What if you are reborn as a demon after a funeral?.

"Don't make things difficult for Ash and say such bullying things. Although Ash always says strange things, he never does anything bad! He has also said very seriously that he likes me because I am me, not because I am like this."

“Ilya, that’s what people usually say… I’ve seen this online. They only say this because they’re afraid to admit the problem.”

Meiyou pointed out the flaw in the statement with a blank expression, her tone so calm and insightful that it seemed she had already seen through the essence of humanity.

This was the first time that Ash's repeated attempts to prove his innocence had been met with a direct and well-reasoned rebuttal, making his embarrassment even more pronounced, yet he couldn't help but retort:

"I'm different from others! You can't generalize, Miyu! I definitely didn't teach you to look at people with prejudice, did I?"

“However, I should know Mr. Ash well enough.”

"What does that mean?"

"I've always suspected that Mr. Ash is more fond of younger children, and there's evidence, for example..."

"Forget it! I absolutely don't want to hear the child I raised criticize me! To betray my trust... that's too cruel!"

Ash, as if betrayed by the person he trusted most, interrupted Miyu's calm explanation, pulled Illya off him, and amidst the girl's gasp, buried his face in her simple bosom, letting out exaggerated cries of grief:

"...To be doubted like this by the child I raised, my life is... such a failure...!"

"Ash... Ash??" The sudden and intimate contact in front of others made Ilya a little embarrassed, and her face turned red.

But she still unexpectedly revealed a maturity and gentleness different from her appearance, gently hugging his head and patting his back:

"It's okay... I believe in you... Hmm, don't mind the naughty Miyu, Illya will definitely be your best companion~!"

Their words caused Miyu, who had been trying to maintain a serious expression, to freeze instantly. Her eyes widened slightly involuntarily, her fingers clenched unconsciously, and she looked troubled. "Mr. Ash... that's not what I meant... I just wanted to say..."

"No need to say anything, I know... you probably think I'm a strange person, right...?" Ash secretly peered out of Illya's arms to observe Miyu's reaction, continuing to feign sadness: "Even though I love you so much..."

"No, no!" Miyu shook her head frantically. "I never thought that way... You know, I'm always a bit too blunt, I don't consider other people's feelings... Ah, no, not too blunt, I didn't mean that, I meant..."

"Alright, alright~" Ilya understood Miyu's inflexible and overly serious personality, and felt that she might be going a bit too far in going along with Ash, so she quickly freed one hand and waved to Miyu, saying with a hint of teasing, "Instead of explaining, Miyu, hurry up and comfort Ash, okay? He looks really sad."

“Well…you’re right.” Miyu didn’t hesitate, carefully moving to the bedside, gently tugging at Ash’s sleeve, biting her lip guiltily, and said, “I’m sorry…Mr. Ash…I won’t say that again…I absolutely didn’t mean to blame you, it just happened without warning…”

"Hey—!" Before he could finish speaking, Ash seized the opportunity, pulling both girls into his arms and ruffling Miyu's hair, saying smugly, "—You're really too young! At this point, how could such criticism possibly make me sad!!"

"Oh, that's so mean... Mr. Ash, that's so mean! I was really worried..." Miyu realized she had been tricked, but it was too late to break free. She could only express her protest in a coquettish manner.

Ilya, who was also pulled into his arms, happily buried her face in his chest: "Ash... he's really cunning~"

"--Ilya was lying to me too?" Miyu belatedly realized, her expression showing shock.

How can you call it a lie?

"You still want to say no?" Even though she was being pulled into a hug, Miyu still tried her best to put on a stern expression and cast a dissatisfied look at her best friend.

This made Ilya chuckle sullenly, then she raised her hand and poked Ash's chest, shifting the blame: "It's all Ash's fault! I was just cooperating!"

"...None of you are good people. So Ilya learned bad habits from Mr. Ash after all?"

"Why is this all my fault? Is it possible that Ilya was originally cunning? Or that she was corrupted by Kuro? That's definitely the case, isn't it?!"

Ash, who was innocently blamed, instinctively retorted, and Ilya had barely looked up when she wanted to protest.

Just as the atmosphere inside was harmonious in every sense of the word... the door was pushed open again.

..............................

Feren, dressed neatly, stood at the door. The first thing she saw was Ash holding two girls in his arms.

The familiar gaze made Ash pause for a moment: "Ah... Philon, let me explain..."

The girl, her eyebrows arched high, turned cold: "Lord Ash, I'm listening... What are you doing? Speak."

"This... to enhance our relationship?" He slowly released Miyu's face.

Miyu seized the opportunity to break free, her face flushed as she straightened her disheveled skirt: "Miss Philen, this is a misunderstanding... We absolutely did not do anything strange!"

“Yes, yes, yes!” Ilya quickly nodded as well: “We didn’t do anything suspicious!”

"...Generally speaking, doesn't this mean they're doing something suspicious and are quite guilty?"

Despite being in danger himself, Ash couldn't help but complain about the two people who should have been standing with him.

"Lord Ash... I don't believe what you're saying, but I do believe what Lady Miyu says. She's not like the child you raised; she's an honest and earnest good person."

"Huh? Did I hear that wrong? You sound like you're insulting me...?"

"Please don't misunderstand," Philon said bluntly, "I'm just stating the facts."

"Philon, you were so..."

"—Lord Ash, please stop bringing up old grievances and playing the victim to gain sympathy. This tactic might work on Miss Miyu and Miss Ilya, but it won't work on me." Before he could even finish his usual line, Philen interrupted him coldly.

"How many times do you think this trick has been used on me? Shouldn't it be time to switch to something else?"

