"...Is it really that surprising?"

Erina was startled at the sudden noise made by four people.

"B...but you said that Kai saved you?"

"I did."

"...and you said he was in the forest?"

"Yep."

Akemi was the one to regain her composure the fastest as she looked at Juro.

Juro coughed once and began talking as well.

"So can you tell us the whole story?"

"Nn, I had planned to do so."

Akemi guided her to sit down on one of the nearby seats as Akane and Yoko also quickly took seats around her.

"Well first off..."

Erina explained the events that had happened between her and Kai. She included that she used a false name when talking to Kai as she wasn't completely safe outside of the duke's areas. That didn't mean she didn't trust Kai, it was more like insurance as a noble can't be too careful. Erina told them of the apes but excluded parts about the duke himself. She had told them that she was on an errand and went through the forest but was attacked. The way she explained everything was detailed as if you wouldn't see any flaws but she carefully hid each and every one of the things Kai had done like carrying her as if she was a princess, trying to remove her clothes, and staring at her in her sleep. She also hid everything about Reo like Kai's training method and other secrets.

"And so we lived together for a week and then-"

Just before she could continue her explanation, two shadows suddenly neared her face.

"Wha-?!"

The faces of Akane and Yoko were nearly touching her own, she had been surprised by this sudden move but carefully reviewed her words once she saw them go near.

"...did I say something wrong?"

"Nn."

Yoko nodded after her consent.

"Can you rewind your words back a bit?"

Akane had an intimidating expression.

"'...did I say something wrong'?"

"Further."

"'And so we lived together for a week.'?"

"That's it!"

Akane pointed at her face exaggeratedly.

"What's so wrong with it?"

Erina tilted her head to the side.

Yoko flushed red and meekly went back to her seat.

Akane also flushed red but didn't back down and tried to explain.

"W-well, you know... that thing..."

Akane was playing with her two index fingers near her face.

"That thing? Could you be referring to 'intercourse'?"

"Uwuu."

Akane dropped down to the floor and covered her face with her hands.

"You're quite mature, Miss Erina."

Akemi wasn't fazed at all, as expected of an adult.

"Well, it's not really an embarassing word. The act itself is a different story."

Erina gave her direct explanation and Akane leaked out words.

"So mature! She must've seduced Kai with her adult ways!"

"Wha-!? I didn't!"

Erina couldn't keep her poker face on this time. The word was one thing, but getting accused of actually doing the act with another was another thing.

"...W-why are you the two of you acting so strangely when I said that we lived together for a week?"

"W-well, that's..."

Akane covered her face more and Yoko didn't respond as she turned her head to the side and tried to look around the room.

Once Erina saw that, she found an opportunity to get out of this mess.

"Ah, could it be that you two like him?"

Yoko couldn't handle it anymore and dropped her head and covered her face.

Akane, who was already red to the point of exploding rolled all over the floor.

"I was correct."

Erina gave a smirk seeing as she successfully removed the attention on herself.

"You're quite good, you pacified these two quite quickly."

Akemi praised her.

"So my daughter-in-law is a duke's daughter, huh?"

Juro cut in with a teasing tone.

"...I believe that I said that I had done absolutely nothing with Kai."

"Yeah, but you've been with him longer than this other girl here. She just up and fell in love with Kai while she only knew him for an hour or two."

Juro placed his hand above Yoko's head but didn't make contact as if introducing her.

"Ahh."

Erina nodded as she looked at Yoko.

"W-what's that nod for?"

Yoko questioned.

"Nothing, you might be his type actually."

Yoko burrowed her face once more as Erina gave a devilish smirk.

"This girl is quite the sadist..."

Juro whispered to Akemi.

"This is something else, although I do agree that there's a bit of sadism mixed in there."

Akemi whispered back.

Akane instantly stood up after Erina telling Yoko that she was Kai's type.

"Wha-! How do you know Kai's type?!"

"Well, I have quite the keen observation skills. From what I've observed in that week, he likes long black hair; straight. He wants the body to be not too tall but not too short, in other words; just right but has to be shorter than him by at least a few inches. He also wants a chest that's not too big and not too small. The face also must be very pretty, I haven't observed what attitude he wants but I've observed this from his eyes and thoughts."

