me," Asuka explained.
So she had to live in a place like this and work as a waitress downstairs...
"Want to come back to my house?"
"Don't worry about it," Asuka smiled. "It's not as bad as you think. Besides, who could do anything to me?"
Right. Even without using her demon form or NEX, she had enough strength to send people flying.
Fair enough.
"We're getting married anyway. Living together is the right thing to do. Sure, our house is old and a bit cramped because we have a big family, but we're planning to move or add on soon." I tried to reassure her.
"I understand. Thank you," Asuka replied with a smile, then picked up the football from the floor. "Before we go back, could you help me with something?"
Behind the snack bar was a small football field. Asuka said she wanted me to help her practice. It was half past eight now—we had about two hours before the gambling ghosts would come to claim the field.
"Like I said before, I want to get better so the resistance forces will see my skills and I'll have a chance to meet my sister," Asuka explained.
"I've always trained as a forward. But now, if I play that position, my dark NEX power surges up and I lose control, revealing my demon form. So I have to switch to playing defense. I'm still a beginner when it comes to defending. Could you be my practice partner, Assarun?"
"After sending Claris flying like that, you're still a beginner?" I laughed dryly.
Come to think of it, Asuka probably still thought I was an SST-level super forward, so she figured I could help her train. But the truth was, I wasn't that good.
What should I do?
"I really am still new at this. I've only been training for a short time. Stopping Claris was probably more luck and his overconfidence than skill."
"Alright, let's do this," I said, then suddenly dribbled the ball rapidly to the right while she was off guard.
I got past her. With this open space ahead, I immediately took the shot.
Done. Even if it was shameless, at least this goal would make me look somewhat competent in her eyes.
"I won't give up that easily!" Her voice rang out just as my foot touched the ball. It made me hesitate for a split second, but it was after I'd already kicked. So the ball flew out at full power, undisturbed.
But then Asuka's figure appeared suddenly between my shot and the goal. My shot was stopped with incredible speed.
"That was close," Asuka blew out a breath. "Being a defender means staying focused at all times. We never know when the other side will attack or what techniques they'll use. That's what you wanted to teach me through that surprise play, right, Assarun?"
"Yeah... exactly."