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“Whoa, nothing gets by you, huh, Ephy? I also kinda sensed something was up, but I couldn’t tell that much.” Homura’s eyes widened in surprise. Apparently, Homura had also noticed. He couldn’t hide anything from these two, it seemed.
“All right, you got me,” he admitted.
“Hee hee. So, what’s wrong, dear?”
“Well, actually, what happened was...”
“Wait, don’t tell me, Nozomu! The great Homura already knows!” Right when Nozomu had mustered up the resolve to come out with it, Homura interrupted, thrusting her hand out. Then, pointing her finger square in Nozomu’s flabbergasted face, she proclaimed, “You’ve been with another woman! Even though you already have Ephy!”
“Wh-Whaaaat?!” Dumbstruck, an incredulous shout escaped Nozomu when he heard Homura’s out-of-nowhere conclusion.
However, Homura nodded as if she was sure of herself. “You’re his son, after all, so I figured you’d start getting interested in other women sooner or later!”
“Nozomu...?”
“N-No way! Th-That’s not it at all! I’d never do that, Ephy! I’m not like my dad!” Under Ephelia’s glare, Nozomu panicked as he hurriedly denied it. He’d never even considered doing such a thing. He wouldn’t dream of it—to him, Ephy was the most important person in his life. He had to make sure there was no room for any doubt about that. Yet, despite his assertions...
“Awfully quick to deny it, aren’t you? Veeery suspicious,” Homura rebutted.
“I agree, you seem awfully nervous, dear,” Ephelia added.
“N-No...!”
“See, he did it again.”
“He did.”
“E-Ephy’s the only one for me forever and always!” he shouted out much louder than he’d intended. The moment he did, he realized. He looked at the expression on the two women’s faces. Homura was grinning smugly with amusement, and Ephelia, while blushing furiously, looked just as happy as she was embarrassed. The two of them had been in cahoots.
“I’ve been had...” He dropped his head in defeat. Though it was only due to the breadth of his love for Ephelia, he did have a tendency, or rather a weakness, to respond vehemently whenever his loyalty to her was called into question (which was at times exploited by the likes of Kristina and Hildegard for their own personal amusement), causing him to blurt his embarrassing yet honest feelings in public. This was the first time Homura had done it, though, so he’d been caught off guard. He glared at Ephelia as if to say, “Do I really deserve this?”
“Sorry, sorry. But you know, your response really did make me happy.” She replied, then she stuck out her tongue teasingly. He was so captivated by that cute gesture that Nozomu forgave her immediately. He decided to drop the issue, but he had to show at least a little bit of dissatisfaction, or he couldn’t save face...
“Man, now I don’t even feel like discussing my problem,” he said.
“But at least you’ve loosened up a bit now, right?” Homura grinned mischievously.
Nozomu shot her a hateful glare and spat back, “Yeah, thanks to you!”
Still, he knew he had to tell Ephelia what was on his mind. Facing her, he looked right into her eyes and spoke. “I’ve decided to become the reginarch of the Steel Clan.”
Ephelia considered that for a few moments. “Umm... Are you trying to get back at me for just now?” She seemed unsure of how to respond. Nozomu didn’t really blame her—normally it’d be an unthinkable development—so he decided to explain what had happened from the very beginning.
“I see. To think something like that would occur...” By the time he’d finished, Ephelia’s expression had clouded over.
“No kidding? Looks like some interesting stuff’s gone down in the last five years.” In contrast, Homura looked almost enthused.
“It’s my hometown, Ephy. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. But I know it’s only going to burden you and Sinmara in the e—” Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth was sealed shut. Ephelia had pressed her finger to his lips.
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