Chapter 373 - What They Are

Inside the manor, Kazehaya Gin was quietly sipping tea in the living room. He sat on the single sofa with Aka and Shiro flanking each side behind him. He had already dealt with the other people's parasites. It was why the staff had returned to their duties and some of them were now even serving the refreshments.

On the side, the Maki couple sat on the length of the sofa, restrained by Gin's power. Because of this, even though the two of them sat, they were actually unconscious. Black smoke enveloped them and occasional hollow faces peek out from their heads as if to see what was going on.

Ozomene had been annihilated and Perun had already purified the air outside. He had also removed the barrier as there was no longer any need for it. Even if the courtyard had been destroyed, the damage was not that big and the fences were still up. It was enough to cover the goings-on inside the residence.

"Mom! Dad!"Yuuka called out as soon as she entered the house.

As soon as she spotted them, she stepped up, ready to rush towards her parents but the hand holding hers stopped her. She turned to the man next to her with a frown.

"It's not safe,"Perun told her softly before guiding her towards the long seat opposite the Maki couple.

Chiaki took the single-seat opposite Gin. She stayed quiet as she knew Yuuka would need an explanation and there's nothing she could contribute on that. The only thing she could do for the other lady was to comfort her but…

She surreptitiously glanced at Perun's hand that still held Yuuka's even after being seated and she secretly smiled. It seemed Yuuka wouldn't need any comfort from her as well. On another note, Chiaki also couldn't help but be curious about the score between the two.

In her opinion, Perun, aside from Alinea, Gin, Ivan, Ryuu, and sometimes Aki, didn't really deal with others closely. He was aloof and cold even – not to mention very formal. It was as if the King of Heaven had no plans on immersing himself in this world. However, there they were, the very same aloof deity not only saved a stranger. He was even kind enough to hold her hand and comfort her too.  

Then again, remembering the talk last night about the blank souls, she couldn't help but wonder if the others' guess that Yuuka might be Alinea's mother could be true. After all…

Chiaki secretly peeked at the two again, but Perun glanced at her with his mysterious amethyst orbs and she was startled; she quickly looked away. She willed herself to lose her presence as to not bother the others as they settled things amongst them.

Of course, what Chiaki saw also didn't escape Kazehaya Gin's eyes. But for the first time, the noisy brother chose to ignore the obvious and refrained from teasing his twin too much.

"More tea, please," the golden deity cheerfully requested from the staff.

The servants of the Maki knew who he was and so they scrambled on their feet to serve Homura International's eccentric CEO. Also, since they woke up, they were told about the infection that turned people's negative energy into monsters. They were totally surprised by it. Nonetheless, it explained why the Maki Household seemed suffocating lately.

The staff used to like their employers as the couple and daughter were nice to them and even generous. But lately, they felt irritated all the time and the aggrieved servants also started thinking bad thoughts. The Homura people said that they were infected but were safe now, which was a good thing. They also knew that the Maki couple were still afflicted by the mysterious infection and would need time to get better. It was why they were doing everything to cooperate. They wanted to have their old employers back. The tea requested and some snacks were delivered in no time.

"What's going to happen now?"Yuuka asked as she looked worriedly at her parents. "Why are they like that? I thought you said that they will be alright?"

Hearing the insecurities and worry for her parents' safety, Perun tightened his hold on her hand, and Yuuka turned to him.

"They will be fine," he told her.

She didn't know how, but she knew that the people of the Homura House were different from normal humans – most especially this man, Kazehaya Sora.

"W-Who are you, really?" she asked him as softly as he spoke to her.

She didn't bother extricating her hand from his grasp as she could feel the warm sensation coming from him that helped her anxiety. He was channeling some energy towards her by holding her hand and she was aware of it.

"Ah, like what I said, he's my older twin brother, Kazehaya Sora," Gin answered.

"I know that."Yuuka turned her gaze on the younger twin and sighed. "Let me rephrase that then," she said in frustration. She was confused. She was sure that she would come across as rude considering these people came to save her and her family. But she was dying to know what's going on. "What are you?"

She held her breath as she threw the question. She was also half-expecting to be scolded as someone ungrateful. But to her surprise, a low chuckle came out from the man sitting next to her as if what she asked was very funny.

Huh?

PLOK!

The snack fell from Gin's hand to his ŀȧp and he quickly cleaned himself up. "WAAAAA…"

Yuuka then noted that even the younger Kazehaya was surprised by his brother's amusement. She turned to Sora with questioning eyes.

The man still had the remnant of a smile on his face. Somehow, in spite of the ethereal air about him that separated him from humans, the curve of his lips made him appear less distant. It was totally different from the sleeping sculpture she saw under the cherry tree, the imposing king she'd seen at dinner the very same night she first saw him, and the valiant otherworldly knight who appeared just in time to save them from the monster.

The amethyst gaze shifted with a mesmerizing glimmer and Yuuka was awash by a sense of déjà vu once again. "What do you think are we?" he asked back, and somehow, Yuuka already knew the answer in her heart.