Astrid was the first to recover, shaking her head vigorously.

"No way, Mika! There’s no way it could be her! Why would she even do something like that?"

Charlotte nodded firmly.

"She has her own duties! She’s supposed to be safeguarding the entire realm! She wouldn’t be playing around with hints and secrets!"

Anya also looked doubtful.

"How would she even know about this matter? We didn’t inform her at all. We’ve been keeping this investigation completely secret."

Mika shook his head. "There was no need to inform her. She already knew from the very beginning."

The sisters were shocked into silence.

"Think about it." Mika continued like it was obvious. "With her blessing, she probably saw this entire situation unfold from the very start. She knew exactly what was happening, long before any of you stumbled across it."

He leaned back, crossing his arms like he had already figured everything out.

"But because she’s too lazy to deal with it herself, she wanted you guys to handle it."

"So, she threw little breadcrumbs along the way—those ’coincidences’ you keep talking about. Subtle hints to guide you in the right direction."

His voice grew more analytical.

"Not only does she escape any sort of duty, but you also get some valuable experience. It’s a win-win for her."

He then looked at them with a strange expression and asked in exasperation,

"I don’t even know why you’re doubting me so much. Your Aunt was even with you guys yesterday."

The sisters blinked in confusion.

Anya was the first to speak. "What are you saying, Mika? The only people with us were Aunt Yelena and my mother. No one else was there."

Charlotte and Astrid nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, exactly! What are you talking about? We didn’t see her at all."

Mika just chuckled, as he shook his head.

"She was there. I’ll prove it."

He pulled out his phone and navigated to the images Charlotte had sent yesterday—photos of them taking a group selfie together.

He held it up for all three of them to see.

The sisters stared at the photo, completely confused. It was just a picture of them—Astrid, Charlotte, Anya, Yelena, Fauna—taking a group selfie in a cafe.

There was nothing strange about it at all.

Charlotte frowned. "I don’t understand, Mika. What are we supposed to see in this photo?"

Mika pushed the phone closer. "Just look properly. You’ll find out."

They leaned in, squinting at the image. At first, they saw nothing unusual—just themselves, smiling at the camera, looking happy and carefree.

But then Astrid gasped, her hand flying to cover her mouth like she saw a ghost in the photo

"She...She’s there. She’s actually there!"

Charlotte and Anya looked at her in disbelief before turning back to the photo.

And then they saw it too!

"Oh my god." Charlotte breathed. "She really is there!"

Anya’s eyes widened. "How did I not notice? It’s right there in the photo."

In the background, barely visible, was a small purple and gold portal.

Through that portal, two slender, pale, beautiful hands had emerged and they were placing bunny ears on both Astrid and Charlotte, frozen mid-gesture.

Charlotte’s eyes shimmered with excitement as she noticed something.

"Wait, wait! There are more photos! Swipe to the next one!"

She grabbed the phone from Mika’s hand, scrolling frantically through the images from yesterday.

And sure enough, the evidence was everywhere.

In picture after picture, small portals appeared, with those unmistakable hands making peace signs, stealing food from the table, and even reaching out to pet Astrid’s tails without her noticing!

"She was with us all along." Astrid whispered, clutching her tail protectively. "The entire time."

Mika nodded sagely.

"Of course. You may not see her, but she’s always watching." He rolled his eyes. "That’s just how she is. She likes to peep in on people, no matter the circumstances. It’s her favorite hobby."

The implications of his words slowly sank in.

Astrid’s face paled. "You mean...she’s always watching us? Even in...our most private moments?"

Mika’s smirk widened.

"Yes, Astrid. She always has her eyes on you." He emphasized the last phrase deliberately. "Always."

All three sisters blushed furiously.

Charlotte thought of her private shrine to Mika.

The hundreds of photos, the carefully curated collection of items he had touched, the obsessive documentation of every interaction they had ever shared.

Astrid remembered the body pillow she had custom-made with Mika’s image on it—the one she hugged and kissed every night, pretending it was him.

And Anya recalled the number of perfectly crafted replicas of Mika’s manhood that she kept hidden in her room, the one she used when her desires became too overwhelming.

All three of them covered their red faces in utter shame.

And then Mika, the absolute devil, decided to twist the knife even deeper.

"She’s probably watching us right now." He said casually. "As we speak."

All three sisters snapped their heads up, scanning the surroundings frantically for any sign of their aunt.

