Bonus Chapter!---"Souji, why don't you and Ayase join us?"
It was Arisuin Nagi, now quite familiar with Okita, who extended the invitation.
After a bit of chatting, they discovered their destinations were the same.
Just a few stops away by train was a popular shopping mall.
Okita and Ayase had already planned to visit, hoping to look around and decide what to do from there. Meanwhile, Arisuin had chosen their group's destination since none of the others cared much about where they were headed.
Ikki was only there because he'd been invited, Stella was only coming along to keep an eye on Ikki and Shizuku, and Shizuku simply trusted Arisuin's choice.
Okita didn't mind tagging along, so when Arisuin asked her opinion, she turned to Ayase for her thoughts.
The moment Ayase nodded, the small groups merged into a party of six.
"I heard your sister stole your first kiss on the day she enrolled?"
As the six walked together, Okita sidled up to Ikki and casually dropped this rather shocking question, nearly causing Ikki to trip.
"I… I have no idea why something like that happened! Shizuku was always so normal, so I never saw this coming…"
Ikki buried his face in his hands.
"So… was it just a peck, or was it a real kiss?"
"Please, Souji, I beg you—drop this topic."
But my curiosity is practically clawing at me!
"So, what's with Stella calling herself your servant?"
"That's just a misunderstanding. She insisted on a duel, saying the loser would serve the winner as their servant, and that no request, no matter how unreasonable, could be refused…"
Okita's amber eyes blinked in surprise as she sneaked a glance at Stella, who was walking behind them.
Ah, there she was, shooting Okita a pointed glare. Okita got the feeling that if she got any closer to Ikki, the princess would have her sword out in a flash.
For some reason, Stella found herself gritting her teeth in frustration.
"Stella, you're such a fool."
"Huh?"
Stella narrowed her eyes at Shizuku, who merely glanced at her and said, "You like Ikki, right? Doesn't it bother you to see Souji standing so close to him?"
"That's why I called you an idiot." Shizuku flicked her hair back with a confident smile. "It's obvious Ikki and Souji don't share the kind of relationship you're worried about. Neither sees the other in that way. From my observation, Ikki and Souji view each other as kindred spirits at most. In fact, I don't think Souji even sees Ikki as a man."
Back in the front of the group, Okita continued.
"So… with a princess like Stella as your servant, have you asked her to do anything for you?"
"D-do something?"
Ikki's forehead was dotted with sweat as he stammered out a response.
"You know… like…"
Okita thought long and hard, her face growing redder by the second, until she lowered her head in embarrassment and whispered softly, cheeks flushed.
"Serving… you…?"
"Serving…"
As she said it, Ikki couldn't help but recall the night not long ago when Stella had barged into the bathroom as he was showering, dressed in nothing but scanty undergarments. She had insisted it was only proper for her to help him wash up as his servant.
The memory of that incident was so mortifying that even now, just thinking about it made him blush and look away.
Since they were talking about Stella and Shizuku, neither Ikki nor Okita was speaking too loudly. This meant that while Stella and Shizuku could see their faces flushing red and turning away from each other, they couldn't hear the conversation.
Stella: "…"
Shizuku: "…"
There it was—that infuriating atmosphere of romance.
Meanwhile, Arisuin had been keeping Ayase company.
Sensing her reserved nature, Arisuin took the initiative, hoping to help her feel more comfortable with the group.
But just then, Stella and Shizuku seized him by the arms and dragged him over to Okita.
"What's up, Alice? You look kind of… nervous."
"Haha… well…"
Arisuin smiled awkwardly as he met Okita's puzzled gaze.
Just moments before, Stella and Shizuku had cornered him, saying—
"Alice, go on! Use your charm to win Souji over!"
"Exactly! That way, she'll stop seducing Ikki."
Both had thought it was a great idea and, well, ignored his opinion on the matter.
As a result, the usually calm, sociable, and perceptive Arisuin found himself uncharacteristically tongue-tied.
Especially when he met Okita's gaze, he felt as though her clear, amber eyes were scorching his conscience.
By the time the group arrived at the mall, Stella was marveling at the countless displays and sparkling lights surrounding her. But as she took in the sights, something more serious was unfolding inside the building.
In the security room, where guards should have been watching the cameras, every guard lay unconscious on the floor.
Masked thugs roamed the room, each carrying a firearm.
A figure clad in a long dark-green robe entered from the hallway. The masked thugs guarding the door quickly parted to let him pass, marking his high status.
The man's face, shadowed under his hood, bore sinister dark tattoos, and beneath his wide sleeves, his left hand wore five extravagant rings. Only his right middle finger was adorned.
"Master Smile…"
One of the thugs greeted him with a bow and addressed him with utmost deference.
"What is it?"
Though he smiled, his voice was as cold and menacing as a serpent's hiss, making the bowing thug shudder.
"W-well… we were told that 'she' might be in the area. And I thought… she probably wouldn't be happy with a scheme as lowly as this…"
The hooded man's gaze turned cold, and the thug's voice grew smaller, his head lowering further.
"I was only worried… that what we're doing might displease her."
For a tense, agonizing moment, it was as if a snake were coiling around his neck, its scales pressing tighter and tighter. Just when the thug thought he might pass out from fear, the man placed an oddly gentle hand on his shoulder.
"You're not wrong to worry," he said with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. "After all, if we upset her, the Lord himself might just chop us to pieces and serve us up to her. Yes, a good point."
With that, he almost seemed like a caring, considerate boss. But the thug's face remained pale, and he dared not look up.
"But there's no need to worry." The man's tone turned deceptively smooth. "She's only here to find her sister. As long as we don't interfere with that, she couldn't care less what we do. So considerate, isn't she? Now then… did you understand?"
"Y-yes, I understand."
The man, still smiling, kept a firm grip on his shoulder like a supervisor gently guiding his subordinate.
Bang!
In the blink of an eye, a flash of fire lit up the dim room, followed by the dull thud of a body hitting the floor.
The robed man continued smiling, his hand now holding a gun, smoke curling from its barrel.
"Well, at least now you understand fully."
He looked around, noting the fear that settled over every thug in the room. Though each held a weapon, none dared to meet his gaze.
"Questioning my decisions is good—it shows initiative. But…"
In the shadow of his hood, his eyes glinted with a chilling, snake-like gleam.
"That doesn't give you the right to doubt my choices."
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