"I am… honestly surprised. Are you really fine with that?" Ophis said, her tongue flicking over the curve of her ice cream, as she glanced sideways at Azrael, who walked in step with her down the dimly lit school corridor.

Azrael blinked, caught off guard by the sudden question. "What do you mean?"

After all, they'd only stepped out to buy a snack, hadn't they?

Ophis's lips curled with a disgusted expression. "Woman… I am not a child who can't understand what you're trying to pull!"

Azrael answered with a cute smile and a small wink~

A vein throbbed on Ophis's forehead. "That looks disgusting… yuck!" She shuddered in exaggerated revulsion, then took another lick of her ice cream, "So?" she pressed.

"I… I don't know." Azrael's voice wavered, but there was a soft, earnest glow in her eyes.

"My life without Raphael would be hell, and for her to be happy, for her to have finally found her own love… I don't mind sharing mine." The words left her gently, almost fragile, as she offered Ophis a genuine smile.

"After all, she sacrificed so many things for me and her brother… compared to that, this is nothing." She shrugged.

Did she hate it?

No, not at all—Azrael was surprised to discover a strange, peaceful happiness inside. She was glad that Raphael could see Leo as more than just… a nephew!

It was odd, perhaps forbidden, but it brought light to Raphael's eyes, and that mattered more than any taboo.

Even though she'd never imagined things would turn out this way, if this was what Raphael truly wanted, Azrael would not stand in the way.

If anything, she wanted to make the path easier for both of them.

After all, Raphael deserved happiness, deserved something pure after all the burdens fate had stacked against her. If her joy came from Azrael's son… then so be it.

Who cared about the world's rules if Raphael herself was at peace?

And, needless to say, her son already had two girlfriends and was handling them without fear or worry.

Azrael had seen the spark in Leo's eyes... She had no doubt he could bear the weight of even more love, and all its chaos~

Ophis stared at Azrael, "To be frank, I'm starting to wonder if you're the normal one here." as if she genuinely doubted Azrael's place among mortals.

Azrael flinched, "W-What do you mean?"

"I mean… no normal woman would accept something like this." Ophis rolled her eyes, "Valra—okay, she's a mage, so she's fine being second, or whatever her place, because mages have their own strange customs and harems aren't that weird in their world. But you…"She paused for effect, licking the ice cream,

"You should be freaking out like in those TV series, where the wife catches her husband screwing another woman, and she goes berserk and tries to kill both of them.

That's what counts as normal in this human world, right?"

Ophis's disappointment was obvious, like a child denied a favourite treat.

Azrael stared back, horror twisting her face.

"What kind of killer series are you watching?!" She nearly shouted, "Whatever… Look, I am normal—normal enough, at least. And I want to be with Leo and Raphael, no matter what it takes! Besides, it's rich, coming from the girl whose father was fucking around with so many women—and even killing them afterwards!"

Ophis gave her a sharp side glance. She only shrugged and kept walking. The corridor grew quieter as they approached the garden's edge… where Leo and Raphael were supposed to be waiting.

"Where is Raphael?" Azrael asked, stopping as she realised only Leo was there, sitting beneath a tall tree.

Leo gazed up at the swelling night sky, silver clouds drifting past the rising moon.

Leo glanced over at them, a weak, tired smile softening his features. There was a sadness in his eyes that Azrael felt echo through her own chest. Ophis just hummed under her breath, as if she understood something no one else could, her expression unreadable.

Leo didn't say anything, just stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes, "Shall we leave?" he asked, his voice almost hollow, and without waiting for an answer, he turned and strode toward the car.

Azrael and Ophis exchanged a loaded look before muttering at the same time,

""Rejected!""

A faint, uncomfortable silence stretched between them as they watched Leo's back recede. Azrael and Ophis took a deep breath, collecting themselves, trying to make sense of what just happened.

"But how? I am pretty sure she loves him," Ophis said. She recalled all those moments—how often she had seen them together, the way Raphael and Leo sometimes lingered too close, brushing against each other as if drawn by invisible strings. There were moments when their hands touched, when their laughter overlapped, when the line between family and something more seemed to blur.

And even more… when they'd nearly kissed—if Ophis or Azrael hadn't interrupted, who knew what would have happened?

She'd witnessed Raphael and Leo seeing each other naked more times than she could count; each incident was a silent testament to how far their relationship had drifted from anything as simple as 'aunt and nephew.'

This was definitely not a simple aunt and nephew relationship anymore!!

Azrael frowned, "I am confused…" she admitted, replaying in her mind all the things she'd said to Raphael, all the teasing, the little pushes toward Leo.

She'd been so certain, so sure that Raphael would accept him. Deep down, she'd known Raphael had been longing for something she barely dared to name—even to herself.

"Did we make a mistake?"

They looked at each other, uncertainty flickering in their eyes, then shook their heads in unison.

Nope! That woman was definitely in love with Leo!

Then why?

"Maybe… unlike you, she has morals?" Ophis asked, "Raphael is still Leo's aunt, no matter how much time has passed. She raised him, watched him grow—maybe that's a barrier she just can't cross, even if her feelings are real."

"Maybe…" Azrael nodded.

She felt the old ache of guilt gnawing at her heart.

Soon, they walked toward the car and saw Leo and Raphael, both standing silently by opposite doors.

"Raphael, why are you here?" Azrael asked quietly.

