[Eri’s P.O.V]

After Yami-nee left, Hina and I decided to relax in the living room. Hina, who is currently sitting in my lap, starts to tell me something as her twitching ears tickle my cheeks.

“Eri, I want to stay up all night the next full moon with you.”

“What... What, may I ask why? You do remember what happened last time you were up late during a full moon, right?” I was shocked by what Hina told me and asked.

“Yes, I do, but we are together now, so I’m not worried about something embarrassing happening, and I have a reason for it, you know.” Hina started pouting a little, she might have been getting in trouble for saying it.

I rubbed her ears, making her purr and lean on my chest before saying, “I’m not mad, I was just surprised, what is the reason?”

“Mommy told me that if we stay up together on a full moon, our souls will become linked, and we will be able to feel each other and know where each other is, even if we are separated. She said it would be a way for me not to feel alone even if I am.” Hina explained excitedly.

'If Kyoko suggested it to Hina, then it should be fine.' I contemplated to myself before saying to her, “If that is the case and Kyoko told you so, then we can stay up on the next full moon.”

“Yay, thank you, Eri. I love you.” Hina said happily before giving me a hug and kiss, her tails swaying side to side.

“I love you too, Hina.” I replied with a warm smile, looking into Hina’s loving silver-white eyes feeling as if I would be put into a trance.

“Should I come back later? As Hina’s mother, I am a bit perplexed about what to do, you know.” Kyoko, with Sebas behind, said to us with a mischievous smile.

Hina's ears and tail started twitching and swaying excitedly, and she immediately got off my lap and ran to Kyoko.

“Welcome back, Mommy.” Hina excitedly said, hugging Kyoko.

“I’m back, sweetheart. It seems you and Eri are being lovey-dovey. Did you have fun with Yami?” Kyoko giggled and asked while hugging Hina back.

“Mm, we had a lot of fun. We played hide and seek, and Yami-nee is going to be going to our school tomorrow.” Hina replied with a bright smile.

“That’s good. Eri and I need to have our meeting, but after, we will all eat dinner together, okay?” Kyoko replied and pet Hina’s head.

Hina looked at me and then back at Kyoko, she seemed a bit worried about being alone even at home, causing me to feel a sharp pain in my heart. Kyoko seemed to be feeling it too. That was when Sebas started talking to Hina.

“Ojou-sama, while Kyoko-sama and Eri have their meeting, I will stay with you and have the chef make you a snack.”

Hina looked up at Sebas, and her ears perked up, twitching in excitement, and she replied happily, “Snacks! Yay! Thank you, Grandpa Sebas.”

We all laughed a little at Hina’s excitement, making us feel relief from her not feeling lonely. Hina, who was tilting her head in puzzlement at why we were laughing, ran to me giving me a hug and said, “Have fun in your meeting; I will try to save you some snacks.”

I smiled and hugged her back and replied, “I will try, and don’t worry about me; eat all you want. We will eat dinner after anyway.”

“Mm, if you say so. Come on, Grandpa Sebas, let’s go.” Hina let go of me and grabbed Sebas's hand trying to pull him to the dining room.

Sebas laughed and said, “I will have to make sure the chef makes your favorite if you're this excited, Ojou-sama.” Then they left for the dining room.

“That doting old grandpa, I hope he doesn't let her eat too much before dinner.” Kyoko said while laughing, then she looked at me and continued, “Eri, Sebas has been educating you on different nighttime activities and what to know for the future, correct?”

My face blushed bright red, and I replied, “Yes ma’am.”

Kyoko giggled and said, “You don’t have to be embarrassed, you two haven’t put what you learned into practice yet, right?”

“N... no, Ma’am, I wanted to receive your approval for our relationship, before we did anything further” I stammered as I answered honestly.

“Good, then let’s get to the real topic of the meeting then.” Kyoko replied with a mischievous smile.

'She got me good.' I thought to myself, while sighing a little in exasperation.

“I want to tell you about your position and the responsibilities as my daughter's fiancé.” Kyoko said as she gestured for me to sit, before sitting in a chair beside me.

“Of course, I will do anything for Hina.” I reply with honesty and determination.

“Good, you have been Hina’s servant this whole time. However, from now on, you will be treated as a future member of the family by the servants, and when guests come to visit, you will sit with us at the table.” Kyoko said with a serious look.

