Vol. 5 Chapter 2 – The Treasure at the Back of the Shelf

“Amuu……”

Ookura Mina shyly spread her red lips slowly up and down.

Between those lips, something thick, hot, and slightly arched was pushed in.

“Atsu…… n, hamu…… but it is delicious.”

Mina answered without thinking, her voice melting. It was a sausage of the highest quality, far more delicious than anything she had ever put in her mouth before.

“Hamu…… n.”

Each time she slowly moved her mouth, her abundant twin mounds swayed slightly, looking rather constrained.

“Amu, amu…… gokun.”

Her cheeks flushing with embarrassment, Mina swallowed the sausage.

Eating a sausage offered by someone else using only her mouth, without using her hands, was certainly embarrassing. But more than that, what she could not stand was how embarrassing her own outfit was.

Yes, Mina was dressed as a bunny girl.

It was also white. Designed to squeeze and emphasize the cleavage from both sides, there was no fabric above the bust line. Only a collar-like choker wrapped around her neck.

Her waist was tightly constricted, and for Mina, who had a relatively fuller figure, it was a little tight. From her hips to her crotch, it was a high-cut design that was also quite embarrassing. Her soft-looking legs were covered in fishnet stockings. Naturally, a proper bunny tail was attached to her rear.

After being abducted, Mina was immediately confined in this room, but no harm had come to her. Though she had been forcibly changed by the women into this shameful bunny girl outfit…

The food, however, was all stick-shaped items like sausages on skewers, bananas, and popsicles, and she was hand-fed these by the maid herself.

For Mina, it was both humiliating and incomprehensible.

“Um… why is all the food shaped like sticks?”

Sitting down on the fluffy white carpet, Mina asked the woman offering the meal.

“It’s the Master’s preference.”

The maid only answered flatly like that.

“He has quite the unusual taste, doesn’t he?”

Mina murmured in wonder, then opened her mouth again and stuck out her tongue a little. The maid pressed the dessert against that tongue.

“Aan… hyan, it’s cold… nn…”

The strawberry milk-flavored popsicle offered as dessert was very delicious. Although, for some reason, it was already melting, so she had to lick it with her tongue or else it would spill everywhere and cause trouble…

※ ※ ※

“Don’t you think a flat-chested girl wearing a bunny girl costume is a grave insult to the greatness of large breasts?”

A man raised his voice in ecstatic delight. On the wall-mounted monitor, the image of Mina licking the strawberry milk-flavored popsicle was playing.

He was a beautiful, androgynous young man with an extravagant figure. His age seemed to be somewhere between a boy and a young adult. He had thin eyebrows, long eyelashes, and wide, striking eyes—his well-proportioned face could easily pass for that of a beautiful girl.

He wore a mischievous smile on that well-shaped face as he relaxed deeply into an expensive-looking leather sofa.

The dress shirt beneath his vest had, for some reason, the top three buttons undone, leaving his chest plainly exposed.

“The reason is simple. The bunny girl costume leaves the chest open to show off the cleavage of breasts. But flat-chested girls have no such cleavage. Even if they did, it would only be a shallow, shallow valley that makes the viewer feel sad and lonely rather than delighted. No one would want to look at something so unappealing. That is why a flat-chested girl wearing it is an insult to the magnificent bunny girl costume that exists to display breasts.”

As he said this, the handsome youth crossed his long, slender legs again. Watching him, the man nodded deeply.

“Hmph. I thought I could never understand your peculiar tastes, but those words are worth listening to. It seems we do share one thing in common, our reverence for breasts.”

The man wearing a mask woven from golden ropes nodded. From his right cheek down to his jaw, the mask was broken and missing.

It was Meiz Galdabroeg.

He was not wearing the Shinigami attire he had shown to Kaga Ryousuke and the others, but instead a formal jacket with a slim tie, not modern but slightly old-fashioned in style.

“However, I believe I told you not to lay a hand on Ookura Mina, Count Raifan Pignaut.”

At Galdabroeg’s words, the handsome youth called Raifan shrugged his shoulders.

“You really do say cruel things. To tell me not to touch such a splendid piece of fruit. You, of all people, who know my tastes so well.”

“That is precisely why. It is true that you are safer than men who would go further, but even so, your perverted preferences remain.”

“Pervert? That’s a cruel thing to say. I only want to love beautiful things.”

With an expression of genuine hurt, Raifan placed his hand over his face and looked up at the ceiling.