Erina said as if narrating something as a fact but in reality it was all a lie. She just narrated Yoko's looks but wasn't sure of her personality and hence left it blank. But for some strange reason, Akane, Yoko, Akemi, and Juro were looking at her each time she narrated one.

"What is it?"

Erina tilted her head to the side.

"...Is she that confident?"

"...I'm not sure but if she can say all that with a straight face, she's a worthy foe."

Yoko and Akane were whispering amongst themselves and then came to an understanding.

"We know that you lived together with Kai for a week and know you're his type now, but that just makes us more suspicious if you did anything to him!"

"Huh? I'm his type?"

"Didn't you just describe everything about yourself!? You may have underestimated your own face a lot and your chest size a bit but openly saying that you're Kai's type is just too shameless!"

Akane lashed out to which Erina became bewildered.

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

Akane gnashed her teeth accompanied by a grumbling noise as if she was complaining.

Yoko coughed to shift focus on herself and talked to Erina calmly.

"First off, you said that he likes straight, long black hair, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Second, you said that he wants just the right height, at least a few inches below him, correct?"

"Yes..."

Erina had noticed Yoko's piercing glare and was wondering if she said something wrong.

"...You also said the bust size must be just right?"

"Nn..."

"And finally, the woman must have a pretty face, right?!"

"Yes!"

Erina unknowingly straightened up from the tone in Yoko's voice as if Yoko was a drill sergeant.

"...As Akane said you may have underestimated your face and chest, but everything else is basically you describing yourself!"

"Eh?"

Erina's eyes went wide and looked at herself.

Straight long black hair, check. Height, check. Chest size...

Erina looked at her own chests and used both of her hands to cup them.

Check. Pretty face...

She touched her own face but didn't give her opinion.

By the way, Juro had left sneakily just before Akane lashed out.

"Am I pretty?"

Erina had asked Akemi at the side, Akemi felt the tone in her voice was odd. It was like she was genuinely asking a question.

"Nn. When you grow up in the future, you'd have so many suitors that you'd fill a city with a line."

Check.

"Eh... wait...!"

Once she made a mental note of all her features, she had realized her mistake.

"T-that's right! She must also have a black eye color!"

"...Hey, Miss Erina,"

"Yes...?"

"Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?"

"Yes..."

Akemi at the side sighed while holding her face within her palm.

"It must be because of the pressure or that she's just a naturally born perceptive airhead..."

"Because it feels like you memorized your looks entirely and are just bragging to us about you being close to Kai!"

Akane suddenly spoke once more.

"Just so you know, I've been with Kai ever since we were born! I've been with him the longest!"

Akane didn't let up but Yoko took damage from her words.

"E-even if I haven't been with him for more than a couple hours, I still...!"

Yoko suddenly fought against Akane and took the heat off Erina.

"I've still been with him the longest so I have the most authority out of the three of us!"

"B-but has he ever told you that he will protect you, or you just run away while he deals with the threat?!"

"H-he hasn't... but I've still been with him the longest so mmpf!"

Akane turned her head to the side as Yoko made a critical hit.

"Such children..."

Erina sighed while watching the conflict.

"Don't think you can get off easily too!"

Yoko pointed at her.

"No, wait there's a misunderstanding! My irises aren't normally black, well they are... but... well..."

Akemi cut in once she heard Erina's words.

"They aren't normally black?"

"Well, they are... I channel the ice attribute in my body most of the time so my pupils are mostly cyan colored. Right now, since I'm in the house of my benefactor, I thought it'd be quite rude to channel magic in here."

Akemi smiled because of her behavior.

"You've been raised to have proper manners very well."

Akemi praised her but that was indirectly telling the two at the side that they showed improper manners.

"W-wait! Aunt, it's not like that!"

"Nn!"

Yoko and Akane dashed beside Akemi and grasped the edge of her long skirt.

"My son is such a lady-killer, getting three girls to fall for him like this..."

Akemi sighed to which Erina responded.

"I didn't fall for him! I only hold simple admiration for someone strong!"

Erina's protests were drowned out by Akane and Yoko, the house could be called utter chaos.

==========

Darkwood Forest

"Achoo!"

Kai sneezed inside the cave after eating.

"You've been sneezing non-stop for awhile now haven't you?"

"Nn, I wonder if I have a cold."

"People are probably just talking to you behind your back."

"I doubt it, hahahahachoo!"

Kai once more sneezed during his laugh.

And with that, the chaotic night came to a close.