Chapter 117: Misfortune
It was miserable. Kaoruko was feeling terrible.
As long as she thought about Yuta, Kaoruko felt a deep discomfort.
This wasn't love—it was pure, unrelenting misery.
After returning home in the morning, as soon as she stepped through the door, Kaoruko managed to trip over absolutely nothing and fell flat on the floor, unable to get up for what felt like half the day.
She couldn't understand how she had managed to trip on level ground. Sure, her mind had been occupied with thoughts of Yuta, but tripping over nothing—such a low-level, childlike mistake—how could it possibly happen to someone like her?
It must have been because she'd been dwelling on Yuta and that girl called Belldandy!
Kaoruko's plan had no room for foreigners. From what she had gathered today through Oda Raika, who also skipped class with Yuta, Kaoruko sensed an ominous sign.
Even though she hadn't yet met that foreign girl called Belldandy, Kaoruko had already labeled her as an obstacle to her research.
So, breaking up Belldandy and Yuta was a must!
Kaoruko wasn't going to give in. Slowly, she got up from the floor.
And then…
Then, a drawing board hanging on the nearby wall fell and hit her squarely on the head. With her last ounce of strength, Kaoruko called Yuta—not the hospital.
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Yuta and Belldandy arrived at Kaoruko's house in high spirits. After knocking on the door, Yuta received no response.
"Is anyone home?"
Seeing no signs of Kaoruko, Yuta pulled out his phone, intending to call her.
"Yuta, someone inside is injured," Belldandy said, sensing the situation within. Upon noticing an injured woman inside, she used her magic to force the door open. "This is an emergency!"
Once the door swung open, Yuta saw Kaoruko, dressed in a black suit, sprawled flat on the floor.
Hearing the commotion behind her, Kaoruko realized someone had entered. Summoning her strength, she struggled to get up. Her suited figure slowly created a curve as she tried to rise from the floor.
Kaoruko looked far from her usual self. Gone was her strong-willed, confident aura. Although she bore no visible injuries, her disheveled state on the floor showed none of her usual commanding presence.
However, the posture she adopted—a woman on all fours, struggling to lift herself—had an unexpected charm. Yuta couldn't help but notice it, even if the thought annoyed him.
Yuta's opinion of Kaoruko wasn't great. She was always causing trouble for him, treating him with a haughty and irritating attitude.
So, seeing Kaoruko in this sorry state, not only did Yuta feel no sympathy—he actually found it satisfying.
"Are you okay?" he asked, more out of courtesy than concern.
"Do I look okay to you?!" Kaoruko snapped.
After managing to get up, Kaoruko turned and sat directly on the floor. After shooting an annoyed glance at Yuta, she shifted her focus to Belldandy.
Belldandy looked at Kaoruko without any trace of judgment and politely introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Belldandy."
From Belldandy's perspective, since Yuta had mentioned that Kaoruko was a difficult person to deal with, it was all the more reason to approach her with politeness and try to get along.
Kaoruko stared at Belldandy, then, while struggling to her feet, said calmly, "Help me over to the sofa so I can rest."
"Of course!" Belldandy supported Kaoruko, helping her to the living room and ensuring she was seated comfortably.
Meanwhile, Yuta casually picked up the fallen painting and rehung it on the wall.
"Aunt Kaoruko, you'd be better off taking it easy for now. Stay home and focus on recovering," Yuta said nonchalantly after securing the painting. He then plopped down in a chair across from her.
Kaoruko glared coldly at him. "You seem to be in quite a good mood today."
"It's nothing. I just feel relieved now that I see you're alright. That's all," Yuta replied, his expression contradicting his words, as his face bore a clear, smug smile.
Belldandy, however, took his words at face value and chimed in cheerfully, "Aunt Kaoruko is fine now. Just a bit of rest, and she'll be back to her best."
Kaoruko glanced at Belldandy. Though her condition wasn't dire, hearing such words in her presence felt almost like a provocation.
Yet, seeing Belldandy's genuinely cheerful smile, Kaoruko doubted it was intentional.
"Belldandy, what's your relationship with Yuta?" Kaoruko asked, studying her. She couldn't quite figure out how this kind of girl had gotten involved with Yuta.
"It's… complicated," Yuta interjected before Belldandy could answer. "In short, Belldandy is a foreign transfer student who will be my classmate from now on. Also, we live together."
Yuta's explanation was simple, but to Kaoruko, the implications were anything but.
Kaoruko's brow furrowed as she noted that Belldandy didn't deny a single word of Yuta's statement. This only confirmed that their relationship wasn't ordinary.
Why hadn't she noticed this woman's presence before?
Kaoruko couldn't make sense of it. If Yuta knew a beautiful girl like this, he wouldn't have bothered with anyone else.
For now, she didn't know enough. She needed to investigate Belldandy thoroughly before coming up with a way to deal with the situation.
With that thought, Kaoruko prepared to stand. Sitting here was starting to feel uncomfortable.
And then...
With a sharp crack, Kaoruko's back gave out!
Kaoruko felt as though her spine was about to snap. She stood frozen, unable to move, fearing that even the slightest motion might break her entirely. The searing pain in her lower back made cold sweat pour down her face.
Belldandy quickly rushed to Yuta's side, concern evident in her voice. "Yuta, it's the force at work!"
"Suppress it for now!" Yuta instructed, hoping Belldandy could find a way to manage the situation. A little chaos was fine, but letting things spiral out of control wouldn't do.
Kaoruko, overwhelmed with discomfort, grew increasingly frustrated seeing the two whispering in front of her. In her irritation, she snapped, "Whether you have a girlfriend or not, you're just as clueless about women as before!"
Yuta wasn't offended by her outburst. Instead, he bent down and scooped Kaoruko up effortlessly. One arm supported her legs beneath her skirt, while the other secured her back.
"I wouldn't say I haven't changed at all," Yuta replied with a faint smirk. "For instance, I now know when a girl needs help."
Carrying Kaoruko in his arms, Yuta headed toward her bedroom.
Strangely, the moment Yuta held her, Kaoruko felt a lot better. The pain in her back seemed to vanish like magic.
Her earlier anger dissipated, replaced by an embarrassed pout that made her look like a shy schoolgirl. Reluctantly, she mumbled, "Saying you haven't changed at all… maybe I went too far."
For a moment, Kaoruko reconsidered her perception of Yuta. She had always focused on the women around him, but now she noticed that Yuta himself had undergone subtle changes.
He was more composed, stronger, and—dare she admit it—more attractive than before. The immature boy she once thought she knew had transformed into someone more capable and confident.
Still, Kaoruko refused to accept it.
Her pride wouldn't let her.
Yet, deep down, she knew her plans and research had already been derailed by Belldandy's unexpected appearance.
Reality didn't align with her carefully calculated scenarios.
Though Kaoruko grew a bit calmer, the mysterious force wasn't so easily appeased.
Even as she stopped thinking about her research, the moment she entertained the idea of sabotaging Yuta and Belldandy's relationship, the force would retaliate against her.
From the living room, Belldandy watched Kaoruko, noticing a faint pink glow emanating from her. The spell she was maintaining wavered slightly in her hands.
"Ahhhh!" Kaoruko screamed again as a palm-sized piece of the ceiling broke loose and fell squarely onto her head.
Yuta sighed, realizing they couldn't stay here any longer. After laying Kaoruko down gently on her bed, he and Belldandy left her home.
"We need to find a way to weaken this force," Yuta said, frowning as they walked away. "If it keeps hurting people, things could get really bad."
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