Unexpected Visit to the Carmis Family

A woman with a striking resemblance to Amy clapped her hands against her cheeks and shouted.

It was Isis, the mistress of the Carmis family.

Despite being over fifty, she still looked youthful, befitting her reputation as a renowned dancer in the kingdom during her younger years. Perhaps because of that, she also gave off a slightly immature impression.

"What? Shirone is a boy?!"

"Me too! I want to see too!"

Two men rushed in from the hallway connected to the living room. They were the eldest son, Diane, and the second son, Ares.

As Amy had mentioned, they were much older than her due to the considerable age gap.

Diane, a gentleman in his mid-thirties, had a refined and composed demeanor. Ares, who was two years younger, sported a thick beard that made it impossible to guess what his bare face looked like.

Both of them stood before Shirone with expressions of disbelief.

Their eyes, filled with sheer shock, made it clear just how stunned they were.

"Uh… um, hello. My name is Shirone."

Isis grabbed his arm and pulled him forward.

"Forget the introductions. Come here quickly. Darling, Amy's boyfriend is here!"

Before he could resist, Shirone was forcibly seated on the sofa. Across from him sat a man who had been waiting.

Even Shirone knew his name—Shakora, the head of the Carmis family.

He was once a man of great political influence but had retired after becoming disillusioned with the world.

"Hmm."

As Shakora lowered his newspaper, his sharp, intellectual face was revealed.

He was exceptionally tall, and despite his age, his physique was robust, radiating an air of perfectionism.

'Ugh, this is even more overwhelming than the pressure tests.'

Internal struggles weren't something one could control easily, so he wasn't wrong to feel this way.

With Diane and Ares standing behind Shakora, Shirone swallowed hard.

The sight of all three activating their Red Eyes at once was truly intimidating.

'They're analyzing me. Storing this moment in their memory.'

It felt like he was being shackled.

They would likely recall this moment forever, transcending time and space.

"Uh… Hello?"

Unable to endure the oppressive silence, Shirone greeted them once again. Only then did the glow in their eyes fade.

As if waiting for that moment, Isis clung to Shirone's side with a delighted expression.

"Wow, you're so handsome! Are you really Amy's friend?"

"Uh, yes, I am."

"Hoho! Then are you in the graduating class too?"

"No, I'm in Class Five."

"Hmm."

As Isis frowned, her sons tilted their heads at the same angle, mirroring her reaction.

Shirone, feeling pressured, hurriedly added another sentence.

"But starting next semester, I'll be in Class Four."

"Aha!"

Suddenly, the three of them beamed with identical smiles, responding in perfect sync.

Shirone fell into a state of panic. They hadn't cared about his class ranking from the beginning—they had just been messing with him.

'They just wanted to tease me. Where am I even right now? What kind of people are they…?'

Adele's words came to mind.

—It will exceed your expectations. Try not to take it too personally.

Adele hadn't been lying, but this was entirely different from what Shirone had imagined.

It was an odd mix of humor and eccentricity.

"When did you and Amy meet? You two are dating, right? Hm? You hold hands and do all that stuff?"

"Huh? No, that's—"

Since Amy's stance on the matter was more important in this situation, Shirone decided to be careful with his words.

At that moment, his savior appeared.

"What's going on here? What are you all doing gathered around him without me?"

Amy was standing at the top of the spiral staircase, looking down into the hall.

Ares wiggled his beard with amusement.

"Huh? Did you change your clothes? As soon as you heard Shirone arrived, you ran to your room in a panic. Puhaha!"

Amy, clearly used to this kind of teasing, remained unfazed.

"So what? Was I supposed to greet him in my pajamas? Anyway, everyone, scatter. Dad, is it okay if I talk to my friend?"

"Of course. He's the first boy you've ever brought home, isn't he? In the Carmis family, the first is always special. Hahaha!"

Even at Shakora's teasing remark, Amy didn't flinch.

If she showed even the slightest reaction, she would be attacked collectively just like Shirone had been. The best way to avoid that was to give them no opening at all.

"Come on, Shirone. Let's talk in my room."

"Uh, sure…"

As they made their way upstairs, Isis continued her questioning.

"Amy, be honest. He's your boyfriend, right? You two are dating, aren't you? Hm?"

Amy ignored her, but Isis was persistent—clearly, Amy had inherited her mother's stubbornness.

"Come on, tell me. What's the real deal between you two? You're together, aren't you? Right?"

Finally, Amy lost her patience and shouted.

"YES!"

A moment later, the door slammed shut.

Even Shakora looked a little surprised, glancing up the stairs, but Amy was already inside her room.

Ares murmured in shock.

"W-Wait… is it really true?"

Inside the room, Shirone and Amy sat across from each other at a table.

Her bookshelf was packed with magic textbooks, but in a secluded corner sat a pile of unopened romance novels—undoubtedly gifts from Seriel.

'Surprisingly…'

Despite her reputation as a tough girl at school, her room had a feminine touch.

Shirone's eyes landed on a teddy bear sitting on her bed, its face adorably scrunched up as if in a huff.

"Oh, a teddy bear."

"So what? I'm not allowed to have dolls in my room?"

"No, it just kind of looks like you. Hahaha!"

Amy clicked her tongue in annoyance but said nothing more.

She had nothing to say. After all, this was the first time she had invited a boy into her room.

Shirone finally spoke.

"By the way, are you okay with this? At school, we pretend to date, but there's no reason to lie to your family."

"Don't worry about it. They're just enjoying themselves. It's not like they actually care."

Despite their eccentric nature, Shirone could sense the deep trust that ran within the family.

Amy shifted the conversation.

"Enough about that. What are you doing here? Did something happen?"

"Actually…"

At that moment, the door creaked open.

Through the small gap, Isis's face peeked in.

"Oh my, am I interrupting something? I just thought you two might like some tea."

Even as she set the tea down and left, her eyes lingered on Shirone.

Moments later, the door opened again, and Diane walked in.

"I brought some snacks…"

Amy sighed deeply.

It was clear her family was enjoying this way too much.

"Alright, fine. Just come in. I know you're all waiting outside."

As soon as she finished speaking, the door swung open, revealing Ares holding a plate of fruit with a sheepish grin.

Shirone suddenly found himself having to make formal introductions to the entire family.