"Everyone, I'm back!"
"P-Please excuse me…!"
Yuuji announced as Viktoriya shyly excused herself and entered the house of her mother's friend.
She was very nervous. She managed to forget her nervousness on the way here thanks to talking with Yuuji, but now, it resurfaced.
Her mother's friend, Mira… Viktoriya had heard about her often from her mother. She was an incredibly talented and successful investor who had roots in all the successful businesses in the world. But even with her success, she never changed. She was still the kind and gentle person her mother knew when they were in school together.
Until now, Mira was still her mother's best friend, and Viktoriya had come to admire and respect her a lot, despite never having met her.
Admiration often led to over exaggeration, especially when she never met her. But now, after seeing how… "perfect" Yuuji was, she couldn't help but think if all the great things she thought about her were actually not an exaggeration, but an underestimation…
"Oh my~ Welcome, Visha~ Ufufufu~ You've grown up into such a beautiful young lady~"
Viktoriya looked up in shock the moment she heard a supremely beautiful voice speaking in perfect German. And when she saw her figure, Viktoriya stood frozen in shock.
H-How beautiful… I've heard of her beauty from mom, but I never expect it to be this…
Her soft and gentle, yet alluring expression. Her beautiful, shiny, light brown hair. Her curvaceous figure that rivaled that of the Goddess of Beauty. Mira was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen…
And if what her mother said about her abilities were true, then wasn't she the most perfect woman in the world…?
I see where Yuuji-kun got his looks and character now…
During the short time it took for them to reach the Tsubakihara household, she spent the entire time talking with Yuuji.
Having been raised by her mother and meeting a lot of different people, Viktoriya had learned how to observe other people closely and look past the veil they put up. Because of this, it was very simple for her to see through the obvious lust and interest boys in her school had for her whenever she talked to them.
But Yuuji was different. All she could see from Yuuji's eyes was simply appreciation for her beauty. And after she talked about herself more, admiration not for her beauty, but her abilities.
It was the first time Viktoriya had ever felt this way towards a boy her age. It was very refreshing and comfortable.
She was very surprised at first. But now, she could understand why.
Yuuji had been living with the most beautiful woman in the world all his life. It's understandable why he wouldn't drool at the sight of a beautiful woman that easily. And considering Mira's character, she must've taught Yuuji to be respectful towards women.
Her admiration and respect towards Mira and Yuuji rose tremendously.
"T-Thank you very much for… w-welcoming me…! M-my name is Viktoriya Ivanova Serebryakov. I-I will be in your care from now on…!"
She bowed deeply.
Viktoriya did her best to speak in Japanese. Even if Mira was fluent in her mother tongue, it'd be rude if she were to reply not in Mira's mother tongue when she greeted her in her mother tongue.
"Ufufufu~ We will be in your care too~ Ah, please just speak in whatever language you're comfortable with, okay~?"
"Y-Yes! A-Ah, h-here is something small I brought with me… P-Please enjoy it with the rest of the family."
"Oh my~ Thank you very much~"
Having finished greeting each other, Mira and Yuuji lead Viktoriya inside after changing into slippers.
They headed into the living room, where Yuna, Nina, and Aika who were sitting on the couch, stood up and welcomed her with beautiful, bright smiles.
"Welcome to Japan, Serebryakov-san~ My name is Yuna~ Let's get along~"
"Welcome to Japan. My name is Nina. Please take care of me."
"Hello! My name is Aika. Hope you enjoy your stay here!"
Yuna and Nina's English were perfect. Aika spoke in a more casual tone, but nevertheless, she still sounded like a native.
Moreover, all of them were beautiful… So beautiful that Viktoriya, who had been surrounded by beauties like her little sisters and her mother all her life, couldn't help but admire.
"I-It's a pleasure! T-Thank you very much for welcoming me! P-Please take care of me!"
I-I should've learned Japanese harder!!!
These wonderful people were able to talk with her in English perfectly, but her Japanese was still lacking that she couldn't even greet them properly! Viktoriya couldn't help but regret her laziness.
"Come take a seat~ Mom and Yuu-kun have prepared such wonderful food for us~!!!"
Yuna approached her and gestured towards the dining table, where a magnificent Japanese feast had been spread.
S-So much…! A-And they all look so delicious…!
It was like the feast she would get if she visited a luxurious Ryokan she had only ever seen in anime and Japanese food networks!!! It's amazing!!!
