CHAPTER 170- TAKEN AWAY

BZZZZZ

"Mm..." Minoru groaned, his hand fumbling across the bed as his phone buzzed nonstop.

His head was still aching and he was in no mood to get up now.

He’d stayed up too late last night, drinking more than he should have… chatting with Yuna.

And before he knew it was already three on the clock when he fell asleep.

‘Who the hell is calling this early…’ he mumbled, reaching for the phone. But just as he picked it up, the call ended.

Then he saw the screen.

His eyes snapped open.

[78 Missed Calls, 301 New Messages]

He sat up instantly, the sudden movement waking the woman beside him.

"What happened?" she asked sleepily.

Minoru didn’t answer. He quickly dialed Shiori’s number—most of the missed calls were from her. A few were from his father too.

That could only mean one thing.

Something had happened to his mother.

Yuna noticed the sudden change in his expression, the worry etched across his face. She sat up, watching closely.

The call rang twice before it connected.

[Minoru! Where are you?! Mom... she’s gone! Someone took her! The police are here... please, come back home now!]

Minoru’s grip on the phone tightened as Shiori’s voice cracked through tears.

"I’m coming."

"What happened?" Yuna asked again, seeing him summon a fresh set of clothes using his magic and quickly getting dressed.

He shoved his phone into his pocket. "Someone took my mom. The police are at my place. That’s all I know for now."

Yuna’s expression hardened. "That’s not a normal kidnapping."

"I don’t think so either." Minoru moved toward the window.

Yuna called after him, "Let me know if you need help. I’ll check the city’s surveillance."

He didn’t answer. He just jumped out of the window and shot toward home, his mind racing.

‘System, anything you’ve picked up?’

[Apologies, host. We were too far to detect the presence.]

Minoru said nothing. Within seconds, he’d covered five miles.

When he reached his neighborhood, police cars were lined up outside his house. Officers were moving in and out.

"Hey, kid! You can’t—"

"I live here," Minoru said quickly. "Stayed at a friend’s last night." He added to save himself from further questions.

"Officer, he’s my son," Kosuke said, stepping out just in time.

The officer gave a nod and stepped aside.

Minoru followed his father inside, not saying a word. He just gave him a look, and Kosuke silently led him to where Shiori was.

She was pacing the room in tears, phone in hand, desperately calling someone over and over. Her eyes were swollen, her hands trembling.

When her gaze landed on Minoru standing in the doorway, her whole body froze.

"Ah... Minoru..." she whispered, and in the next second, the phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor as she ran toward him.

Without a word, she threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly—so tightly it almost hurt. Her body shook in his arms, and a broken sob escaped her lips.

"It was so sudden… she was just there… and then gone... I couldn’t even move...!" Her voice cracked as she buried her face in his chest, clinging to him like her last anchor.

Minoru felt her pain like a knife to his own chest. His hands, slow and trembling, wrapped around her back.

"I’m sorry," she cried, voice muffled against him. "I couldn’t protect her… I couldn’t do anything—"

"You don’t need to apologize for anything," Minoru whispered, resting his chin gently atop her head. "This isn’t your fault."

For a moment, he just held her there, letting her cry. He could feel how helpless she was—how shattered.

And he felt her pain too.

"I promise you… I’ll bring her back," he said, his voice steady even as his heart ached. "Just hold on a little longer."

Shiori didn’t respond with words. She just gripped him tighter, as if by holding him, she could hold on to hope.

Kosuke spoke up, "We were in the living room. Barely asleep when this... figure appeared. She had wings. A woman. Red hair. Definitely not human. Before we could even move, she had your mother. And then… she handed me this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded note. He hadn’t shown it to the police—this was beyond them.

As Shiori parted from him, Minoru took the note and unfolded it.

[Wanna save your mum? Come and meet me at your school rooftop tonight. I’ll be waiting~]

He folded it and slipped it into his pocket, taking a breath.

A demon. It had to be. But why target his family?

"Minoru..." Shiori’s voice trembled. "Can you bring her back?"

He looked into her eyes. The fear. The hope. All of it resting on him.

"I will. Just give me a few hours."

"You're really going to meet her?" Kosuke asked quietly, having clearly read the note.

Minoru nodded. "I should’ve told you all the truth earlier. If I had, we could’ve been more prepared. None of this would’ve happened."

He clenched his fists. A storm brewed in his eyes.

First, Yuna had started tailing his family. Now, a demon had struck.

Everything was falling apart... because of him.

Kosuke placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Don’t blame yourself, son. You’re one of us. Whatever happens, we face it together."

Shiori added, "Yeah. And if you blame yourself, that means you don’t think of us as family."

Minoru blinked. "How does that make any sense?"

"It does," she said. "We’re your family. So stop blaming yourself and help us think. We’re bringing Mom home. Together."

Minoru nodded. "I’ll call someone. Dad, keep the police off my back for now."

Kosuke nodded. "I’ll handle them."

Once he left the room, Minoru scrolled through his contacts and tapped on a name.

"Akane-san? Isn’t that Minami’s mother?" Shiori asked.

Minoru nodded. "And right now, she’s the only one who can help."

The call connected.

[Minoru. I was wondering when you’d call.]

"...Do you know anything?"

[Only the identity of your opponent. The pure-blood succubus I warned you about. She’s the one who took your mother.]

"...!!!"

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A/N: Thanks for reading.