“Admiring girls with large breasts is a wonderful hobby, isn’t it? And I’m merely choosing clothes that are worthy of those breasts.”

“It’s true that Ookura Mina’s large breasts suit the white bunny girl outfit very well. I’ll give you that. However, what I’m saying is that watching her being fed stick-shaped food like that and enjoying it is far too perverse.”

“I’d prefer you call it a refined taste.”

Raifan spread his hands in mock indignation.

“Refined, huh. That’s quite a convenient way of phrasing it. Hm…”

Galdabroeg cast his gaze to the side.

“Come to think of it, it seems you’ve hired a flat-chested maid, which is rare for you. I saw a maid earlier with a remarkably flat chest.”

“Oh? For you to show interest in a flat chest, now that’s unusual.”

Raifan’s face showed genuine surprise.

“No… I just felt like I’d seen her somewhere before. Otherwise, there’s no way I’d be interested in someone with no breasts.”

“Well, that makes sense. Just to be clear though, I’m not into flat-chested girls either.”

“Then why?”

“There was a shortage of maids to begin with. And there happened to be an opening for a maid endorsed by the Shinigami Maid Guild. As expected from someone with the guild’s seal of approval, she’s a highly capable maid. Aside from being flat-chested, you could say she’s beautiful.”

“I see. Still, won’t she end up running away because of your perverted preferences?”

“There it is again. Pervert. If it were anyone else saying that, I wouldn’t forgive them. But since it’s coming from you, I’ll let it slide. After all, among the ranks of 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》, there are few Shinigami whose skill and research results match yours. Even the original plan to capture the ‘Irregular’ was built on your predictions.”

“Enough with the flattery. But I’ll say this once. Don’t drag Ookura Mina into your perverted tastes. I gave my word that she would be safe. To Kaga Ryousuke.”

Galdabroeg said with irritation.

“Kaga Ryousuke? Are you saying you were defeated by a mere human?”

Raifan stood up and theatrically opened his arms toward Galdabroeg.

“And not only that, he awakened one of the 《Old Five》, 《Broken Sword Gram》, used the 《Dragon-Slaying Sword Ridill》, and even manipulated formulas?”

“Don’t play dumb, Raifan. You saw the entire battle between me and Kaga Ryousuke. More than that, you even wove your own formula into the isolation barrier I had set up for the battle.”

“Reports said you had been defeated once, so I was just being cautious. And that caution paid off—we successfully used Ookura Mina’s abduction to lure Kaga Ryousuke into the Shinigami realm. So it worked out, didn’t it?”

Raifan stepped closer to Galdabroeg and peered up into his face. Galdabroeg glared back down and spat his words.

“I despise using hostages.”

“Don’t pout. Your investigation results were taken very seriously even within 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》. I mean, we’re talking about the information that Kaga Ryousuke’s soul contains the power of 《Fafnir》—the dragon’s strength stolen by the royal family’s last descendant before the rebirth of the world shared by the《Old Five》. There’s no way that wouldn’t be taken seriously.”

After saying that much, Raifan looked at Galdabroeg with curious interest.

“To think you figured out that something like 《Fafnir》 was sealed inside the soul of a mere human like Kaga Ryousuke.”

“When I tried to steal 《Broken Sword Gram》 and touched his soul, I sensed something was off. To begin with, there’s no way an ordinary human could awaken 《Gram》. So I formed several hypotheses and simply used the opening during his first experience to examine his soul.”

Galdabroeg explained, looking thoroughly bored.

“As expected of you. There probably isn’t another Shinigami in all of 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》 with your level of knowledge and technical skill. And on top of that, you’re strong enough to be placed in a Stanza.”

Raifan clapped softly, pachi pachi, then grinned smugly.

“Although, the mission to extract that 《Fafnir》 was given not to you, but to me.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Raifan leapt back.

A murderous aura burst from Galdabroeg’s body.

“…I’d appreciate it if you didn’t direct that killing intent at a fellow comrade.”

Raifan gently wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Well, the power of 《Fafnir》 is immense. If it could be completely absorbed, even an ordinary Shinigami might gain strength on par with a Stanza. I can understand why you’d want it. Mm, too bad though. Fufu, what a shame.”

“…Do not provoke me too much. I am already filled with anger just from watching you involve Ookura Mina in your perverted hobbies.”

Galdabroeg’s voice dropped low, rumbling with threat.

“My, how narrow-minded. But you know, there’s a perfectly valid reason for Ookura Mina being dressed in that white bunny girl outfit.”

