Meeting The Family

"All set?"

"Mm." I nod at her words, taking another look at the mirror one last time. I'm dressed in the same crop top as before, but Charlotte decided to wear her uniform this time. I was going to change into mine, but Charlotte said it was okay for me to wear this.

"Okay, let's go."

We hold hands once more as we make our way onto the magic circle. But I'm honestly still feeling a bit funny from last night. That warmth before Charlotte hugged me was different and I can't quite understand why. All I know is that I didn't like it, but that was until I was in Charlotte's arms. I quickly managed to fall asleep like that, and even as I woke up, Charlotte was still there, holding me close. Words cannot describe how happy I was that she'd do that for me...

In the next moment however, while I was thinking back on last night and this morning, our surroundings change, indicating that we're now in the other world. We continue to hold hands as we step out of the room.

"Ah! Charlotte!~" And immediately, we were greeted by Charlotte's auntie, Luna.

"H-hey hehe. I got told you wanted to see me?" Charlotte spoke, letting Luna hug her, but upon hearing Charlotte's words, Luna let go of her before looking towards me and back to Charlotte.

"I got in contact with your mother."

"What?" Charlotte spoke in surprise, her eyes widening while listening to Luna.

"Yes. I told her about Shiro here, and she was interested enough to come by and check on her."

"Mom is here?"

"Fufufu. That I am~"

Suddenly, coming out from the corner of the room was a woman with long, light blue hair and scarlet red eyes.

"Mom?!" Charlotte, even more surprised than before, turns to see the woman. So this is her mother?

"Fufu, yes, I'm here~" Charlotte almost immediately ran in for a hug while her mother accepted without worry. I've never seen Charlotte like this before. The smile on her face is incredibly bright...

"So is this the girl Luna was talking about?"

"Y-yes!" Charlotte, after a few moments, backed away from her mother as I find myself now staring into her mother's eyes. Even for just a moment upon making eye contact, even through this mask, I felt a wave of tension come over me, almost like the air became thicker.

"Hmmm. I see. So this mask of hers is sealing her mana?"

"That's right." Charlotte answered her mothers questions as the tension I felt slowly left me, allowing me to breathe a bit more comfortably. What even was that? I know it was coming from her, but I couldn't understand what it was...

"Your name's Shiro? Right?"

"Mm!" I answer her as her scarlet red eyes continue to stare into my eyes through the mask as her smile rises ever so slightly.

"Mind if I take a look?"

"Mm..." I nod once more as she soon approaching me, her face now directly in front of me as she seems to be inspecting my mask by placing her hand to the side of my face.

"Hmmm... Charlotte, Luna. Could you stand back?"

"Huh? W-why?" I was about to ask that, but Charlotte beat me to it.

"I'm going to take off her mask."

"WHAT?!" Both Charlotte and Luna screamed at her mother's words, but she simply looked over at them in a calm manner. Even I'm shocked to hear those words, she doesn't mean to actually take it off in front of her, right?

"Well, I guess you can stay behind Shiro. That's what you were doing in the lab, right?"

"R-right... But are you serious mom?"

"Fufu. It's fine~" Charlotte and Luna's faces took on a pale tone upon hearing her mother's words, as if they can't believe what they're hearing. "Trust me. I wouldn't do this if I wasn't confident."

"Let's trust Mell, okay?" Mell? Is that her mother's name?

"...Okay."

And so, after Charlotte and Luna took their places behind me, away from my sight, I'm left with just her mother in front of me. She inspects the mask one more time, brushing her hand to the side of my face where I instantly close my eyes.

"It's okay. Don't be frightened." She speaks in a sweet voice, but I can't calm down at all. She's planning on taking off my mask! "I can feel your power in that mask. It's incredibly volatile, unstable. You need to let it out." She says while at the same time, taking off my mask. I however, keep my eyes shut.

"Mom..."

"It's okay~ Shiro. Whenever you're ready." She gently pats me on the head, but I still can't seem to trust her words. What if I kill Charlotte's mother?!

"I- I can't." I stutter while trying to speak.

"You won't kill me, I promise." But Mell's words soon sparked something inside of me. A promise... It's something you cannot break. And upon hearing that word, I felt my eyes slowly begin to open. "That's it. Just a bit more." I slowly open my eyes, until finally, light breaks through to reveal her scarlet red eyes in front of me.

"Hnng!" My body immediately heats up, suffocating my body almost instantly, just like all the other times when I'm about to kill. But Mell simply keeps her hand on the side of my face, staring intently in my eyes, not looking away from a second. "H-huh?" I spoke in surprise upon realizing that she's still there, smiling at me.

"See?"

"H-how..." Realizing that she's still not dead, I open my eyes wider, but even then, she's still there with not even a single scratch. However, the heat inside my body is still scorching my insides, making it hard to breathe. Almost like something's trying to claw it's way out of me.

"Just focus on me, okay? Don't look away from me."

"Y-yes..." I do as she says, staring right into her eyes as she gently caressing my cheek, trying to calm me down.