Jin’s POV
   Jin presses the doorbell after making sure that the nameplate right next to it reads Yamasaki in kanji. A few seconds later, a really young looking woman clad in apron and casual clothes opens the door. Captain Yamasaki’s daughter, perhaps.

   “Hello there. Are you looking for someone from this household?” she asks in a friendly tone.

   “I, um…”

   Jin is having his tongue tied. How much does she knows about him? How much is he supposed to tell her? How much did Captain Yamasaki told her about him?

   It was then when Captain Yamasaki himself appears at the door.

   “Ah, it’s you.”

   Jin isn’t really surprised that the captain knows what he really looks like. For all he knows, the picture of him was distributed all over the police station across the entire country.

   “Hello. I have come as per your invitation.”

   “Thank you for coming.”

   He then addresses the woman right next to him.

   “He’s the one I told you about.”

   “Oh. So that’s him?”

   The woman comes out and opens the gate for Jin.

   “Hello there. My name is Yamasaki Shoko. My husband Masahiro-san has been in your care.” the woman introduces herself.

   She’s Captain Yamasaki’s… wife. Wow. Jin couldn’t tell at all. He bows at her.

   “I’m Minase Jin. Nice to meet you.”

   She beams at him. “Oh my, what a polite young man you are. Well, come in. Dinner is almost ready.”

   “Before I do, are you sure that you want me to?”

   “Whatever do you mean by that?”

   “You must have heard about what I can do, and how much I’m hated by majority of the public. If you let me inside your house and treat me as a guest, those people who hate me might do something to you and your family.”

   Surprisingly, Shoko-san smiles at him.

   “From that statement alone, I can already tell that you’re someone who won’t abuse your power. So yes, I don’t mind letting you in. As for me, you don’t have to worry a single thing. After all, my husband is Japan’s toughest police. He’ll definitely protect us.”

   “Well, if you think it’s fine…”

   He hands the fruit basket to her.

   “This is for your whole family.” he tells her.

   “Oh my, you shouldn’t have!”

   After Jin enters the house, he sees a little girl around the age of five staring at him with wide eyes.

   “She’s my daughter Aiko.” Captain Yamasaki introduces.

   Jin squats down so that he’s on eye level with her. He then gives her a smile that he hopes it’s friendly.

   “Hello. Nice to meet you.” he greets her.

   Instead of saying something, Aiko proceeds to hide behind her mother.

   “Oh dear, this girl is shy as usual.” Shoko-san mumbles while patting her daughter’s head.

   “By the way, where is the person you mentioned that’s coming along with you?” Captain Yamasaki asks Jin.

   “Ah, her. Please wait a moment.”

   Jin links his mind with Nyri by using telepathy.

   “You can teleport now.”

   “Got it.”

   Nyri appears a second later. The three Yamasakis was understandably surprised.

   “This is Nyri. It may sound ridiculous, but she’s actually an Ice Dragon. She’s also tens of thousands of years old.” he introduces her to them.

   Nyri pouts at him.

   “You didn’t have to tell them about that last part.” she complains.

   “You know I have to, just in case you’re trying to act out of your age and con them of sweets.”

   She looks away from him.

   “...I will never do that kind of despicable thing.”

   “Look at me when you’re talking.”

   “Well, welcome to you too, Nyri-chan.” Shoko-san tells the Elder Dragon after she got over being surprised. “Or should I call you Nyri-san?”

   “...Chan is fine.”

   “Alright then, Nyri-chan. I hope you’ll get along with our daughter too.”

   “Daughter?”

   Nyri finally notices Aiko who’s still hiding behind her mother. Aiko’s eyes are even wider when she’s staring at Nyri. Nyri waves her hand casually at her. After a few seconds, Aiko slowly reaches out her hand and waves back.

   “Please bring our guests to the living room and entertain them, Masahiro-san. I still need to finish cooking the dinner.” Shoko-san tells Captain Yamasaki.

   “Got it. Please follow me, you two.”

   “Right behind you, sir.”

   Jin and Captain Yamasaki sits down next to each other on a sofa at the living room, while Nyri sits down on the floor. Aiko left for a while, and when she comes back she’s holding some pieces of paper and a box of crayons. It took her quite a while to muster enough courage to sit opposite Nyri. As Jin watches, Aiko hands one of the papers to Nyri along with a few crayons. Nyri accepts the paper and the crayon. The two of them starts to draw something on their paper. Meanwhile, Jin is stuck with Captain Yamasaki. And here it is. The awkward time when you’re basically alone with a straight-laced adult.

