At that moment, the woman stepped out of the bathroom and noticed something strange by the entrance—next to her daughter's left shoulder stood a young man who looked utterly out of this world. The mother closed the bathroom door and began scrutinizing the boy from head to toe.
"A cyclist, you say? Somehow, he looks more like a cosplayer," she remarked.
She stepped closer and turned on the hallway light. Under the bright light, she got a full view of the sapphire-eyed blond standing before her.
"Mom… you can see him too?" Ariha asked in surprise.
"What do you mean, 'too'? I'm not blind enough to miss a whole person. Hmm… Who do you remind me of…?" the woman mused.
"I am the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Archivagia—Senko von Minaguch Hyōnko," Senko declared outright.
"Oh, so that's why you look so familiar! How did you manage to pull off such an original look? Even the clothes are made of high-quality fabric!" She began firing off questions one after another.
"Mom, I went through the same thing, so let me tell you—he's actually—" Ariha tried to explain, but before she could finish, the sound of dying whales (i.e., Senko's stomach growling) echoed through the entire house.
The prince was so mortified that he crouched down, covering his face with his hands. The woman burst out laughing.
"I am the Crown Prince of Archivagia… and yet I cannot control my hunger? This should not be happening," Senko thought in despair.
"Well, first things first—let's get you properly fed. I was just about to start cooking when Ariha got back with the groceries. A couple extra servings won't hurt," she said, grabbing the shopping bags and heading straight to the kitchen.
"Mom, don't change the subject!" Ariha called after her, though it was inevitably ignored.
The girl took a deep breath and glanced at Senko, who was still deeply embarrassed by his stomach's betrayal.
"Your Highness, there's no need to worry. The way your body is behaving only proves you're still alive," Ariha reassured him.
She bent down, resting her right hand on her knee, and offered her left hand to the prince, continuing:
"Maybe the timing wasn't ideal, but let's just move past it and head to the kitchen, shall we?"
Once again, the prince saw her hand extended toward him.
"Ah… That's right. I was only a prince in the past. So why does this girl still treat me with such respect?" Senko wondered. Yet, at this point, he had no choice but to rely on her.
He took her hand and stood up, staring intently at Ariha—aware that she had no obligation to do any of this.
The girl couldn't ignore his piercing gaze, but she didn't know how to respond, especially since he still hadn't let go of her hand.
"Um…"