I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

Kitagawa Kaimu stood with her hands on her hips in front of Gu Ye, righteously giving him a "discipline education"; while Medea simply said lightly, "The newcomer needs to learn to follow the rules," and the purple magic swirling around her fingertips made Esdeath feel threatened.

In the end, the former strongest general of the empire simply glanced calmly at Gu Ye, who was being protected by everyone, before returning to his room alone, as if the confrontation just now was nothing more than a boring farce.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a thin band of light on the dark carpet.

Gu Ye was still immersed in a deep sleep, the fatigue from the long journey had not yet completely dissipated.

He sensed something amiss.

Something soft, like a curious little animal, is cautiously exploring.

It's Ilya.

Gu Ye's consciousness instantly returned to half of its normal state, but he did not move.

The blanket is breathing.

This sounds like a one-sided declaration.

Ilya was using this most primitive method to assert her exclusive right to her "big brother" against the new "threat" in the family.

After doing all this, Ilya quietly left with the cup in her arms.

……

Inside the restaurant, a sumptuous breakfast was already laid out on the table.

Golden toast, perfectly fried sunny-side-up eggs, and steaming hot bacon.

Irisviel was humming a song as she placed a pot of black tea on the table, while her loyal maids, Sera and Lyselle, bustled between the kitchen and the dining room.

Ilya walked out of the kitchen carrying her "trophy".

She poured half a glass of fresh milk into the cup, and as she watched the two kinds of "milk" blend together perfectly, a wicked smile of triumph spread across her face.

She carefully placed the "specially made milk" in front of her usual seat, then plopped down and picked up the remote to turn on the large TV on the wall.

Her favorite magical girl anime is playing on the screen.

"Messenger of love and justice! Reporting for duty!"

Wow! It's a new form!

Ilya was instantly captivated by the plot, her chin resting on her hand as she watched intently, completely forgetting the glass of milk beside her that represented her morning's "efforts."

Kitagawa Kaimu came downstairs yawning. "Good morning! Wow, what a feast today!"

Esdeath appeared shortly after, having changed into a simple white tracksuit. Her long, icy blue hair was tied into a neat ponytail, making her look dashing and heroic, a stark contrast to her languid and alluring demeanor from the previous night.

She simply nodded to everyone, then sat down to eat in silence.

When the episode ended and the ending theme started, Illya finally snapped out of her reverie and prepared to enjoy her "victory."

She lowered her head and then froze.

The cup in front of her... was empty.

"ah--!?"

A sharp scream shattered the harmonious morning atmosphere of the restaurant.

"My milk! Who drank my milk!?"

Ilya suddenly stood up from her chair, her face flushed red, and pointed at the empty glass with an expression as if the sky had fallen.

"Ok?"

Kitagawa Kaimu, who was spreading jam on her toast, looked up and scratched her blonde hair in confusion. "What's wrong, Ilya-chan? Did you drink your milk? Mine hasn't been drunk yet. Why don't you drink mine first?"

That's not the problem!

Ilya was so anxious she almost jumped up. She wanted to explain, but seeing the gazes of everyone at the table, especially her mother Irisviel's gentle and concerned look, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Oh no, oh no, oh no!

You absolutely must not tell anyone about that glass of milk!

If Mom finds out I did that to my older brother this morning...

Compared to losing a cup of "miracle drink," having one's secret discovered by one's mother is a million times worse!

Ilya could only force herself to suppress her anger, but she was still unwilling to give up.

Her radar-like eyes scanned the table.

The milk glass in front of Kitagawa Kaimu was full.

Esdeath is drinking black tea.

Medea... Medea was wiping the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, on which there seemed to be a little white mark.

Maids Sera and Liselle stood not far away, their expressions as serious as ever, but the corners of their mouths... seemed to be...

Ilya's heart sank little by little.

Finally, her gaze fell on her mother, Irisviel's, face.

Irisviel sat demurely, a perpetually gentle smile on her face, but a tiny stain was noticeably present on the corner of her full, rosy lips.

Ilya's breath caught in her throat at that moment.

No...no way...

Her mind went blank, and in an almost inaudible, trembling voice choked with sobs, she asked again, "Who...who drank my milk?"

Hearing her daughter's question, Irisviel gracefully picked up a napkin, gently wiped her mouth, and then smiled, saying, "I drank it, Ilya. I saw you were so engrossed in watching TV that your milk got cold, so I drank it for you. Here, have mine."

As she spoke, Irisviel pushed the steaming glass of milk in front of her towards Ilya.

Ilya froze on the spot, as if petrified by Medusa's gaze.

"Is there a problem, Ilya?"

Irisviel tilted her head, her ruby-like eyes filled with pure concern. "Your milk tastes very special, so sweet and rich. Did you add some special honey?"

"No...nothing was added..."

Ilya shook her head mechanically, feeling as if her soul had left her body.

She mustered all her strength to squeeze out a sentence: "Mom...why don't you drink your own?"