"Y-Yes! Thank you very much! Uhm, I've also brought this cake. Please enjoy it with everyone."
"Thank you very much for your consideration. I shall put it in the refrigerator. However… Yuuji bought a very special cake to welcome you. Would it be fine if we eat that first?"
Opposite of the cheerful Yuna, Nina approached Viktoriya calmly with a smile.
"Eh? A special cake…?"
"It's the Extra Super Melon Cake!!! Do you know about it? It's very famous and super expensive!!! I was very shock when Yuu-kun suddenly brought it out!!!"
"T-That-?!"
Viktoriya had seen it once in a Japanese food network… It was an incredibly luxurious cake one can buy normally from a bakery!
"Oh~ And Yuuji-kun also bought the Shirou Houseki White Strawberries for this event~ Don't you love strawberries, Viktoriya~?"
"W-White strawberries?!"
Once again, Viktoriya couldn't help but gasp at another mention of another luxurious food item.
She turned towards Yuuji in bafflement… Wasn't he just a high school student her age…? H-How could he buy such ridiculously pricey food for this?!
Seeing her reaction, Yuuji simply smiled softly.
"I got quite lucky with my investments and decided to splurge a bit to celebrate your arrival. Let's eat it deliciously together."
So he was also a genius in investments… He was truly different from the young boys she knew back in her school, Viktoriya thought.
And this kindness… She felt extremely welcomed here, even though she couldn't even speak their language perfectly. She couldn't help but feel touched.
"T-Thank you very much!"
She bowed deeply at all of them.
"Now now~ Let's start eating before the food went cold~"
"Y-Yes!"
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
Because of the warmth and kindness she felt from the Tsubakihara household, Viktoriya opened up faster than she ever expected to the people she had only met this morning.
She ended up using English to converse most of the time, but since everyone could understand her, she was able to tell them about herself much more.
Viktoriya told them that she was the oldest of three siblings. She bragged about her genius little sisters, Mary and Tanya. She was talking about them so excitedly that she didn't realize the cream that was smeared on the corner of her lips. It was very cute to see how animated she became when talking about the things she loved.
Then, she also told them about how she actually trained in martial arts, specifically German Jiu Jitsu, and joined in some of the military training her mother held when she was young.
"Oh, so that's why… No wonder you could do a throw on that man?"
Yuuji had actually seen the trash of a man approach her. Judging by how uncomfortable Viktoriya look, he immediately knew that the man's attention was unwanted. But before he could help her, she suddenly threw the man over her shoulder, shocking him and everyone who saw it.
After all, who would expect such a lithe and slender highschool girl to be capable of throwing a man over her shoulder like that.
"Yes! Thanks to mom's training, I'm perfectly capable of defending myself! At least, I thought so… Thank you for helping me this morning…"
"You've already thanked me enough. Please don't mind it anymore."
"Oh? Did something happen when you picked her up, Yuuji?"
"Well…"
Yuuji glanced at Viktoriya, who nodded at him, and began telling the event that happened this morning.
"Eh?! Did that really happen?!"
"Are you okay, Viktoriya-san."
"Tch… Scumbags with no game really exist everywhere, huh…?"
"Viktoriya-chan…"
Yuna, who was sitting on Victoriya's left, immediately moved her chair closer and held her hand. Nina and Mira, who were sitting opposite of Yuna, looked at her with concern. While Aika, who sat on Mira's left, clicked her fingers and frowned deeply.
Every single one of them was an absolute beauty. Thus, they've experienced being approached by unsavory men plenty of times before.
Being approached by someone they dislike, especially so forcefully, was something everyone would dislike. But having experienced it first hand plenty of times, they were able to relate to Viktoriya's plight much more.
"Viktoriya-chan is so cute, I'm ashamed I failed to see such a thing happening. I'm very sorry. And good job on helping her, Yuuji-kun."
"I-It's fine, Mira-san! Please! There's no need to apologize."
"Mm. Though, I'm sure she could've handled it herself."
Yuuji smiled and glanced to his side towards Viktoriya.
"You must be afraid that you'll end up getting into trouble and be forced to move back to German if you make a scene, right?"
"Y-Yes…"
Viktoriya glanced away shyly after being seen through by Yuuji. Moreover, she couldn't understand why her heart was suddenly beating so quickly. She never experienced such a thing before while talking with any other guys.
