Hajime had been to Kaede's house many times, yet now the entire place felt different to him, as if he didn't know it at all.
The [Omega Mage] accompanying him had led him into the master bedroom.
The stepson of Goto nearly had a heart attack when he realized it. His perverse adolescent mind began to imagine inappropriate things about his best friend's mother.
As if sensing his thoughts, Veronica smiled knowingly at the boy, who couldn't help but blush from embarrassment.
"When I bought this house with my husband, I made sure there was a large underground area that I could 'renovate' for my purposes. Come, Hajime, I'll show you the place where our lessons will take place." (Veronica)
"..." (Hajime)
"You should respond with a 'yes, Veronica-shishou!' or 'as you wish, Veronica-sama!' Come on, I don't think it's that difficult." (Veronica)
"I don't think I'll ever do that."
"I understand; your sexual fantasies lean toward something more forbidden... perhaps you'd like to call me 'mom'? Or 'mama'? Or maybe 'Sensei'?"
Understanding that the teasing from the 40-year-old woman would not cease until she got what she wanted, the silver-haired boy reluctantly accepted this part of their agreement.
"Could you stop that, Veronica-shishou!?" (Hajime)
"Yes, now it's better, my apprentice. Come."
With one hand, Kaede's mother easily moved the bed from its original position.
Underneath it, there was a metal trapdoor, which didn't surprise Hajime at all, considering that Veronica had already spoken of underground rooms she had built.
Upon opening the trapdoor, there were iron stairs leading down. For various reasons, the stepson of Goto was reminded of the bunker that his teammates used as their home.
"How far does it go down? All the way to the sewers?" (Hajime)
"Didn't you forget something?" (Veronica)
"How many meters does it go below the surface, Veronica-shishou?"
"It goes down many dozens of meters below the sewers."
"But if it runs through there, isn't there a chance someone will discover it, Veronica-shishou?"
"I didn't want any vagrants or technicians snooping around when I came up with this idea. So I made sure to pay someone to slightly redraw the maps down here, so I could modify the structure to obscure the vertical passage. No one will ever find my secret room, not even by accident."
"I understand......"
The boy's questions were driven not only by curiosity.
But it was his way of extracting some details about Veronica; every word she spoke was registered in his brain.
"What a clever way to gather information from a target, Hajime, but you need to be more subtle. We'll refine this skill of yours, don't worry." (Veronica)
"(Of course she noticed. Stupid of me to think otherwise.)" (Hajime)
The stepson of Goto followed his teacher into the passage. With her [magic], the woman ensured to close the trapdoor and rearrange the bed after both were inside. One could never be too sure.
The pair descended for at least 30 meters before emerging in an enormous underground training room.
"The lights should turn on.... now." (Veronica)
"Wow!" (Hajime)
The boy's exclamation of surprise was understandable; the bunker where his friends lived was incredible, but this place was no less impressive.
The room, if it could even be called that, was 200 meters long and 150 meters wide. The floor and walls were as glossy as a mirror. The ceiling lights, which had all turned on upon detecting their presence, illuminated every square inch of the place.
"(That part of the wall... is that a weapons storage?)"
It seemed that some parts of the walls concealed something; to an inattentive eye, it would have gone unnoticed. The [Omega Mage], noticing Hajime's gaze, could only smile slightly, perhaps she had less work to do than she thought.
"Do you like it, my apprentice? This will be our secret hideout for our clandestine meetings."
"Could you not say it in such a... misleading way, Shishou?"
"No, I don't think I'll ever do that."
Realizing it would be a lost battle, the stepson of Goto resigned himself to the idea that his best friend's mother would continue to make inappropriate allusions about their relationship indefinitely. Therefore, he decided to change the subject.
"Did you really do all this by yourself, Veronica-shishou? How long did it take you?"
"Not much time, actually. With the right materials, patience, and good control, I can build whatever I want with my [magic]."
"What is it?"
The 40-year-old woman chuckled lightly at that question. Not bothering to answer, she started moving toward a spot where something was hidden in the wall.
"As I already told you. You need to learn to be more subtle when gathering information. And besides, shouldn't you be the one telling me what your [magic] is first, not the other way around?"
"I refuse!"
The strong and straightforward response from the 17-year-old surprised Veronica quite a bit. A part of her believed she had charmed him enough to make him reveal something like this, with her teasing to let his guard down, but perhaps she was mistaken.
"(Well, well, well. Hajime-chan, you're no fool; you probably realize I'm behaving this way to make you lower your guard.)"
"Veronica-shishou, I will not reveal my power before you do. It's already quite clear that you're far superior to me in every way. There's no need to be afraid."
"Ahahahahaha, Hajime-chan, are you provoking me, calling me a coward to make me talk? Good idea; the stronger a [mage] is, the more they tend to be proud of their power. Alright, I suppose this time I'll indulge you: I can use [telekinesis]. That's my only [magic], but I've learned to apply it in many different ways, with stunning results. When the time comes, I'll show you what I can do. Now, it's your turn."
Hajime hesitated; he truly didn't expect Kaede's mother to reveal so much at once.
A part of him wanted to refuse to talk about his [Grimoire], but for some reason, the 17-year-old felt deep inside that eventually, the 40-year-old would figure it out on her own.
"(I shouldn't do it...but, I need her help. I must become stronger, and I can't do that without her...and then Fumio-sensei hasn't discovered anything about my [Grimoire] yet; perhaps she can help me with that too? I want to know who created the source of my powers.)"
Thus, he began an internal debate that lasted several seconds. Meanwhile, the [Omega Mage] was patiently awaiting her apprentice's response.
"(I wonder if he'll manage to surprise me. I'd be disappointed if his [magic] was tied to something as mundane as-)"
"I have a [Grimoire] inside me. All my power comes from it. Without it, I would probably be a normal human."
For a moment, Veronica fell into a state she hadn't felt in years: shock. For a moment, the woman stopped thinking before she began to laugh heartily.
"Ahahahahahah, this is wonderful! It's been ages since I've met someone like you! This surprise is worth the risk of having told you that I'm a [mage]!"
With a hungry wolf-like smile, the 40-year-old approached Goto's stepson, placing her hands on his shoulders to keep him still as she examined him closely.
"Now I know why I felt that sensation when I touched you! You, my dear Hajime-chan, are very much like me!"
"Wait!? Does this mean........?!"
"Yes! My power also comes from a [Grimoire]! My apprentice, this is fate! You and I will do great things together!!!"