"Because my cup was just heated up, it's still a little hot."

Irisviel explained matter-of-factly, “I saw your glass there and thought you didn’t want to drink it anymore, so I drank it first to avoid wasting anything. As compensation, I’ll give you this one.”

Ilya nodded stiffly, silently picked up the cup of plain, pure, and unadulterated hot milk that Irisviel had pushed towards her, and took a large gulp without any expression.

My... this divine way of drinking it, which I finally came up with after much effort...

I hadn't even tasted it... when my mom...

And Mom said it tasted good...

Now that things have come to this, she would never be able to bring herself to say that the milk contained that kind of thing.

I absolutely cannot let Mom know about this! Absolutely not!

"Does Ilya like drinking milk?"

Irisviel watched her daughter finish the drink in one gulp, and then considerately asked, "Would you like Mommy to heat up another cup for you?"

"enough!"

Ilya almost shouted it out, then realized her lapse in composure and immediately lowered her voice, "I...I don't particularly like it."

She drank the rest of the milk in the glass in one gulp, put the glass down, and suddenly stood up.

"I'm full! Time to go to school!"

After saying that, she grabbed her schoolbag and rushed out of the restaurant without looking back, her back view filled with grief and panic.

Ilya dashed out of the house like a whirlwind, leaving behind a table of people in the dining room staring at each other in bewilderment.

Irisviel watched her daughter's figure disappear into the entryway, her long silver hair tracing a hurried arc behind the door. Her eyes were filled with pure confusion.

What's wrong with Ilya?

Irisviel was filled with confusion.

Normally, she would definitely pester Gu Ye to go to school with him.

He actually left first today... Did the sun rise in the west?

Moreover, she seemed very concerned about that glass of milk... Could it be that she wasn't feeling well?

She looked at Gu Ye, who had just come downstairs. He was yawning and looked like he hadn't woken up yet, clearly unaware of what had happened in the restaurant.

Good morning, Gu Ye.

Irisviel stood up, her gentle and polite smile returning to her face. "Ilya seems a little strange today; she went to school by herself."

"Yeah."

Gu Ye walked to the dining table, sat down, and picked up a slice of toast. "I guess he's been watching too much cartoons."

He glanced at Esdeath, who was sitting alone in the corner, drinking black tea with an upright posture.

The woman was like an ice sculpture, completely out of place in the warm morning atmosphere of the room.

Gu Ye instructed her, "Esdece, today you should familiarize yourself with the house. Alice will show you around. If you need anything or don't understand something, you can ask her or the two maids."

Esdeath put down her teacup, looked at him, and nodded: "Yes, Lord Gu Ye."

Although the title still uses honorifics, at least it's no longer the creepy "master".

"Alright, Haimeng, eat quickly, we're going to be late."

Gu Ye urged Kitagawa Kaimu, who was struggling with a large plate of bacon next to him, to hurry up.

"Hmm... almost done!"

Hai Meng's mouth was stuffed full, and she responded indistinctly.

Ten minutes later, the two finally left the house.

Sunlight filters through the sparse leaves of the roadside trees, casting dappled shadows on the sidewalk.

Students in various school uniforms walked in twos and threes along the road.

Gu Ye walked beside Hai Meng, his gaze inadvertently falling on what was behind her.

When did you buy the guitar?

Behind Hai Meng, she carried a pink guitar bag with a pixelated octopus doll keychain hanging from the edge, swaying with her steps.

"Ah, this?"

Hai Meng turned around and patted the guitar bag behind her like she was showing off a treasure, "It just arrived a few days ago! It's a limited edition, pink leopard print, super cool, right!"

She turned around and walked backwards to face Gu Ye, her face displaying that familiar sparkling expression when talking about her beloved possessions.

"Because of the transformation magic, cosplay is no longer challenging for me. I can transform into any character I want anytime, anywhere. It feels like I have a cheat code, and I've lost some of the fun of making it myself."

She pouted, seemingly with a slight complaint about this "too convenient" ability.

"So, I wanted to cultivate some new hobbies. Isn't playing the guitar cool? Just imagine how cool it would be to solo on stage!"

Chapter 146 Jotaro Kujo's Visit.

"Yeah, it's good to have a new hobby."

Gu Ye nodded.

"but--"

Hai Meng changed the subject, leaning closer, her golden hair gently brushing against Gu Ye's cheek in the morning breeze, "Now that you're back, Gu Ye-jun, I still think... taking cosplay photos with you is more fun!"

She smiled, her eyes crinkling like a contented cat.

"It's a deal, okay? My cosplay photos, except at public places like anime conventions, can only be taken by you! I won't let anyone else take my pictures!"

Is this considered a declaration of exclusive rights?

Gu Ye thought to himself, but replied aloud, "I understand."

He recalled his conversation with Xiangzi last night and casually remarked, "Speaking of which, that girl in our group named Oblivionis, Toyokawa Xiangzi, she also plays in a band. She's a keyboardist and writes her own songs."