The girls had just finished eating, and they were rxing outside Reina''s office.


    "If the pool was filled, we could have taken a few dips," Jane said while ncing at the pools.


    "Sorry, I had Rudy empty them not long ago. And I need to keep them like this overnight."


    They had juice and soda cans in their hands, which they were drinking, but Maria wasn''t, as she was worried about Ruby.


    Suddenly, Rudynded in front of them with Ruby in his arms and said, "Party without me, huh?"


    As soon as Rudy let go of Ruby, she rushed to Maria and hugged her.


    "Thank god you are alright!" Maria looked at Rudy and asked, "Where did you find her?"


    "By the beach. She was crying her eyes out as though she had gotten lost and didn''t know the way back," he chuckled.


    "That''s not true!" Ruby hissed.


    "Why did you run away?" Maria asked Ruby.


    "..." But Ruby didn''t say anything in response.


    "Don''t worry, she won''t run away again. We have made a deal."


    "What type of deal?" Maria asked with a confused look on her face.


    "That''s a secret," Ruby responded.


    Reina pointed her finger at her office and said, "There is food in my office if you are hungry."


    Ruby nodded and went to Reina''s office with Maria.


    "I will also take my leave now."


    "Where is Angelica?" Rias asked.


    "She is sleeping. I will bring her here tomorrow morning."


    After saying that, Rudy teleported to his house. He opened and closed the door loud enough to let Lucy know that he was home.


    "I will be in my room."


    Rudy went to his room and closed his eyes to rx, but he ended up falling asleep. He waster woken up by Lucy, so he got up and said:


    "You are here. I fell asleep while waiting for you."


    "Yeah, I know."


    "What do you need help with?" he asked calmly.


    "We will do itter at night or when you are free."


    "Hmm?"


    Lucy pointed her gaze at Rudy''s window and said, "It''s morning already, stupid."


    "Oh…" Rudy held his head and muttered, "That didn''t feel like a long sleep."


    "Go wash your face or take a bath if you want. The breakfast is ready."


    ''Wait… if it''s morning already, then…''


    "Has mom returned yet?"


    "No, but she should being soon."


    Rudy was toozy to take a bath as his eyes were still heavy, and he was feeling more sleepy than before. He washed his hands and ate breakfast with Lucy, but mentally he was exhausted.


    "I came to your room after a few minutes of your arrival, but you were sleeping. At first, I thought you were trying to tease me and pretending to be asleep, so I pinched your nose and tried many ways to annoy you, but you didn''t wake up, so I went to sleep," Lucy informed.


    "Sorry about that."


    ''Did I cancel the event with Lucy? Or perhaps dyed it? But wait, isn''t it better if that event never happens? And even if it does happen, it wouldn''t go the same way it did in my past life.''


    "I have to go to school early today, so can you do the dishes for me?" Lucy asked meekly.


    "Yeah, sure. Be careful on your way."


    "Thank you. I will wash dishes someday when it''s your turn."


    After eating breakfast in a hurry, Lucy left.


    Rudyzily finished his breakfast and washed the dishes while waiting for Reba. He would have called her or went to the store, but when he tracked Reba, she was already on her way home.


    A few minutester, Reba finally reached home and saw Rudy waiting for her in the living room.


    "I take it as you are waiting for my answer?" Reba asked with a slight grin on her face.


    "Well, yes. I don''t think I will be able to rest easy until I hear the answer."


    "I thought you would already be on your way to school, but I forgot it''s sports week, and you rarely go there as the attendance is not counted."


    "I n to go today, though. We have sses for the first two periods and then sports."


    Reba sat on the couch beside Rudy and let out a weary sigh.


    "So, who will go first?" she asked.


    "You go. Because I am worried that you will change your decision after hearing mine."


    "I promised I won''t do that, but I will go first, as I am sure you will not back down."


    "..."


    Rudy took a deep breath and prepared himself for the answer. He was feeling the same as one would after confessing to the person they liked and waiting for their response.


    After a minute of silence and suspense, Reba opened her mouth and said, "As I said thest time, I will say the same thing."


    "Which is…? We talked a lot and agreed on many things. Which one are you referring to?"


    "I want to start having a romantic rtionship with you. My thought process and perspective have already changed after we kissed, so it would be a matter of time before I develop romantic feelings for you again," she stated calmly while looking at Rudy''s face to observe his reaction.


    Rudy didn''t show the reaction Reba was expecting, so she became a bit nervous. All the time, she had never been anxious as she was sure that Rudy wanted to have a romantic rtionship with her. Especially after finding out how he lusted after her.


    But now that it was time for the announcement of Rudy''s decision, her heart started beating fast, and she couldn''t sit still until she had heard his answer. She realized how Rudy must have felt while waiting for her answer.


    "I thought about my answer after we… after our moment, and I thought about many things, out of which, most were about you. I am happy to hear your answer, but… my answer is not the same," he said in a low voice.


    "..."


    "I… want you to continue being my mother."