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

"do not want!"

Ilya buried her head even deeper.

How could she let her mother see her like this!

However, her chin was pinched by a gentle but irresistible hand.

Irisviel forcibly lifted her face.

"look at me."

Ilya was forced to raise her head, her red eyes, brimming with moisture, meeting her mother's gaze.

Then, her gaze went over her mother's shoulder and fell upon a scene she would never forget.

In an instant, Ilya's brain stopped functioning.

……Eh?

Mom... Gu Ye...?

What's happening here?

Ilya's world is shattered.

Sound, light, and even the movement of air seemed to have been paused.

Her vision was now limited to only two people—her mother and Gu Ye.

Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds, yet also seemed to have passed for centuries.

"Are you surprised, Ilya?"

Irisviel spoke.

Her expression remained gentle, but her eyes held a hint of a confident smile that Ilya had never seen before.

Ilya's lips moved a few times, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Her brain was like a ball of yarn that had been played with by a cat, with countless loose ends tangled together, making it impossible to find any logical starting point.

Mom...why is that...?

Gu Ye...why is that...?

That hand...

That pair...

What is this? Is it a dream? Or is this punishment for having already lost the game?

Irisviel did not wait for her daughter's reply.

She released her grip on Ilya's chin, instead taking her arm and gently pulling her up.

"Boom——"

Chapter 157: Taking down Medea, the Grand Slam (Quick Read)

A clear sound rang out in the quiet room.

"Immediately."

Irisviel commanded, her voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable force.

Irisviel took a clean glass from the table next to her.

"release."

After doing all this, she stood up, took a carton of milk from the small refrigerator next to her, elegantly added some to a glass, and gently swirled it.

It instantly turned into a "special drink" that looked no different from ordinary milk.

Wow! I want some too!

Kitagawa Kaimu, who had been quietly watching the show, suddenly raised her hand, her eyes sparkling.

Irisviel glanced at her, smiled, and generously handed her the cup: "Of course, Haimeng-chan, please have a taste too."

She first took a small sip herself, then handed the cup to Haimeng.

Hai Meng took it without hesitation, gulped down half of it like drinking juice, and then smacked her lips in satisfaction.

"Mmm—! It's really delicious!"

Irisviel took back the remaining half glass, slowly finished it, and then turned her gaze back to her daughter, who had been petrified from beginning to end.

After a series of surreal events, Ilya's thoughts finally managed to reconnect, albeit with difficulty.

"Anything you want to ask?"

Irisviel wiped her mouth and asked calmly.

Ilya's body trembled violently.

She raised her hand, her fingers darting back and forth between Gu Ye and Irisviel, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, finally managing to squeeze out only a few broken syllables.

"You...you...why..."

Gu Ye felt a pang of pain in his heart when he saw her on the verge of tears.

He reached out and pulled the small, trembling body into his arms, using his body heat to soothe her.

He lowered his head and whispered in her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear, "...Did I do something wrong?"

The body in his arms stiffened.

Ilya suddenly raised her head, her red eyes fixed on him.

"You...you pressured Mom?"

She asked the first question, but then immediately shook her head vigorously.

No...no!

Countless images flashed through her mind.

Although my older brother is a bit of a fool, he never forces anyone to do things they don't like.

Besides... and he already has me and Hai Meng, he's so afraid of trouble, there's no way he would take the initiative to go looking for other women!

So……

there is only one truth!

Ilya's gaze shifted to her mother, whose face remained calm.

Irisviel saw the change in her daughter's eyes and knew that she had come to her senses.

She nodded slightly, confirming her daughter's guess.

"Well, it's what you think."

After saying that, she stepped forward and, without any hint of hostility, pulled Ilya away from Gu Ye's arms, then turned around and took her place.

"I like Gu Yejun."

She announced this to her dumbfounded daughter.

"But...but I like older brothers too!"

Ilya finally found her voice and called out anxiously.

"What difference does it make if two of us fall in love with the same man?"

Yes! Of course! You're my mom!

Ilya practically screamed it out.

This was her last line of defense, and what she considered the strongest.

"Yes, I am yours..."

Irisviel readily admitted it, but her next words were like a heavy hammer, completely shattering Ilya's defenses: "But I am also a girl who has never been in a relationship. Ilya, my first time was with Gu Yejun."

"..."

Ilya was completely speechless.

"That's right, Ilya-chan."

Kitagawa Kaimu, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but speak up and advise, "Look, Irisviel herself doesn't mind, so why are you so bothered? Is she in your way?"

"I...I didn't..."

Ilya shook her head weakly. She didn't hate her mother; she just... just felt this was all too strange. We... a man... this...

There's nothing strange about it.

Irisviel seemed to read her mind. "You'll get used to it quickly."

She reached out her hand to Ilya, a devilish, seductive smile on her face.

"Come on, Ilya, won't you come with me?"

Looking at the parent-child gathering in front of her, Kitagawa Kaimu felt it would be impolite to stay any longer.

She quietly stood up, gave Gu Ye a "good luck" gesture, and then tiptoed out of the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind her.

Wow... Looks like I won't be able to play with Gu Ye tonight.

Well, forget it, I'll find him to have some fun again tomorrow.

Kitagawa Kaimu hummed an off-key song and went back to her room in a cheerful mood.

……

In the cold, dry basement, only the eerie blue glow emanating from the magic array casts dappled shadows on the walls.

Medea's workshop remained as clean and efficient as ever.

Various bottles and jars, dried herbs, and exotic minerals are neatly arranged on the shelves, like a silent army.

In this serene, deep blue expanse, the only source of light comes from a giant water mirror suspended in mid-air.

The water mirror was showing a live feed of everything happening in Gu Ye's room upstairs.

Medusa was tightly bound to a classic wooden chair, her long purple hair cascading down like a waterfall, obscuring most of her profile.

She didn't struggle, but just quietly looked at the scene in the water mirror. Her purple eyes, which were usually covered by an eye patch, were now exposed to the air without any cover, but they had lost their former sharpness and were left with only a bottomless emptiness.

The magician's purple hood gleamed like silk in the dim light.

Medea stood beside the water mirror, her arms crossed over her chest, a playful yet cold smile playing on her lips.

"How is it, Rider?"

She spoke, her pointed ears twitching slightly.

"Now you're the only one left in this house. Will you choose to leave, or... stay?"

Medea shifted her gaze from the water mirror to Medusa.

She knew very well that although the Einzbern family still nominally had two maids, Sera and Lisserite, their master, Irisviel, had completely fallen under their spell, and it was only a matter of time before those two loyal homunculi became "one of their own."

Therefore, the only true "outsider" in this house was Medusa.

Medusa remained silent. She simply gazed at her reflection in the water mirror.

Her fingers, out of sight, curled slightly.

Of course she knew about Gu Ye's relationships with the other girls in the family.

That lively girl named Kitagawa Kaimu, and that girl named Illya.

She simply chose to turn a blind eye and remain silent.

As long as it doesn't happen in front of her, she can pretend everything is normal.

But Medea saw through her ostrich mentality and was very unhappy about it.

What a troublesome woman.

Despite wanting it more than anyone else, I'm always held back by some trivial things.

Medea scoffed inwardly.