It was… very perplexing. Viktoriya had experienced training and living with young male soldiers while she was training in the military with her mother. She met them frequently, and many had confessed their love for her. Male students from her school also loved her, and some of the most popular and handsome male students in her school had also confessed to her several times before.
But not once did she ever feel her heart move. The males who confessed to her were just like any other friend, comrade, or acquaintance to her.
Yuuji's appearance was certainly above any man she had ever seen before. But his appearance wasn't what made her heart beat fast.
She enjoyed talking to him during their walk back to his home. So much so that she felt like she had been friends with him for a long time. She felt very comfortable with him…
And when he saw through her just now, she felt so vulnerable and shy. This wasn't the first time it had happened. Her mom and her sisters often told her that she wore her heart on her sleeves. She never minded it before, but why did she feel so embarrassed now?
"Hm… There's a high chance this kind of thing would happen again once you enter school tomorrow."
Aika put her elbows on the table and rested her cheek on her hand as she looked at Viktoriya. And everyone agreed.
Although there were already a lot of beauties in Yuuji's school, the fact that she was a foreign transfer student in addition to being such a beauty, she'd definitely get a ton of attention, especially from the boys.
"Don't worry! Nina-chan, Yuu-kun, and I will always be with her!"
Nina and Yuuji both nodded at Yuna's confident declaration. Even if Viktoriya wasn't the daughter of their mother's friend, now that they've become close, he would still take care of her in school.
"But… It will be a bit difficult if she's not in the same class as us."
There were several first year classes. Yuuji was in Class 1-A, while the twins were in Class 1-B. There's also Class 1-C, which was the third first year class. So if Viktoriya were to be assigned to 1-C, all they could do was be with her during breaks and when they return home.
"Ufufufu~ Don't worry~ I've asked the principle to put Viktoriya in Class 1-A so she could have Yuuji protect her~"
""Eh?""
All of them looked at Mira in shock.
"S-Since when…"
"Since Illya told me you're coming here and enrolling to that school~ Don't worry, I've arranged everything~"
Mira winked playfully. And they were reminded once again how influential Mira was…
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
Once afternoon came, Viktoriya excused herself and returned home. There was still some of her stuff she needed to unpack as soon as possible since she would start school tomorrow.
She lived in the large, fairly high-end apartment which was actually just one station down. It was actually a walkable distance to the Tsubakihara household. She went on the train to get here because she couldn't risk getting lost and coming late to greet the family of her mother's close friend.
Though… she still ended up coming late in the end because of her clumsiness…
Yuuji offered to walk her home. Considering the previous event this morning, he didn't want her to risk getting picked up and bothered by some guys on the street.
Viktoriya tried to refuse, but after Mira, Yuna, Nina, Aika, and Yuuji himself insisted, she relented.
They had a pleasant conversation as the orange-red sun slowly set under the horizon.
And once they arrived in the large apartment building, Viktoriya bowed and thanked him for accompanying her.
"Don't mind it. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night, Viktoriya."
"Mm! Good night, Yuuji. See you tomorrow!"
Under the darkened sky, Viktoriya smiled brightly, lighting up everything around her.
She was just like a sun, Yuuji thought inwardly as he smiled. He watched her enter through the automatic glass door and pressed a button for the elevator. And once it arrived, she entered and waved her hand at him.
She mouthed "see you" to him, and he waved his hand while mouthing "see you" as well.
Once the elevator door closed, Yuuji turned around and returned home.
"I'm back."
He announced as he placed his outdoor shoes into the rack and slipped into his indoor slippers.
"Welcome home~"
He heard Mira's beautiful voice resounded from the kitchen. He also sensed Yuna, Nina, and Aika's presence there.
It was… unusual. Normally, instead of the kitchen, they'd be hanging out in the living room. But now, they're gathered around the dining table.
He came to the kitchen, and as expected, everyone was sitting around the dining table. Yuna, Nina, and Aika turned to him with a look of confusion and questioning, while Mira was smiling brilliantly at him.
He knew instantly what was going on.
"Yuuji~ Please come take a seat~ You have a lot you want to tell us, don't you~?"
"Ah… Yes."
And thus, Yuuji spent the rest of the evening explaining to his family about the Chat Group, his magic, his three girlfriends, and how Mira became so beautiful.
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 ~!!