   “How are you faring with school so far, Minase-kun?” Captain Yamasaki asks Jin.

   “I guess I’m coping.”

   “Isn’t it difficult to lead a double life?”

   “Not at all. I have no issues in managing my grades, and helping out with the creatures that appear aren’t that difficult for me.”

   “What about your friends? Do any of them know about your true identity?”

   “To be completely honest with you, I don’t have any friends.”

   An awkward pause.

   “...I see. My apologies for asking something I shouldn’t.”

   “It’s okay, sir.”

   At least he moved on instead of start preaching about how it’s important to make friends and he should go make some and blah, blah, blah.

   The captain asked Jin some more questions like how it was like at Ifezan and whether he has any plans to join the government after he graduate. Jin tried to answer them as best as he could, but somewhere inside his heart he just wanted this dinner session to be over and done with.

   After some time has passed, Nyri is done with her drawing. She hands it wordlessly to him. Try as he might, he still can’t figure out what he’s supposed to see.

   “I give up. What am I looking at?”

   “The food I want to eat for dinner tomorrow night.”

   “The least you could do is label them.”

   “I can’t write Japanese. Not yet anyway.”

   After some more time, Aiko got up from her seat at the floor and shows her drawing to him. It’s a drawing of her family plus Jin and Nyri. Jin smiles and pats her head gently.

   “It’s very well-drawn.” he compliments.

   Aiko blushes and hands the paper to him.

   “Is it for me?” he asks to confirm.

   She nods shyly.

   “Thank you. I’ll be sure to treasure it.”

   Jin takes the paper and made sure she’s looking before storing it inside the Vault. Her eyes widen once more. He puts his index finger on his lips and winks at her.

   “Can you keep this a secret?” Jin requests softly.

   The little girl nods her head vigorously. She then goes back to where Nyri is and draws some more. Her father chuckled heartily when he saw his daughter getting all excited.

   “You’re pretty good with small kids. Perhaps you have a younger sibling back at your house?”

   “I have a younger sister who’s one year younger than me.”

   “The two of you must get along real well.”

   “It’s the opposite. The two of us hate each other.”

   Another awkward pause.

   Just as Jin is busy thinking of new topic to say in order to change the topic, Shoko-san comes out of the kitchen without her apron.

   “Dinner is ready, everyone!” she announces.

   Her husband gets up from his seat.

   “Well then, shall we?” he asks Jin and Nyri.

   “Yes.” Jin agrees while getting up as well.

   “Finally.” Nyri mumbles.

   “Hey, don’t be rude. Are you forgetting that you’re a guest?”

   “It’s fine it’s fine, Minase-kun.” Shoko-san tells him.

   “Well, if you say so.”

   After an ittadakimasu, all of them start eating their meal.

   “How’s the food, you two?” Shoko-san asks Jin and Nyri.

   “It’s very delicious.” Jin replies as he bites into another piece of chicken karaage.

   “...It’s nice.” Nyri replied in a really brief way as she’s munching on a piece of lettuce.

   “I’m so glad to hear it, especially from Nyri-chan. Minase-kun aside, never in my wildest dream would I expect to have a dragon for a guest. I was worried that my cooking wasn’t to your taste.” Shoko-san says while looking relieved.

   “Not at all. I got used to eating humans’ food, after all.”

   “By the way, I’ve always thought that dragons are carnivores. And yet here you are, eating vegetables. Are dragons actually omnivores?”

   “Nope, we’re carnivores alright. Like I said, I got used to the humans’ food. Or rather, I have to. He plain refused to cook me only meat, and I’ll never be full if I only eat the meagre portion of meat he gave me.” Nyri says while jabbing a thumb at Jin.

   “To be honest, eating only meat are not good for your health. Then again, I guess that only applies to humans.”

   “I’ve been meaning to ask this for a while. Are the two of you really taking my statement that Nyri is a dragon at face value?” Jin asks Shoko-san and Captain Yamasaki.

   “For starters, there’s the part where she appeared out of nowhere. I would also have believed you if you said that she’s from the future.” Shoko-san replies.