They sat up straighter, smoothing down their clothes, trying desperately to look presentable and dignified.

Even their own mother’s were terrified of her, so it wasn’t surprising that they were the same as well towards the big boss of the family.

But no portals appeared. No hands reached out. Nothing happened.

They turned to Mika, their expressions accusing.

Mika just rolled his eyes, looking all smug and arrogant, as he glanced upward and said,

"You should come out already." He said, his voice carrying a note of authority.

"Show yourself and tell your beloved nieces that everything I said is true. That you were the one guiding them along, because you’re too lazy to take action yourself."

The air in the restaurant seemed to freeze.

The sisters held their breath, waiting with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. They looked around, half-expecting nothing to happen.

But, nothing happened. The sisters began to relax, thinking Mika had been wrong.

But then, right in front of Mika’s face—

—a small purple and gold portal emerged!

It was tiny, barely large enough for a hand to fit throughz but it was unmistakable. Through that portal, the same hand from the photos emerged, slender and fair and beautiful.

All three sisters gasped. It was true! Their aunt was actually here!

Mika, meanwhile, looked all smug and self-satisfied.

He was clearly expecting her to confirm everything he had said, to praise him for figuring it all out, to acknowledge his brilliance.

But then the unexpected happened.

That beautiful, slender hand shot toward his face—and grabbed his ear!

"Wait, ow, ow! What’s going on?"

Mika yelped as she began pulling on it, twisting and yanking with surprising strength.

"What are you doing?! Are you crazy? Leave my ear alone!"

His protests only seemed to encourage her.

She pulled harder, twisting with vigor, and Mika’s dignity crumbled.

"Stop, stop! Please! This is so embarrassing! I’m not a child—I’m already an adult! You can’t pull my ear like this!"

The sisters watched in utter dismay.

Normally, if anyone else attacked Mika or did something to him, they would have been the first to pounce and rip that person to shreds.

But they didn’t dare do anything right now.

They just sat frozen, watching their great and powerful Mika being bullied by their aunt.

Mika was starting to feel like crying. He was being harassed for no reason!

Finally, the hand released him—but not before delivering one last sharp smack to the top of his head.

Smack!

Immediately afterwards, a beautiful voice emerged from the portal, cold yet seductive, and it made all three sisters’ hearts tremble.

"You little brat..."

The Maiden of Fortune and Fate said, her tone carrying unmistakable sternness.

"How dare you call me lazy?"

Mika staggered, rubbing his sore ear. "What? But I—"

She cut him off, her tone stern.

"The reason I barged in and guided them is not because I didn’t want to take care of it myself..."

"...It’s because of YOU, YOU DAMN TROUBLE-MAKER!"

Mika was baffled, having no clue why an invasion was blamed on him. But before he could say anything, she continued her furious rant.

"YOU’RE the reason everything has come to this!"

She jabbed her finger at him

"YOU’RE the reason another dimension is literally invading our world right now!"

She grabbed his cheek and pulled it hard.

"And since YOU’RE the one who caused all of this, you have to take responsibility YOURSELF! I’m not cleaning up YOUR mistake this time!"

The hand pulled away, and the portal began to close.

"Wait!" Mika called out, his mind racing. "Wait, come back! What do you mean I caused this? I don’t understand!"

But the portal was already gone, leaving only the fading echoes of the Maiden’s voice.

Mika sat frozen in his seat, the words of the Maiden of Fate still ringing in his ears.

’You’re the reason another dimension is invading our world right now!’

The accusation had come out of nowhere, blindsiding him completely.

He had literally only learned about the existence of this super collider world a few minutes ago—how could he possibly be responsible for it?!

He turned toward the three sisters, expecting comfort, expecting pity, expecting them to rally to his defense.

He was the victim here, unfairly blamed for something he didn’t understand.

Surely they would offer him the solace he desperately needed.

Instead, he was met with three sets of eyes staring at him with naked suspicion.

Astrid’s gaze was sharp and analytical, as if she were examining evidence at a crime scene.

Charlotte’s eyes held a contemplative gleam, like she was weighing possibilities.

And Anya simply tilted her head, her expression one of cold calculation.

Mika’s jaw dropped.

"Hold on, you guys! Why are you looking at me like that?"

He forced a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood.

"Do you really think I could possibly do something like this? Bring about the creation of an entire super collider world and have it invade our realm?"

He expected them to shake their heads, to laugh off the absurdity, to tell him that their aunt was clearly mistaken.

