After Jun and Iri chilled for a bit, talking about life or just enjoying each other's presence, the three little girls finally returned from their quest to show Gray the place and play with their new friend and even sister perhaps.

Sakura had the same gentle smile she always seemed to have on her face as a default whily Gray seemed to be quite excited and happy to have made some new friends her age who played with her, something which she would have never gotten in her village.

Illya seemed quite proud of her job as Gray's main guide around the house but when she returned to the room where Jun and her mother were relaxing in, her developing female instincts kicked in as she sense something was different but couldn't quite figure out what as she looked between the pair.

Jun and Iri both noticed this bu pretended not to as they did not feel like revealing the small change in the nature of their relationship until they figured out if it would actually become something serious.

As such, Jun turned to Gray and talk with her since he intended to do so in the first place and now, it would also take Illya's mind from whatever was she sensed, at least for the current moment.

"So Gray. How did you like the place?" He asked.

"It's great, thank you for having me." She shyly replied.

"Uhm . . ." Gray tried to speak up but could not quite find the words.

"Don't worry, you can ask anything you like." Jun reassured, assuming she wanted to ask him something.

Gray nodded and asked her question.

"How should I address you?"

Jun chuckled.

"You can call me what you like. So long as it's not insulting that is." He replied.

"I would never!" Gray raised her voice in protest, shocking everyone.

Jun just laughed and patted her head.

"I was only joking Gray." He said, making the little girl blush furiously in embarrassment.

"Though I appreciate the respect." Jun added in praise which made Gray feel better.

"Is Gray coming to school with us?" Illya then asked, just a teeny bit jealous over the head pat, just a teeny and thus motivated to move the subject along.

"Gray's a younger than Sakura so only next year and just if she wants to." Jun responded.

"Do I have to?" Gray asked with a low voice.

"Don't want to?" Jun inquired.

"I don't like going to places with a lot of people . . . and showing my face . . ." Gray squeaked out.

"Don't worry, you don't have to go if you don't want to, school is overrated anyways." Jun reassured and shrugged which earned him a glare from Iri.

"What?" He asked Iri.

"I never liked school and just stopped going the moment I was able to get away with it. Didn't make me turn out bad." Jun argued.

*sigh* Iri could only sigh in defeat.

"School can be really fun you know." Illya said to Gray but she just wasn't into it.

"I'm sorry . . ." Was all she said.

"You have nothing to feel sorry about." Jun comforted and patted her head again.

"Yes, I'm the one who should be sorry." Illya said in support and patted her new little sister's head as well, making everyone including Gray smile and embarrassing Illya in the process.

After that little cute joyous moment, Gray looked around for a bit a realized her mother was not around so she turned towards Jun once again.

"Master . . . Where is . . ." Gray paused wondering how to refer to Magdalena before finally settling on "my mother?".

"Master eh? Well, whatever makes you happy." Jun commented before answering Gray's question.

"Magdalena is resting, it was quite the exhausting day for her after all." He said.

"I see . . ." Gray acknowledged.

"So why master?" Jun asked the little girl.

" . . . Because you saved me and that's something you call to someone to whom you owe everything and swore to obey."

"I see . . ." Jun responded while thinking that Gray didn't really act her age.

'Maybe her change is not only physical . . . Perhaps, even if to an incredibly small degree, some other changes, more spiritual or even mental might be taking place.' He theorized.

'Better get the ritual to ensure her individuality done as soon as possible . . .' Jun decided.

"Maybe I can call you Sir instead if master doesn't feel right?" Gray nervously suggested, thinking Jun had some issue with her previous appellation.

Jun just patted her head again.

"Sir is fine with me." He said and from then on, Gray became a part of the Ryuudou household.

Magdalena on the other hand, was having a rather tough time adjusting.

It was clear to her, as Jun never bothered concealing it, that she was not his goal and merely an accessory to Gray who he wanted to recruit.

She was eternally grateful since he had provided her daughter with a much better life than she would have received, specially since she would live as herself and even helped Magdalena herself, providing her with a comfy life where she could just watch her daughter grow.

His considerations helped Gray integrate quickly in her new home and family which she appreciated infinitely more than her previous one but Magdalena found her position far too ambiguous and while that did not bother her too much, it didn't meant she could not try to fix it.

Her concerns were her lack of usefulness towards Jun and Gray. Simply put, there was not much she could do for Jun with her capabilities which left her feeling quite guilty as she could not repay the massive favour he had bestowed upon her.

As for being useful to Gray, rather than a matter of capabilities, it was Magdalena's self doubt that prevented her from becoming a proper mother to her daughter once again.

Simply participating in her daughter's rescue through cooperation and the fact she had plans to thwart the village cult's ritual in the first place, was not enough to magically undo the years of suffering inflicted upon Gray by her zealous cultist act.

Gray was a lot smarter and more perceptive than even she gave herself credit for and since ehr rescue, had come to understand her mother's actions from seeing the drastic change in demeanour from Magdalena's previous self.

All of that along with a couple of hints inadvertently dropped by Magdalena and purposefully dropped by Jun and Gray figured out her mother had always tried to look out for her in the best way she could think of.

Smart as Gray was however, she was still a child. Knowing her mother had good intentions was one thing but accepting all that pain, despair and suicide inducing depression and move on was not something that could be done so easily.

Learning the secrets of the Gravekeepers had given Gray an insight on death that most children lacked. More than once had she considered death as a solution to her suffering despite her young age but knowing of ghosts and her extremely high spirituality, she feared the even if she killed herself, she would end up wandering the earth as a spirit.

This fear trumped her desire to escape her torturous life and so she bore the suffering inflicted upon her by her "fellow" villagers with little other choice.

This being the case, it was understandably difficult, maybe even impossible for Mother and daughter to fully mend their ties and become true family again but only time would tell.

In the meanwhile however, Magdalena thought that it would not be right to simply accept Jun's graces while making no attempt to be useful to him. One might consider that he kept her just as a favour to Gray but Magdalena doubted her daughter wanted her around that much.

She especially doubted Gray would risk antagonizing her saviour which she almost worshiped, quite ironically since she hated others worshipping her, over her estranged mother should Jun want to get rid of her.

Alas, Magdalena could not find anything in  her of worth that Jun could possible find useful but there was a surefire way of knowing if there was any hope for her, and that was asking Jun himself what she could do for him, regardless of the cost she had to pay.

However, bothering Jun with her own concerns and problems seemed rude to her so she decided to go with her concerns to someone close enough to Jun to know something, someone who was by far the most welcoming of everyone in this new home . . .

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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!

The link is: https://www.p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/lusoba  without the extra dots of course.

You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.

There's also my other novel Archon of DanMachi, do check it out!

I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.