“A reason?”

“That’s right. A beautifully fitting bunny girl outfit, isn’t it?”

Raifan glanced toward the monitor.

“This Pignaut estate is protected by barriers, and even that small hut is specially warded to evade detection. But you know, our opponent is the Restall family. There’s more than enough possibility that their detection capabilities exceed the technological prowess of us in 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》. A human existing in the Shinigami realm is conspicuous enough. They might track us by sensing her spiritual energy.”

“Indeed, if there were strong evidence that Ookura  Mina was here, the Restall family would most likely dispatch a combat unit.”

“Exactly. On the flip side, if there’s no concrete proof, the current Restall main house where Kaga Ryousuke and the others rushed to can’t deploy their combat forces. That’s why I’m hiding Ookura Mina’s spiritual energy entirely.”

“What?”

Galdabroeg stared intently at Mina on the monitor.

“What are you… I see, so the bunny girl outfit has a spell formula woven into it.”

“Bingo. That white bunny girl costume has a special formula embedded in it. If someone tries to detect her with a magic technique, they’ll mistake her for a real rabbit. You get it, Galdabroeg? With this, they’ll have no choice but to accept the invitation I send.”

Raifan grinned.

“An invitation?”

“That’s right. I’m already under suspicion for being involved with 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》. So what do you think would happen if an invitation came from me?”

“I see. It’d be taken as a negotiation demand from the kidnapper, at least to that extent.”

“Exactly. And don’t we have a very reliable traitor on our side? More importantly, if Kaga Ryousuke is truly the kind of man you say he is, then he’ll definitely come barging in himself. Fufu…”

※ ※ ※

“How long are you planning to sleep?!”

“Uwoooaah!?”

Morning. Ryousuke was suddenly shouted at, right next to his ear, at full volume. He jolted up in a panic, only to see Lisara standing there in casual clothes. She had one hand on her waist and was leaning forward slightly toward the bed.

“R-Lisara…”

The moment he called her name, Ryousuke suddenly realized something. His crotch was calm. His fiery volcano had turned into a dormant one…

“O-oh right, it’s because Lisara drained me last night… I’m in this condition…”

“What’s wrong with you?”

Lisara stared at Ryousuke’s face with a suspicious look.

“My usual daily life… is gone again today. Ever since I met you, my ordinary days…”

“Ordinary?”

“Yeah, it used to be my everyday life. Losing that… this sense of loss is overwhelming.”

“…Ah, you mean Mina. Of course. She’s your childhood friend. Her being kidnapped and gone must be way harder on you than we can even imagine.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But right now, I’m just more focused on how my crotch is quiet every morning.”

“──!”

Lisara’s shoulders twitched.

“To put it simply—morning wood.”

“You didn’t need to say itttttt!”

After shouting, she slumped and dropped her shoulders, then let out a sigh.

“Jeez… look, it’s already ten in the morning.”

“Crap, I’m late for sch—wait, no I’m not.”

Saying that, Ryousuke closed his eyes. He had to rescue Mina. Quickly—before it was too late.

That was why he had come all the way here, to the Shinigami realm.

“Originally, I should be enjoying my summer vacation around now…”

Between Galdabroeg’s attack and Mina’s kidnapping—there wasn’t even a fragment of summer vacation vibes to be found.

“Come on, get up already.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Mina’s waiting. There’s no time to be taking it easy.”

As he got up, Ryousuke scratched his messy bedhead.

“But first, how about heading to the washroom?”

Lisara pointed to the door in the corner of the room that led to the bath and toilet.

Come to think of it, with everything that happened last night, he hadn’t had the chance to take a bath.

“Don’t worry about Mina. It looks like my Mother is already making her move. So first, get yourself properly ready for the day. Then, make sure to eat a proper breakfast. If you don’t, even things that should go well might fall apart.”

“…You’re right. That makes sense. Alright, first, I’ll take a shower.”

“Good. That’ll wake you up.”

Lisara nodded.

“Still… a room with its own bath and toilet, this place is really luxurious.”

Watching Ryousuke get down from the bed, Lisara gave a wry smile.

“There’s even a walk-in closet, you know.”

“What the heck is that?”

“Hmm… it’s a room for storing clothes, I guess. You know, for guests who bring multiple coats or dresses.”

To be honest, even with her saying『you know』, Ryousuke didn’t understand at all. When it came to summer clothes, he only had like… a few T-shirts!

Thinking that, Ryousuke opened the door and stepped into the washroom.