Instead, all three of them nodded in perfect synchronization.

"It seems like something you would do, Mika." Astrid tilted her head thoughtfully.

Charlotte gave him a sympathetic look. "If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t even consider it. It’s impossible. But if it’s you..." She narrowed her eyes. "It doesn’t seem that far off from the truth."

Mika opened his mouth to protest—to declare this utter blasphemy, to demand to know how they could possibly think such a thing—

But Anya beat him to it.

"This has all the hallmarks of one of your experiments going wrong."

His face immediately tensed. He knew exactly where this was going.

Anya continued, her tone clinical.

"It’s happened before. Many times. You’d mess around with something, and the consequences would come back to bite you."

She shook her head slowly.

"Most of the time, you handled it yourself. But there were plenty of instances where my mother and the others had to clean up your messes."

Mika felt the guilt wash over him like a wave. His protests died in his throat.

Charlotte decided to pile on, her voice taking on a nostalgic quality.

"Remember that time you went to another realm to try and create a hybrid race? You wanted to combine two species into something new."

She shook her head, a wry smile playing at her lips.

"It worked. Sort of. You did manage to create a new race, but they were so reproductive, it was insane. Worse than rabbits. The population exploded every single day, and they were eating everything. All the vegetation, all the resources."

"The whole ecosystem was crashing."

Mika rubbed his temples at the bad memory.

"I remember Mama having to go over and deal with it herself." Charlotte continued. "She had to put down so many of those creatures you created. It was a massacre."

Mika brightened, desperate to find a silver lining.

"But hey! The good news is, since she slaughtered so many, she brought them back here and donated the meat to charities! The people loved it."

He licked his lips, his eyes growing dreamy.

"I tried some myself, and honestly? It was amazing. So buttery. I can still taste it."

He looked around, expecting at least some agreement.

Instead, he was met with three dead, unimpressed stares.

Astrid decided it was her turn.

"And what about that time you went into some ruins in an old realm and found a random array?"

Mika’s smile faltered.

"Because of that." Astrid continued, a look of genuine terror crossing her face. "You activated fifteen SSS-class dungeons. All at once."

She shuddered at the memory.

"I remember you calling Mama while running away from all the monsters coming through the portals. You were begging for backup because you were still quite young and couldn’t deal with them yourself."

She gave him a pointed look. "Anf because of that the entire family had to assemble and clean up your mess."

"Hey, you can’t blame that on me!" Mika held up his hands defensively.

"I just saw this big red button in those ruins, and I thought it was really interesting, so I went ahead and pressed it."

He shrugged. "Who would have thought it would cause such a world-ending catastrophe?"

Once again, he was met with utterly unimpressed stares.

Anya decided it was her turn.

"And then there was that time you were creating a spell to improve the environment of a certain realm. Their forests were dying, and they were struggling to survive."

She rubbed her forehead, clearly exasperated by the memory.

"But the spell went completely wrong. All the thousands of adults in that realm had their genders completely reversed."

"Males became females. Adult females became males. It was a complete disaster."

Mika immediately jumped in, his voice defensive.

"Don’t say the entire spell went wrong! It did work! It just had some...unexpected side effects."

He brightened, searching desperately for a silver lining.

"But it all worked out in their favor! The people of that realm actually realized they were better suited to be members of their opposite race."

"They even thanked me! They said they finally felt fulfilled in their lives, like that was who they were always meant to be."

He wore a proud look on his face, as if he had done them a massive favor.

The three sisters stared at him with dead, utterly unimpressed eyes.

Mika finally looked down, his earlier confidence completely deflated. He felt like a child being scolded by his teachers.

Astrid shook her head in dismay.

"It’s not just these cases, either. In the past, you’ve done so many different experiments, explorations, rituals, creations—so many bizarre and dangerous things."

She looked at him with a mix of nostalgia and exasperation.

"Back then, I was also quite young, a child. I thought it was all so cool and amazing. I wanted to follow you wherever you went."

The other two nodded in agreement. They had all been captivated by Mika’s adventures, his endless curiosity, his willingness to push boundaries.

"But now." Astrid continued, her voice growing grave. "I finally understand just how many crazy things you were doing. How dangerous it could potentially be."

She stared at him intensely.

"And why I think that you messed something up in the past and it’s coming to haunt you right now..."

"...in the form of an entire Super Collider world invading our realm."