Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

"Yeah, I know. I dropped by during the gambling tournament after we… met."

"Now that's news to me…" He sighed.

He scanned the house to check if Lucy was home or had left for school.

"Let's go downstairs. The house is empty."

"Okay~"

Rudy went downstairs, and Lilim followed right behind him. She said on the living room couch while Rudy went to the kitchen to grab a drink for her.

"What would you like to drink?" he asked while looking through the fridge. "I can buy anything real quick in less than three seconds."

"Hmm~ There is a drink you can't get in three seconds."

"Oh?" Rudy's interest was piqued. "Try me."

"Your milk."

"..."

Rudy started with the same curious expression on his face, which slowly faded away into a blank expression.

He slammed the refrigerator's door and said, "Do you girls ever think about anything normal."

"What, now? You asked if I wanted to drink anything, and I answered honestly."

"You are right… I can't even argue with that…" He took a deep breath and muttered, "Let's do this again."

He opened the refrigerator's door and asked, "Would you like to drink anything that can be purchased from the market, which would be available in cans or bottles— which is prepared in factories."

"Wow. You made it so well that I can't slip dirty jokes and remarks."

"That's not an answer."

"I loved to eat breakfast made by you. Can I get that?"

"Sure thing. But it will take a while. You can take a bath in the meantime."

"I am good."

Lilim got up from the couch and wandered around the house, checking every corner, unlike the last time. Once she was done, she went into the kitchen and sat on the dining table instead of the chair.

"You were going to ask me questions?"

"Yes."

"I am ready."

"You were with mom, Jessica, and Elena when I returned to 2008, so how come you ended up with the mafias? I remember you said that you were still a kid when you became Maria's bodyguard.

I also remember you told me that someone asked you to protect her. Who was it? It certainly isn't me because I would never let you go to the Underworld, especially considering how naive you were. You lacked common sense."

Lilim bit her lips and puffed her cheeks a little, making her face completely round.

"What? I am just being honest. And I never used the word 'dumb' or 'stupid', by the way, so I don't see why you are pouting like that."

"I was in a new world, so it was natural for me to not know anything and lack the common sense of the said world."

"As I said, you were a kid, and it's completely natural. My point was that I would never send you to the Underworld. Unless… I actually did and then erased my memory."

Lilim rested her legs on the chair and lay down on the dining table.

"You didn't directly ask me to do that. But when Jessica and I were abducted, you had asked that man to take care of Maria. Mind you, I was still a kid, so I understood very little. But after you disappeared, I searched for you everywhere.

And then I saw the man again and followed him. He saw me and my demon form and got scared. He started to beg me to not kill him. And that's where I met Maria. She was playing in the garden, all by herself.

Chasing after the butterfly and falling down again and again. The man must have remembered what you had told him, and he thought you had sent me to watch over Maria.

And that's how I became her bodyguard. I learned the ways of mafias and became like that. The man also changed and became a better person. He always had nightmares and yelled in the middle of the night, waking everyone up.

He has been living like that for eighteen years. He even stopped caring for the syndicate and threw all the responsibilities on Rusher's hand at a very young age. Well, this has nothing to do with your question, so I will stop."

"Hmm… you were supposed to be Maria's bodyguard, so I guess… it was unavoidable," he sighed.

"Yes. But it was different back then. I used to spend more time in this house than in the Underworld. When I learned that the baby Rebecca was raising was you, I decided that I would live here, but Rebecca didn't let me.

She was always on about diary this and diary that. And she was doing fine, so… I thought it would be for the best if I let her be. Jessica and Elena were with her, so I wasn't worried about her.

Still, I used to drop by once every week. Sometimes, I even brought Maria with me. She loved to ride on my back. Although she doesn't remember all that."

"If you used to bring Maria here, that would mean… we met when we were kids…"

"Obviously. She liked pinching your cheeks and poke your peepee."

"Does Maria know that? I mean, did you tell her all this after she learned that you are a demon?"

"Never got time." Lilim shook her head.

"You should tell her. She would love to hear about her childhood. Wait… what about Ruby? Did you bring her as well?"

"I couldn't carry two people with me, but yes… I did bring her here once. And she also played with you. She was doing what Maria did, but…"

"But?" Rudy raised his brow.

"Maria used to pinch your cheeks and poke your peepee, but one time, Ruby did the opposite."

"..."

"She poked your cheeks and pinched your peepee. And you cried… a lot. Since that day, Rebecca banned Maria and Ruby from ever entering this house."