The transformation felt drastic, yet strangely natural, as if time had simply returned what had once been taken without permission.
The atmosphere in the kitchen fell completely silent. No one spoke— even the sound of breathing seemed restrained among those who witnessed it. The silence wasn't empty, but filled with unspoken astonishment.
Yaeko stared with her eyes wide open, her hand reflexively lifting slightly toward her mouth, holding back a reaction that almost escaped.
Her expression carried a mixture of disbelief and admiration that was difficult to hide.
Beside her, Shoko also stood frozen. Her eyes shimmered as they captured every detail of the change, yet her body remained still, as if she refused to miss even a single second of the rare moment unfolding before her.
Meanwhile, Ito herself did not move for a while. Her eyes slowly shifted, trying to comprehend what was happening to her. There was a brief pause, as though her thoughts were struggling to catch up with the change that had come too quickly.
Ito slightly raised her hand, her movement careful. She looked at her own skin, then touched her face with the tips of her fingers—slowly, almost hesitantly. The sensation felt unfamiliar to her, as if she were touching something that did not belong to her.
Because of that, after I saw that the changes happening to Ito had completely finished, I could only stand there in silence for a moment.
Ito's face, now youthful and refreshed, made me truly realize something—Yaeko's beauty was not something that appeared out of nowhere without a clear origin.
The soft lines of her face, the clarity in her eyes that carried a calming depth, even the natural, warm curve of her smile… all of it clearly came from the woman now standing before me, as if I were witnessing a reflection of the past brought back to life.
There was no longer any room for denial. The resemblance was too real, too obvious—as though time had only managed to disguise it, not truly erase the beauty passed down from one generation to the next.
At certain angles, Yaeko's image seemed to perfectly overlap with Ito's figure, creating a subtle illusion that made me feel, for a brief moment, as if I were seeing two people at the same time.
Even though Ito's body was not particularly tall—unlike Yaeko, who had a more slender and striking posture—her charm remained strong in its own way, calm yet impossible to ignore.
In fact, in Ito's current form, her beauty appeared purer, cleaner from the shadow of age that had once clung to her, like something long hidden finally returning to the surface.
It was as if the layers of time that once covered Ito had slowly been lifted, revealing a beauty that had always been there—never truly lost, only concealed by the long and exhausting journey of life.
"So it really is true… Yaeko's beauty comes from you, Mrs. Ito," I said with a faint smile, my tone relaxed yet clear enough to convey my meaning without sounding excessive.
However, before the moment could last any longer, a sudden pinch landed firmly on my stomach, strong enough to make my body jolt slightly and my breath hitch for a second.
"Ah! Yaeko, that really hurts!" I protested spontaneously, though my tone sounded half-playful—more out of surprise than actual pain.
I turned toward Yaeko with an expression as if I were genuinely hurt, my brows slightly furrowed, even though in truth I was only startled by her unexpected reaction.
"Sir, please don't tease my mother," Yaeko replied with a serious expression. Her eyes looked straight at me without the slightest hint of joking, as if firmly maintaining a clear boundary.
Hearing that, I fell silent for a moment, then slowly raised an eyebrow, as if I didn't fully accept the accusation, yet also had no intention of seriously denying it.
"I'm not flirting with Mrs. Ito," I replied casually, a faint smile returning to the corner of my lips, deliberately provoking a reaction from Yaeko, who was always interesting to observe. "Besides… are you jealous?"
"No," Yaeko answered quickly, almost without pause, as if the response had already been prepared beforehand without needing any thought. "I'm not jealous."
The answer came too fast, too firm to be considered completely natural. There was even a slight stiffness in her tone that was hard to hide. But before I could respond further, Yaeko immediately shifted the topic.
She chose to focus on something far more important than a light tease that would lead nowhere, as if she wanted to avoid a discussion that might make her uncomfortable.
"But… won't this appearance cause trouble for Mother?" Yaeko continued, her tone turning more serious, her brows slightly furrowed, showing genuine concern. "If other people see Mother looking younger like this…"
The concern in Yaeko's voice was sincere, not forced. Her gaze shifted toward Ito, as if trying to imagine the various reactions others might have if this change were seen by many eyes.
In a world like this, something unnatural often invited unnecessary trouble, and Yaeko clearly understood that well.
Hearing the question, I simply smiled faintly. Yes, something like this wasn't something that could be ignored so easily. In fact, from the very beginning, I had already thought through possibilities like this quite carefully.
"You're right," I said softly, my tone calm and controlled, without showing the slightest sign of doubt. "And that's why I've prepared something."
My hand slowly rose again, my fingers moving lightly through the air. The motion was smooth yet full of control. As the purple flames began to appear, my hand moved into them, the fire pulsing gently with a steady rhythm.
Within the slowly swirling purple flames, the light pulsed softly as if it had a life of its own. From within it, a small object gradually emerged—a simple ring, which I held in my hand.
The ring appeared to be made of silver metal, its surface smooth with a soft sheen that reflected the surrounding purple light, creating a faint reflection that seemed alive when touched by the glow of the flames.
There were no flashy decorations, no gemstones or excessive ornaments—only simplicity, which instead made it feel more mysterious and difficult to decipher, as if its power was hidden behind its ordinary form.
If observed more closely, there was a small engraving on the inside, so fine that it was almost invisible unless carefully examined. It was written in Japanese, neatly arranged into a simple phrase: illusion ring.
The writing seemed to merge with the metal itself, not merely carved carelessly, but as if it had been part of the ring since its very creation.
I held the ring between my fingers, letting it be clearly visible before them, deliberately giving them time to observe it carefully without rushing.
The remaining purple glow from the flames still reflected on its surface, making the ring appear slightly more alive than an ordinary object.
"What is the function of this ring, Sir?" Yaeko asked, her eyes filled with undisguised curiosity.
She leaned forward slightly, as if wanting to see every detail of the ring more closely, even observing the smallest parts that might be missed by a casual glance.
"This ring is called the Ring of True Age Illusion," I answered without hesitation, stepping slightly closer and raising the ring higher so they could see it more clearly, revealing every fine detail that might be missed at a glance.
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[Note: This novel is updated on every even-numbered date]
[Note: This is my other novel: As the White Spider-Man in Earth-76 with the Spider-Man System]
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