“What the hell is this…?”

It was not only spotless, but also spacious.

He had expected something simple, with a toilet and a small bathtub next to a basic sink, but the bath visible through the glass door was definitely bigger than the one at his house. The bathroom was made of something like marble, and the attached mirror gleamed brightly.

Feeling a little overwhelmed, Ryousuke took a shower and wiped his body with a fluffy towel. Then, using a toothbrush that was definitely not disposable, he brushed his teeth. Once he finished his entire morning routine, he stepped out of the washroom and let out a groan to Lisara.

“This really is a royal lady’s house, damn…”

“Well, sort of.”

Lisara gave a sheepish laugh. For some reason, she was rolling a cart along with her.

“Sit here.”

She stopped the cart next to the sofa and told him.

“Huh?”

Ryousuke obediently sat down on the designated sofa. The sofa wrapped softly around his body. As he was quietly moved by the sensation, Lisara began placing dishes on the table.

“Let’s see…”

With practiced ease, Lisara laid out scrambled eggs, croissants, a teapot, and the rest of a full breakfast.

“Hey, can I ask the thing that’s been bugging me the most right now?”

Ryousuke asked as he kept his eyes on Lisara while she worked.

“What’s bothering you?”

Standing beside him, Lisara gently poured him a cup of black tea.

“What are you doing, Lisara?”

“What do you mean? I’m preparing your breakfast.”

“Why?”

“Mother, Kyuru, and I all got up properly and already finished breakfast ages ago. Eating alone in the dining room would be kind of lonely, wouldn’t it? That’s why I’m reluctantly—yes, reluctantly—keeping you company.”

Lisara emphasized the word reluctantly as she replied.

“Ah, um… well, this is just my imagination, but…”

“Imagination?”

“In a big estate like this, wouldn’t maids be the ones doing stuff like this? Like last night, around Almeia-san, there were those maids—Urs-san and the others, right?”

Those two maids had moved briskly and efficiently. But this morning, he hadn’t seen a single maid.

“What, are you saying you prefer Urs and the others over me?”

Lisara, standing beside him, shot a sharp sideways glare.

“I didn’t say that.”

“Then it’s fine.”

“It’s just…”

“Just?”

“This kind of feels like…”

“Feels like what?”

“Like you’re… like you’re being a really nice girl or something!”

“I’m always nice, thank you very much!”

Lisara shouted, not even giving a beat before cutting in. Ryousuke shot back immediately.

“Lies!”

“…Even if we go back to the human world, I’m not making you any more lunches.”

“I’m sorry!”

Ryousuke immediately bowed his head deeply. Without a shred of pride.

“Ugh, is that really something to bow that deeply over?”

Lisara sat across from him on the opposite sofa, poured tea into her own cup, and looked curiously at Ryousuke, who was still bowing.

“Of course it is!”

He snapped his head up and answered with conviction.

“R-Really?”

“Absolutely! Listen, Lisara. Getting a homemade lunch from a girl and bringing it to school—that’s a guy’s dream. That alone makes you part of the winners in life. It’s a sacred privilege that must be protected at all costs!”

“R-Really now…”

Lisara answered, a little dumbfounded.

“Hell yeah! Even if there are hidden motives or anything like that behind it!”

“It’s not like I have… any hidden motives or anything…”

Lisara mumbled something under her breath.

“Hmm?”

“Eh, no, it’s nothing. Anyway, if you don’t eat soon, it’ll get cold.”

Lisara shook her head lightly and smiled.

“Yeah, true. You went out of your way to get this ready, Lisara. Alright then, itadakimasu.”

Ryousuke gave a small bow and began eating his breakfast.

“By the way, I didn’t make that—it was the chef.”

“Chef… oh, so you have a personal chef, huh? Damn, this is a whole world beyond anything I ever imagined…”

“Obviously, it should taste better than anything I make.”

At Lisara’s pointed remark, Ryousuke closed his eyes slightly.

“Hmm…”

“What is it?”

“Well, you say that, but the food you make is seriously good too, Lisara.”

“──!”

“What’s wrong?”

“S-shut up! Just hurry up and eat already!”

For some reason, Ryousuke got scolded. Though despite acting mad, Lisara was in a good mood for a while afterward…

※ ※ ※

“Is it true you’ve found something out about Mina?”

After breakfast, Ryousuke, having been summoned by Almeia, rushed into the designated tea room with Lisara.

“Oh my, rushing in like that won’t change anything, you know?”