But then she noticed Raphael quickly dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief, the pale cloth already stained with tears.

Raphael forced a shaky smile and managed, "W-Well, I just needed a little more air," her voice trembling, shoulders quivering as she fought to hold herself together.

If it were any other time, Azrael might have made a snarky comment—'Getting more air in the freaking parking lot?'—but tonight, she sensed the rawness in Raphael's soul.

It wasn't the right moment for teasing.

She nodded instead, giving Raphael a small, supportive smile as she nudged her nose playfully. "You look so cute~" she whispered, trying to coax out some warmth.

Raphael shook her head with a fragile, trembling smile before slipping into the car.

And soon… the car drifted away from the school.

Leo glanced back at the building as the gates swung closed behind them, shutting out the day for good.

Until the end… she didn't come.

Leo leaned softly against the window glass, watching the world blur past in streaks of silver and black. His eyes travelled to Raphael, who sat in the front seat beside Azrael, shoulders still trembling faintly.

Well, he'd expected things might turn out like this.... a little bit to be honest!

As he closed his eyes, the memory replayed behind his eyelids—his first confession to another woman.

"N-No, no, NO!! This is wrong!!"

Raphael had panicked, her face contorted with horror as she sprang away from him, stumbling over her words. Her hands had trembled, her legs wobbling like noodles, as if her whole body refused to accept what she heard.

Leo tried to calm her down, reaching out with trembling hands. "Raphael, calm dow—"

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ME!!" she screamed, her voice shaking with a storm of fury and panic. She swatted his hand away, a physical rejection so sharp that Leo's own hand stung with the impact.

He stood frozen, as if the world had gone cold, unable to move as the truth crashed down.

As the sun died, he watched her fall apart before his eyes. The tears streaming down Raphael's cheeks weren't just sadness... they were the tears of something broken, something lost and... something unforgivable!

In that instant, Leo felt it with perfect clarity... he had made a terrible, irreversible mistake.

Raphael's words trembled out of her like shattered glass, her voice so thin he barely heard it. "P-Please stop… I-I don't want to…" She could barely look at him, the pain in her eyes a reflection of his own.

She clutched her things, almost fumbling, desperate to put distance between them, and stumbled away.

Leo watched her go, powerless to follow. He stood there as her silhouette faded into shadow, the memory of her tear-streaked face burning into his mind.

He lifted a trembling hand to his chest, fingers splayed over his heart, as if he could shield himself from the ache blooming there.

But nothing could stop the pain. This was new... a pain so sharp, so deep, it felt as though his chest was cracking open, every breath a struggle.

It wasn't just heartbreak.

Rather… it was a kind of pain he never even imagined existed.

Before this moment, pain had always been physical, a cut or a bruise—now, it was something that tore at the soul.

This was the first time he had truly felt what it meant to lose someone.

So raw… so trembling… so utterly lost.

His mind spun with confusion, shame, and regret as his heart raced and his body shook.

He had thought this would be a step toward something new, something brave, but now… it was only emptiness.

His eyes stung, vision swimming with unshed tears. He swallowed hard, fighting the urge to collapse, his lips trembling as he whispered to the empty air,

"D-Did… I overstep?"

His voice sounded so small, barely more than a breath.

He wanted to cry—he needed the release, the flood of tears to wash away the guilt, the shame, the sense of being so terribly wrong. But all he could do was stare, blank and silent, at the rising moon shining through the school's old windows.

Even the night felt colder, the world pulling away from him.

His hand pressed tighter to his chest, trying to hold his heart together, but it was no use.

It was so breaking... so devastatingly real!!

He felt every stab, every twist, every pulse of agony, as if a dagger was slowly carving away at his soul, carving away the illusion of safety... the idea that love was easy!

This pain was even worse than anything he'd endured with Sakura.

It was as if the hurt was peeling him apart, his skin tingling, his stomach twisted with disgust and self-loathing for pushing Raphael too far.

"So… this is getting rejected?" he muttered, voice barely audible.

His shoulders slumped, a single tear sliding down his cheek, leaving a burning trail.

He closed his eyes and stayed there quietly, trying to find calm, but his body betrayed him—trembling, shaking, unable to hide the storm inside.

For the first time, he was learning that loss could break you far more completely than any victory could build you.

He'd gotten everything so easily in this new life—women drawn to him, opportunities falling into his lap, as if he were charmed.

But now… none of that mattered.

Now, he understood the price of wanting too much, of reaching for something forbidden. Now, he knew what it meant to be rejected.

He thought Raphael would accept him, that the signs... her blushes, her shy glances.

He'd convinced himself that if he pushed just a little, if he reached out, she would see him not as a child, but as a man. That the line between them could be crossed, if only he dared.

But when he pressed, he only brought pain... pain for her, pain for himself.

He understood now… love was so much more than happiness. It was longing, and risk, and sometimes it was losing everything you thought you'd have forever.

Leo slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the wetness as reality returned.

The car was quiet, the city lights flickering past the window.

Ophis lay curled on his lap, her arms wrapped around him with a desperate tightness, as if trying to hold him together.

He glanced up, catching his own reflection in the glass, then saw Raphael's eyes in the mirror... red and swollen.

That… that hurt even more. It was as if someone had reached into his chest and twisted the dagger deeper, dragging it through every piece of his heart, leaving nothing untouched by pain.

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