I nodded my head in understanding as she continued.

“Hina is my heir, but I don’t want to push the responsibilities of that onto her. She has been through a lot, even if she herself doesn’t remember, so I want her to live as carefree and happy as possible. With that said, I am going to start training you in my job responsibilities for when the time comes you will know what to do.”

“I understand, Kyoko; if this is what you wish and makes Hina happy, then I will do whatever it takes.” I answered with a serious tone, though I was feeling happy that Kyoko trusts me to do her job eventually.

“Thank you, I appreciate you accepting; however, for now, enjoy your school life with Hina and your friends. You will start your training during your summer break, and during that time, you will be busy and not be able to spend a lot of time with Hina.” Kyoko thanked me before giving a worried look.

“Is that why you told Hina about the full moon?” I asked, feeling that was the case.

“Yes, that girl is really scared of being alone, and she feels the most comfortable when she is with you. I am hoping that after your souls become bonded, it will alleviate some of her fear. To be honest though, I am hoping Hina will find someone that she can love and trust just as much as you by that time.” Kyoko looked at me and smiled.

I smiled back, knowing she is truly worried about Hina, but it made me want to ask, “Kyoko, what really happened when Hina was with that family?”

She looked at me with eyes filled with regret and sadness and said, “The Goddess Kitsune told me you would want to know and gave me the ability to show you, but some things are better not known, are you sure?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I need to know; when Hina collapsed and was asleep for those two days, she would sometimes cry and scream in her sleep.” I answer with determination in my eyes.

“Very well, I will show you, but you will have to promise to never mention anything to Hina.” Kyoko said with a serious look.

“Yes, Ma’am, I promise.” After I answered, Kyoko put two of her fingers on my forehead, and I began to see Hina’s memories of that time as if I was in her place. I felt what she felt; I felt the pain she did when she was beaten, the hunger she felt when she wouldn’t get fed the amount she needed, and worst of it all, I felt the unbearable loneliness she felt, how she felt she was hated by everyone, how nobody wanted her, and how she just wanted to end it all multiple times. When the last memory of her moving into the apartment ended, I was in tears and felt a burning rage I have never felt before boiling inside of me.

'I want to go to Hina right now; I want to hold her, I want to hug her, I want her to know just how much I love her. I don’t want there to be a single chance of her ever feeling that way again.' I thought to myself as my tears continued to flow.

Kyoko, who started crying, hugged me and petted my head while telling me, “Those people have already been dealt with; I understand the sadness and anger you are feeling, so please let it go. The reason I agreed to show you was that I can trust you, and I know that understanding what Hina felt was important to you.”

“Thank you for trusting me and showing me.” I reply still crying from what I saw.

“So now that you know, promise me that you will be the standard bearer of Hina’s future fiancés, that they will have to prove that they will always protect Hina and love her just as much you do. I don’t want to risk anyone tricking us like that family did.”

“Yes, I promise, I have already vowed that to myself when we confessed, but now I understand better.” I promised with serious eyes, wiping my tears away.

“Good.” Kyoko said with a smile, before she continued, “How about we end the meeting now; I really want to go to see my daughter.” Kyoko replied with a smile wiping her tears.

“Yes, I really want to see Hina too.” I answered. Then we made our way to the dining room; when we arrived, we saw Hina eating cookies with Sebas. When she saw us, she started running and hugged us both, her tails swaying happily.

When she looked at me, she seemed to notice something was wrong and asked, “Are you okay, Eri?”

I looked over at Kyoko, who smiled and nodded her head. Knowing I should show Hina that everything is okay I started rubbing her ears causing her to purr and lean her head into my hand, and I said with a smile, “I’m perfectly fine because I have you here beside me; I love you.”

I then hugged her again and kissed her, not caring who was around.

Hina’s face became bright red, noticing Kyoko was watching with a mischievous smile, and she chomped my arm before replying with a bright red face, “I... love you too...”

We all laughed happily seeing Hina’s cute reaction and spent the rest of the time together talking and eating dinner. When it was time for bed, Kyoko gave us permission to continue sleeping in the same room, and after a while, Hina fell asleep peacefully holding my hand.

As I looked at her nuzzling closer to me, I restated my vow, “No matter what happens, no matter who comes for you, I will always protect you, and I will make sure no one will ever take away your smile.”