"Tsk... Kids are definitely cuter when they're little..." Ash clicked his tongue and turned his head away.

Philon's sharp gaze immediately pierced through him: "What did you say? I didn't hear you clearly, please say it again."

"Wait a minute... Since you've put it that way, I have no choice but to bring out my trump card." He reached into the void and retrieved the recording device.

Upon seeing that familiar thing, Philon's expression froze:

"...Lord Ash, do you really have no other options? You've gone again..."

"What do you care if I have other tricks! Tricks don't have to be new, as long as they work!" Ash said boastfully, shaking the magical tool in his hand. "Just tell me if it works or not!"

"That thing... I told you long ago that it should have been thrown away! Why did you keep saying it..." Philon's cheeks instantly puffed up red, and she rushed over to snatch it away.

"Wait! If you get any closer, I might broadcast it! Is it okay if other people hear it? I don't mind, and I often use it to heal my wounds."

Ash interrupted her smugly, but with just one sentence, he made Philon, who was already very angry and had even turned into a pufferfish... and was now even angrier, still puffed up with anger, but he didn't dare to get any closer.

This scene secretly amused him, while Philon clenched his fists in shame and indignation, gritting his teeth as he said:

"...Lord Ash, you're becoming more and more despicable!"

"Thank you for the compliment!"

"You wait! This time... this matter will absolutely not be left like this!" Philon, whose cheeks were so red they were about to burst and whose speech was becoming slurred, warned resentfully.

But Ash ignored the warning, put away the magical artifact, and unconsciously walked forward, placing his hands on Philon's face in her astonished gaze.

*Pfft!* An amusing muffled sound suddenly echoed in the room.

"This...is definitely adding fuel to the fire, isn't it?" Miyu's eyes widened in surprise. Illya, on the other hand, laughed so hard she almost fell over.

It was at this moment that Frillie, who had just been tidied up by Philon, staggered past the front door and was very lucky to witness this scene.

But unlike the others, she simply rubbed her sleepy eyes and murmured incredulously:

"This is so early in the morning, was I still half asleep or did I wake up too suddenly...? I actually saw Ash provoking an angry Philon..."

"—You're wrong. I'm standing up again as a guardian! The first step to reclaiming my identity as an educator!" Ash pressed his hands against Philon's face without letting go, and looked at the stunned Frilian as he righteously expressed his thoughts.

“Haa….” Frillie let out a rather exaggerated sigh.

"What? Are you shocked by my determination?"

"No, I was just shocked by your sudden, absurd idea. I didn't expect you to be so lacking in self-awareness..." Frillian rolled her eyes at him speechlessly: "If you want to become an educator, first... do something like an educator!"

"Don't underestimate me. I'm actually quite good at teaching and nurturing students..."

"...Yes, yes, yes." Before he could finish speaking, Frilian waved her hand dismissively and turned to leave, saying, "Anyway, I'm going back to sleep. Otherwise, what if a fight breaks out and blood splatters on me?"

"What you're saying..."

Ash shook his head, not even having a chance to say anything more, when Philon suddenly took a step back, breaking free from his "clutches".

Her face flushed red, the girl took deep breaths, feeling both ashamed and angry, but she didn't utter a single word.

Clearly, she was so angry with Ash that she couldn't speak, and it took a long time for her chest to calm down.

"You... just wait!!" Philon said through gritted teeth as he calmed down a little, but he knew that now was not the time to get entangled with Ash.

So she left those words behind, turned around, and practically fled the room. Before leaving, she glared at Ash again, her eyes sharp as if she wanted to stab him.

..............................

..............................

After Philon left, the room became quiet for a while.

After a long silence, Ash looked at Miyu and Illya beside him with unusual seriousness and solemnly instructed them:

“You absolutely must not become like her, you must not learn bad things from her.”

"What do you mean by 'going astray'..." Miyu looked at him as if she had no idea what to do, then her expression turned worried: "...Are you really alright? Miss Philon seems quite angry, doesn't she?"

"It's fine."

"Really?"

"...I hope so." He silently stood up, turned his face away, and whispered what was on his mind.

This left Miyu speechless, and she couldn't help but sigh, "It's just hope."

"Well, well~ it's always a good thing to have hope!"

He had a premonition that he might face a cold war from Philon, but he was now in a difficult position and couldn't say anything discouraging. He gave an awkward smile and tried his best to maintain his unreliable opinion.

Seeing this, Ilya felt no sympathy, but chuckled and couldn't help but ask curiously, "But what exactly is in there?"

"...Well, this is good stuff, isn't it?" To avoid accidentally waking Melusin, he said as he walked through the outer corridor to the Imperial Study next door, opening the window to breathe in the fresh air.

Ilya, whose curiosity was not satisfied, followed him closely, prompting him to speak frankly without much concealment:

"That... was actually Philon's confession when he was a child, um... a very passionate one."

"Hey~ Is that so?"

"That's roughly it..." he mumbled a reply, feeling the topic was about time to end. Ilya, however, had her eyes shining and was tugging at his clothes.

"I want to hear it!"

"Ilya???" Miyu, who had followed them, was dumbfounded.

"What's wrong! Miyu doesn't want to hear it?"

"Well... I'm somewhat interested, but that's a personal matter! Respecting privacy is very important!"

"Privacy? That doesn't exist for Ilya~" Ilya playfully stuck out her tongue, clasped her hands together, and looked at Ash with expectant eyes: "Ash~ just satisfy my curiosity, I promise I won't tell anyone!"

"No, to be honest! Even Philen, who was so serious, said it, but you didn't, Ilya. You should be ashamed!"