   “Besides, we’re pretty much used to all kinds of crazy things lately.” Captain Yamasaki adds.

   “Ah, right. I guess nothing is surprising these days.”

   The dinner continued without a hitch. After they’ve finished eating, Shoko-san brought out some fruits given by Jin so that everyone could eat them.

   “Okay girls, you can continue with whatever you were doing just now.” Shoko-san tells Aiko and Nyri once they’re done with the fruits.

   The two girls(?) nod at the same time and head to the living room so that they can continue with their drawing.

   Jin helps out Shoko-san with clearing the plates. He got the shock of his life when Captain Yamasaki is helping out as well.

   “Is something wrong, Minase-kun?” the police officer asks when he saw Jin’s surprised look.

   “It’s nothing, really. Just that it’s the first time I saw a man of the house helping out with the dishes after the meal is finished. When I was still living with my parents, I was the one who do the clearing and the washing.”

   “I believe it’s not that uncommon for the father to not help out with the housework.”

   “...True.”

   “And that’s why I love Masahiro-san so much! He always help me out in housework whenever he’s free.” Shoko-san tells Jin while looking really happy. “He’s sweet and caring and-”

   “All right Shoko, I don’t think Minase-kun wants to hear your endless bragging.” her husband interrupts with an embarrassed look on his face.

   “Oh, there you go again being all embarrassed! I really wish your colleagues can see this side of yours so that they wouldn’t feel intimidated when they’re around you.”

   “I rather not. I have an image to keep, after all.”

   “In any case, we believe in distributing the work among ourselves. All of us contribute in our own ways.” Shoko-san says proudly.

   Jin could barely stop himself at snapping after he heard one of the sentence that he hates the most.

   Back at his parents’ house, “distributing the work” means him doing most of the work, from cleaning everyone’s rooms to washing the dishes. Only doing the laundries and cooking were left to his mother. His father goes out to work, while his younger sister doesn’t have to do a thing. His father has told him that this is at no means unfair.

   “Remember, I’m the one who’s out there earning money so that all of us could keep on living. As for your sister, it’s an elder’s brother’s duty to help his younger sister out.” he said to a dissatisfied Jin.

   Jin could never understand the reason behind calling it a distribution if not everyone is doing their part. His father aside, he was especially vexed that his sister Shino can just laze around all day while he has to clean up her room.

   There’s only a single year difference between both Jin and Shino, and yet the difference in treatment they receive from their parents are like hell and heaven.

   Shino always got the best things their father could afford. Phone of the latest model, expensive clothes and accessories,the biggest portion of a crab. When it comes to Jin, it was always the same excuse.

   “As a man, you should work hard in order to get want you want. Besides, you’re the elder one here. A big brother should always ensure that his younger sister is well taken care of.” he was frequently told.

   It’s really ironic that this is coming from his father of all people. His father has three younger brothers and two younger sisters. Jin has never seen him keep in contact with any of them.

   Shino never got punished for the trouble she caused. Instead, Jin was the one who got blamed since “he should have watched over her”. Things just got escalated after Shino knows how to use this to her advantage. She would blatantly start something like, say, breaking a vase. When she got questioned, she would falsely accuse Jin of threatening her to do it even though he never did. Their parents never listened to his side of the story and proceed to punish him without knowing the entire truth.

   And the worst part is, his parents always told outsiders that they have no favourite child, and they love both him and Shino equally. What a bunch of lies. Not that the Yamasaki couple has to know any of this.

   It’s still early to head back, so Jin remained a little while longer and chat with them. He could tell that they’re are used to having guests over from the way they make him engage in conversations without being too nosy and persistent. This is one of the rare times when Jin can actually enjoy having a conversation with adults. Captain Yamasaki and Shoko-san are especially curious about Ifezan, and they asked Jin lots of questions about the other world.

   “That world sounds very dangerous.” Captain Yamasaki observes after Jin is done telling them about the local wildlife.

   “It totally is. I think the average death rate of that place is at least ten times higher than this world.”

   And that’s after the death of the Demon Lord.

   “That’s a shame. From your other descriptions, Ifezan sure sounds like an ideal place for a good vacation.” Shoko-san says regretfully.

   “I guess it still is, even with the high death rate. Then again, the locals there don’t really welcome outsiders. People from the same country tend to stick with each other and hardly mingle with someone from different nation.”

