22 She certainly seems... unique..

- Location: Japan, Outside the Heinrich estate

[POV. Third-Person]

"Good evening, Madam Yaoyorozu! Welcome to my humble abode!" Henri's dad said as he greeted his guests.

"A good evening to you as well, Mr. Heinrich. This is my daughter, Momo," Mrs. Yaoyorozu introduced Momo as she greeted with a bow.

"Well, let's go inside, shall we? It's getting cold out here. Another guest will be arriving soon, but pay it no mind," he said as he guided them inside.

"Another guest? I thought this visit was just a personal invitation, not business," Mrs. Yaoyorozu asked in confusion.

"Oh, you don't have to worry. It's just family," he said as he gestured for them to sit down.

"I must say, I'm quite impressed by your estate," Mrs. Yaoyorozu and Henri's dad started talking idly, with Momo sometimes adding something to the conversation...

*BANG!*

Henri accidentally opened the door too loudly as she went in wearing her makeup while also wearing a cute oversized hoodie and pajamas.

"My princess!" Henri's dad exclaimed as he was shocked by the door suddenly opening.

Henri started looking around, as if she was looking for a certain someone.

"WHERE IS SHE, DAD?!" Henri asked calmly...

"Little Jihye hasn't arrived yet, young miss," Liam said as he dragged her out of the room.

The room fell silent for a moment.

"Sorry about that. My daughter is quite excited. It's the first time her girlfriend will be staying here with us for a night," Henri's dad chuckled as he said those words.

"She certainly seems... unique... You said she has a girlfriend already? Isn't it a bit too much to allow such frivolous actions for a girl with her standing?" Mrs. Yaoyorozu asked in confusion.

"I assure you, Madam, that you have no business discussing what my daughter can and cannot do," Henri's dad suddenly spoke with a dead serious tone, a complete opposite of how he usually acts.

"My apologies. I spoke out of bounds," Mrs. Yaoyorozu said with a bow as Momo was surprised why her usually prideful mother would bow to that person...

Some time passed as the doorbell outside was ringing.

"Ah! My apologies! That must be little Jihye. I'll be right back after bringing her inside," Henri's dad said as he got up from his seat.

"Mr. Heinrich, I didn't know you had guests. Maybe I shouldn't have come today," Jihye said as she placed her wet umbrella at the umbrella stand.

"Nonsense! You are always welcome here, little Jihye!" He said as he patted her shoulder while laughing.

As soon as Jihye entered the living room, she saw two people who resembled each other, a mother and daughter likely.

"Oh... greetings, I hope you're having a great eveni—"

*BANG!*

The door suddenly opened as Henri went to the living room, immediately dragging Jihye away...

The room was silent again for a moment.

"Ahem... that girl seemed polite, quite beautiful as well... Has she ever considered modeling? I can see why your daughter has taken a liking to her," Mrs. Yaoyorozu said to break the silence.

"She's quite the gifted girl, actually. I invited you today to talk about UA. You said that your daughter will be going there as well?" Henri's dad asked with a sincere smile.

"Ah! Yes, Momo here will be going to UA through recommendations. No need to take such pointless exams," Mrs. Yaoyorozu said as she waved her hand.

"You see, both my daughter and Jihye will be going to UA as well, but they want to take the exams together, even though I told them they could just get in through recommendations," Henri's dad said as he took a sip from his tea.

"Your daughter might end up being classmates with my Henriette and little Jihye," he said with a smile as he placed his arm behind the couch.

"Pardon my questioning. I understand that your daughter will surely pass. But how are you sure this 'Jihye' will pass?" Mrs. Yaoyorozu asked as she could tell that Jihye had no background with the upper class.

"Little Jihye will do just fine. In fact, I will bet that my daughter and little Jihye will get the top scores of the exams!" He said as he chuckled.

"Are you that confident in her abilities, Mr. Heinrich?" Mrs. Yaoyorozu asked in doubt.

"One hundred percent!" He said with a grin as he took another sip from his tea.

"Well, I think it's about time we leave. It's getting quite late. Thank you for having us, Mr. Heinrich," she said as she shook his hand.

"Thank you for inviting us, sir," Momo said with a respectful bow.

"Don't be so tense about it. The Yaoyorozu family is welcome to visit at any time! I hope you will also pay us another visit for my daughter's birthday next week," he spoke, chuckling while signaling for Liam to help them on their way out.

As Mrs. Yaoyorozu got into their car, Henri's dad just waved them goodbye.

"That Jihye... something about her was different... It's like she's not completely human," Mrs. Yaoyorozu said as the car exited the estate.

"What do you mean, mother?" Momo asked in confusion.

"Don't worry about it, darling. It's just my instinct," she said as they headed out, the rain pouring throughout the entire night.