Emily's Family (2)

Emily sent a clear message that she wasn't keen on speaking to them at the moment, but they refused to listen to her. In fact, they felt offended by the way she brushed them off like beggars on the sidewalk.

"Hold it right there!"

The father reached for her, ready with a slap to set her attitude straight, but this time, no one had to come to her rescue. As if it collided with a soft ball, the father's hand bounced off the air around her. He didn't experience any damage from the rebound, but he, along with his wife and sister-in-law, looked at his hand in shock and confusion.

"Wh, wh, what is..."

What his hand had collided with, was a barrier formed by the protection array on Emily's coat. She had turned it off last time and had forgotten to activate it in the middle of the stormy situation, but she didn't make that mistake this time. She had also consciously restrained the reflect effect it had, but she wouldn't tell him that. He was obviously disoriented, but Emily lost the bit of respect she was trying to treat him with. With an exasperated sigh, she looked up at him with a cold glare.

"I believe I was being rather respectful considering the fact that you didn't apologize for last time, but to think you would attempt it again."

The three collectively gulped as they faced this side of her, but once she confirmed that they finally showed signs of giving up, she turned her head and walked off again. This time, none of them tried to stop her, but once her cold gaze was no longer on them, they regained their shameless intentions.

"What now?" the father asked the mother.

Although Emily said that she would contact them after the preliminaries, none of them had much faith in that. However, they also didn't plan on simply giving up on this chance at making a comeback. The three of them stood there with pensive expressions as they stared at Emily's back, but it was already decided that they wouldn't be making any more moves this time.

"I suggest you back off for today. She said she would meet you when the preliminaries are over, so just believe in her."

When the three turned to face the sudden voice that had interrupted their thoughts, they found Shui, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Judging that there would be no problem with them recognizing him, Shui lowered his stealth for them. They had to admit that the androgynous young man before them possessed a mysterious yet charming air, but at the very least, the father didn't intend to obediently listen to him.

"And who are you?" he asked sternly.

"Well, I have many identities but for this situation, just call me your new creditor."

While replying, Shui took out a stack of paper and handed it over to the father with a smug smile. As the father, mother and aunt began looking at the papers, their eyes widened in shock as they realized what they were.

"Th-this!" The aunt exclaimed.

"That's right. It's limited to the ones currently in this city, but as of last night, I have taken on all of your debts, and paid them off of course."

This was one of the main things that Shui spent his night doing. This was the first time that he had met them, but they were Emily's blood relatives so he could use the similarity of their auras to track them down. Once he knew their identities, he went around in disguise, asked around, and bought up their debts. There was no creditor who wouldn't welcome easy money, so there were more people who responded to his search than necessary, but after some 'polite' discussion, they didn't bother him anymore.

This was an astonishing event for the three of them, but the fact that he was obviously planning on using this against them helped them believe it. With caution blatantly apparent on their faces, the father asked, "What do you want?"

To which Shui replied, "I already told you. I want you to wait for Emily to approach you instead of bothering her and making a mess of things. Simple, right?"

Although he knew that he was being a little nosy, Shui set this up because he didn't want any unexpected obstacles on Emily's path. He knew that she would overcome her issue with her family eventually, but he didn't want them to flee the city or end up in any major trouble before then, so he had to take action. Since their current debts were paid off, for the time being, they shouldn't have any excuse for running off or doing something reckless due to a desperate need for cash. The aunt's alcoholism and the father's gambling problem bothered him, but he would keep an eye on them for a few days in case he needed to take action.

When the three heard Shui's answer, doubt remained in their hearts. So much so that even though she was hesitant, the mother brought it up.

"What's your relationship to my daughter? Why are you willing to do so much for her?"

It was a natural question, albeit one that he didn't think they had the right to ask. However, Shui was proud to say the answer so he told them anyways.

"I think of her like a cute little sister, so isn't it obvious that I would try my best to leave a smile on her face?"

Shui's response was fairly straightforward, but while the aunt and father still thought he was hiding ulterior motives, his words were like a stab to the mother's heart. Of the three of them, she had the strongest will, but when she listened to his words, she was shaken, as if she was being attacked.

'To leave a smile on her face, huh?'

It was something that she should agree to as a parent, but when she thought back to her previous deeds, she suddenly felt the pang of guilt. However, inwardly, she scoffed at herself.

'Fool.'

Meanwhile, faintly aware of the internal turmoil that Emily's mother was experiencing, Shui waited for a response from them. Once he was certain that there would be no response, he walked off, but he left behind a spark of a line behind.

"Oh, and by the way, Miss, you should warn those two to stop cuddling unless you want a new niece/step-daughter."

"Hmm? What do you...!"

The mother didn't catch the meaning behind his words at first, but once she spotted the shocked look in the eyes of the two beside her, his hint hit her like a hammer.

"No. You two-!"

The drama was surely just beginning, but Shui didn't want to be away from Emily for any longer. When he caught up to her, he was about to say something, but she spoke first.

"I hope you didn't do anything unnecessary."

It was in a cold tone, but the brief pout she did was too endearing for him to feel a hint of dismay.

"Don't worry, I was just ensuring that they don't leave the city before you get a chance to speak with them."

"Oh? Even though it's so obvious that I don't know how to deal with them."

"Yes. After all, I believe in you."

Shui's response came without hesitation and was imbued with nothing but the purest of intentions. His genuine trust soothed the bit of nerves Emily still had and created strength in her chest.

"...Thanks."

"You're welcome."