   “So it’s like here then.” Captain Yamasaki concludes.

   “It’s even worse over there, unfortunately. Those who have little to no magic power are hugely discriminated, and the monarchy system isn’t helping at all.”

   They talk for a bit more about Ifezan before Shoko-san looks at a clock that’s hanged on the wall opposite her.

   “Please excuse me for a moment. It’s almost Aiko’s bedtime. I need to go and tuck her into bed.” she tells Jin while getting up from her seat.

   “Of course. Please take your time.”

   Shoko-san comes back a few minutes later while carrying a grumpy-looking Aiko, with Nyri following them from behind.

   “Is something wrong?” Captain Yamasaki asks.

   “Well, Aiko insists that she wants to sleep together with Nyri-chan. I told her that Nyri-chan has to go home soon, but she wouldn’t listen.” Shoko-san replies with a troubled expression.

   “Aiko is actually throwing a tantrum? That’s rare.”

   “So that’s how it is. Is it okay if Nyri-chan stay over for the night, Minase-kun?” Shoko-san asks Jin.

   “Actually, you’re asking the wrong person. As I said, Nyri is tens of thousands of years old. She doesn’t need consent from me to stay over at your house for the night.”

   “I don’t mind.” Nyri says.

   “So she said.” Jin tells Shoko-san.

   “Did you hear that, Aiko? Nyri-chan gets to spend the night with you. Aren’t you glad?”

   Aiko’s grumpy expression brightens up a bit. She slowly nods.

   “Now say good night to Jin onii-chan.”

   Aiko looks at Jin shyly.

   “Good night.” she mutters.

   Jin shows her a smile.

   “Yes, good night to you too. I hope you have fun with Nyri.”

   He then looks at Nyri.

   “As for you, don’t you dare teach her any nonsense.”

   “Would I ever do something like that?” she asks innocently.

   “Do I have to remind you of what you taught the orphans at the orphanage in Noonrigal?”

   “...Point taken.”

   “No need to worry, Minase-kun. I’m sure that Nyri-chan won’t be a bad influence to our Aiko.” Shoko-san assures Jin. “Isn’t that right, Nyri-chan?”

   “Absolutely.”

   Right before Aiko leaves the dining room, she waves her tiny hand at Jin. He couldn’t help but wave back. If only, ah if only his real sister Shino is even a fraction as cute as Aiko. Then again, Jin himself isn’t an ideal elder brother either.

   It didn’t take Shoko-san long to come back.

   “Is Aiko asleep?” Captain Yamasaki asks.

   “When I left, she was showing Nyri-chan her favourite picture books and stuffed toys. I think she won’t be sleeping anytime soon.” his wife replied.

   “Well, I guess staying up late every once in a while is fine, particularly when she just made a friend.”

   “True. I’m rather surprised that she took the initiative to make a friend when she’s usually a quiet girl.”

   So she’s just like Jin when he was younger. He too, had trouble making friends since he’s a quiet introvert. He still does, but that’s not relevant right now. Jin, on the other hand, is surprised that Nyri is actually playing along with the girl. The dragon is slothful most of the time and refused to move unless something really piqued her interest.

   “Well, it’s getting late. I should head back. Thank you both for having here tonight.” Jin tells the Yamasaki couple.

   “Thank you as well for actually taking your time and coming over. I hope our questions didn’t bore you.” Captain Yamasaki tells him.

   “Not at all. I had fun chatting the two of you.”

   “Please come over again if you have the time for it.” Shoko-san requests.

   “I most definitely will.” Jin promises.

   “And no need to worry about Nyri-chan. I’ll be sure to look after her until you come back for her.” Shoko-san assures him.

   “Thank you. I’ll come and get her as soon as possible.”

   “Oh, there’s no need to rush. It’s not like she’s causing us any trouble.”

   Jin was contemplating whether he should tell her that Nyri’s appetite is next to bottomless when Captain Yamasaki reachers out his hand towards Jin.

   “On behalf of the citizens of Japan, I thank you for your help in keeping our country safe. Majority of them may not be grateful for what you’re doing, but thank you nonetheless.” he tells Jin formally.

   Jin took his hand and shook it.

   “You’re welcome, sir.”

   After a brief farewell, Jin leaves the Yamasaki house and heads back to his own apartment.