Your Girlfriend Calls Me Daddy-Chapter 41 | The Demon Girl Is Moving In And She Brought A Duffel Bag Of Attitude

Chapter 41: 41 | The Demon Girl Is Moving In And She Brought A Duffel Bag Of Attitude

After school, Mera was already waiting by the door.

She hooked her arm through mine.

Casual.

Possessive.

Several people stared.

Let them.

We walked into the hallway together.

"So," Mera said. "Your place."

"Yeah. My place."

Mera glanced up at me, yellow eyes bright with something I couldn’t quite read yet.

"Should I bring a change of clothes?"

I raised an eyebrow.

"To be safe? Might as well bring a suitcase. Leave some stuff at my house."

She stumbled mid-step.

Recovered fast.

"Rome."

"Or we can go shopping," I added. "Pick up whatever you need downtown."

Her expression shifted.

Warmer became cooler.

Not cold. Just... guarded.

"I don’t want you spending money on me."

The words landed flat.

No room for negotiation.

I stopped walking.

Pulled her to the side near the stairwell where fewer people passed through.

"Mera."

"I’m serious." She crossed her arms. "I’m not one of those girls who—"

"I know."

That stopped her.

She blinked.

"You... know?"

"You made it pretty clear at lunch yesterday." I kept my voice low. "You don’t like people throwing money around like it solves everything."

Her tail flicked behind her.

Uncertain.

"Then why offer?"

"Because I want you to have what you need." I shrugged. "And because I’ve got the money anyway. Might as well use it for something that matters."

She stared at me.

Processing.

"Something that matters," she repeated slowly.

"You." I stepped closer. "You matter."

Her face flushed darker.

Red skin turning almost burgundy across her cheeks.

"You can’t just—" She huffed out a breath. "You can’t just say things like that."

"Why not?"

"Because it’s..."

She trailed off.

Looked away.

"It’s what?" I pressed.

"Unfair," she muttered. "You’re unfair."

I grinned.

Couldn’t help it.

She noticed and punched my shoulder.

Not hard.

Just enough to make her point.

"I’m bringing a bag from my dorm," she said firmly. "With my own clothes that I already own. No shopping."

"Fine."

"And you’re not buying me anything."

"For now."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Rome."

"What?" I spread my hands. "I said ’for now.’ That’s a compromise."

She opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Opened it again.

"You’re impossible."

"You like me anyway."

"I’m reconsidering."

"Liar."

She bit her lip.

Failed to hide the smile trying to break through.

"Okay. Fine. But I’m serious about the money thing."

"Noted."

"I mean it."

"I believe you."

She studied my face like she was searching for the catch.

The angle.

Whatever play she thought I was running.

But there wasn’t one.

Not this time.

I just wanted her there.

At my place.

In my space.

Leaving pieces of herself behind until the apartment felt less like a museum and more like somewhere I actually lived.

"You’re still doing that thing," she said quietly.

"What thing?"

"Looking at me like..." She gestured vaguely. "Like I’m something you want to keep."

"That a problem?"

"No. Just... unexpected."

She leaned up.

Kissed me.

Quick.

Soft.

Tasting like cinnamon and trouble.

When she pulled back, her eyes were brighter.

"Go tell Marco or whoever drives you around that we’re leaving together. I’ll grab my stuff from the dorm and meet you at the front gate."

"How much are you packing?"

"Enough for a couple days." She paused. "Unless you’re planning to kick me out before then."

"Not a chance."

"Good."

She walked away.

Hips swaying.

Tail swishing behind her.

Knowing I was watching.

I pulled out my phone and texted Marco.

Heading home. Bringing company. Give us space when we arrive.

His response came back immediately.

Understood, sir.

Professional as always.

I headed toward the front gate.

Passed Nolan and Aurora near the courtyard.

They were standing close.

Talking quietly.

Aurora laughed at something Nolan said.

Genuine.

Warm.

The protagonist and his pure love heroine.

Exactly how the story was supposed to go.

I kept walking.

Mera was waiting by the gate with a black duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

She saw me coming and grinned.

"I want to test something."

I looked at her.

"Test what?"

She smiled.

Slow.

Dangerous.

"Whether you can open a gate without draining me first."

My chest tightened.

Because that was exactly the kind of test I needed.

If I could use Liminal Step independently, without needing contact with Mera every time, then the ability had actually copied.

Not just borrowed.

Copied.

"Alright."

"Alright?"

"Let’s test it."

Her smile widened.

"I knew you’d say yes."

"Did you."

"You can’t resist me."

"Confident."

"Accurate."

We walked through the gate.

Marco was waiting.

Black Mercedes idling at the curb.

He opened the door.

Didn’t comment on Mera.

Didn’t ask questions.

Professional to the core.

We got in.

The door closed.

Mera settled against the leather seat.

Looked at me.

"You’re thinking too hard."

"Am I."

"Your face does this thing when you’re stressed."

"What thing."

"Your jaw gets tight. Right here."

She touched the side of my face.

Ran her thumb along the muscle.

"Relax."

"Hard to relax when I’ve got problems stacking up."

"What kind of problems."

I hesitated.

Told her anyway.

"I need to figure out what Essentia I’m claiming publicly."

She pulled back slightly.

"You’re going to register?"

"I don’t have a choice. People are noticing. Cheon saw the signatures. Titan saw me use Gravity Jail. It’s only a matter of time before someone official asks questions."

Mera was quiet.

Processing.

Then she said something I didn’t expect.

"Tell them you awakened."

"As what."

"An adaptive type."

I frowned.

"What’s an adaptive type."

"Essentia that responds to external stimuli. Changes based on environment or threat level. It’s rare but documented."

"Would that explain the signature changes?"

"If you frame it right. Say your baseline signature shifts depending on what you’re exposed to. That you absorb ambient Essentia and your body processes it into temporary enhancements."

I turned that over.

It was clever.

Vague enough to be believable.

Specific enough to have precedent.

"Would the scan show that?"

"Vitae Scans aren’t perfect. They read output. If your output is variable by nature, the scan would show inconsistencies."

"And people would accept that?"

"Some would. Others wouldn’t. But it’s defensible."

I leaned back.

Stared at the roof of the car.

An adaptive type.

It could work.

It gave me cover for using different abilities.

Explained why my signature kept changing.

Left room for growth without raising red flags.

The NEA might investigate.

Probably would.

But they wouldn’t have grounds to detain me. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Not if I played it carefully.

"You’re a genius."

Mera grinned.

"I know."

"How much do I owe you for that advice."

"Depends."

"On what."

"How good you are at opening gates."

The car pulled up to my building.

Marco opened the door.

We got out.

Walked through the lobby.

Into the elevator.

Mera pressed against me the moment the doors closed.

Kissed me.

Hard.

I kissed her back.

The elevator dinged.

We broke apart.

Walked down the hall.

Into my apartment.

The door closed behind us.

Mera turned.

Looked at me.

"Okay. Show me."