Almeia slightly widened her eyes, then slowly brought the teacup to her lips.

“Y-yeah, Ryousuke. Running through the halls is against the rules—whether at school or at home.”

Behind him, Lisara was panting heavily from exertion.

Even so, when he heard that there was something to discuss about Mina, he couldn’t help but hurry. He’d pushed Lisara to guide him quickly, and they’d run the whole way here.

“Please, Ryousuke-sama, Ojou-sama, right this way.”

Urs pulled out the chair opposite Almeia. A tea set was already placed there.

“Thank you, Urs. Ryousuke and I will have milk tea, please.”

Lisara sat down with practiced grace. As for Ryousuke, he had no experience being attended to by a maid and found himself momentarily flustered.

“U-uh…”

“Ryousuke, just sit normally. It’s fine.”

Lisara chuckled softly.

“O-oh… thank you very much.”

Ryousuke bowed his head to Urs, unintentionally slipping into polite speech.

“Oh, you two are already here, I see.”

The door opened, and Kyuru entered with Hild holding it for her. With equally natural poise, she sat in one of the prepared seats. While she never acted like it at Ryousuke’s home, she and Lisara were both unmistakably refined young ladies here.

“Looks like everyone’s here. You see, this morning… something arrived.”

Almeia began to speak leisurely.

“Mother, what arrived?”

“Well, Lisara-chan, let’s see…”

Just as Almeia was about to answer Lisara, Urs quietly handed her an envelope.

“Oh, thank you. Here it is.”

Almeia passed the envelope to Lisara.

“Can I read it?”

“Of course. I’d be happy if you shared the contents with everyone too.”

“Understood. Let’s see… ahem.”

Lisara, for some reason, pressed her fist to her mouth and gave a small theatrical cough.

“…This is just an invitation for tea, isn’t it? Let’s see…”

She opened the envelope and quickly scanned the letter.

“To summarize, it says something like:【Since I heard you’ve returned to the Shinigami realm, and we’ve never met before, how about having tea sometime?】A new pickup line? The sender is…『Count Raifan Pignaut.』”

“…Who the hell is that?”

As soon as Ryousuke asked, Lisara shot him an openly annoyed look, clearly saying,『You’re so impatient』.

“They’re a family under the Restall house. Not particularly close relatives though…”

“That’s right. But that Raifan, the head of the family, is quite interesting, you know?”

“What do you mean by interesting?”

To Ryousuke’s question, Almeia touched her lips with her fingers and smiled as if testing him.

“Ryousuke-san, do you remember? What we talked about last night—about 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》.”

It was the kind of expression a teacher would give to a student.

“Um, if I recall… Galdabroeg belongs to that secret society, and they’re trying to destroy the balance between the Shinigami realm and the human world. Was that it?”

“Mm, full marks. Actually, Raifan-san is suspected of being a member of 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》.”

At that statement, everyone’s chairs rattled with tension.

“It’s top-secret intel from the intelligence division, so there’s no solid proof yet… but if it’s true, don’t you think this invitation is more than a little suspicious? I mean, specifically naming Lisara-chan could be a veiled threat to bring Ryousuke-san along.”

Almeia spoke with a gentle smile, even while saying something deeply unsettling.

“True. And it’s a little strange that they already know we’re here.”

Ryousuke folded his arms, and Lisara gave a slight shrug.

“That part isn’t so unnatural.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope. I mean, this estate employs all kinds of Shinigami—maids, gardeners, and more. There are quite a few spies mixed in among them.”

“…Huh?”

“Maybe calling them spies is too harsh. Let’s just say there are Shinigami with ties to various families. And with the head absent and a successor issue brewing, it’s only natural for everyone to be snooping around.”

Lisara explained this all without hesitation.

“Uh, how can you stay calm knowing that?”

“Oh, there are people I trust. Urs and Hild, for instance. And the chefs—there’s no doubt about their loyalty.”

Ryousuke saw Urs and Hild quietly bow their heads to Lisara.

“Well, and… it’s a bit iffy, but Kyuru too.”

“『Iffy』is unnecessary, Onee-sama.”

Kyuru puffed up her cheeks with a pout. Seeing that, Lisara let out a small, amused smile and sipped her milk tea.

“Now then, shall we decide? Whether or not we’ll accept this invitation.”

Almeia clapped her hands softly and looked around the room.

“If it’s from the people who kidnapped Mina, then of course we’re going.”

Ryousuke stated firmly. There was nothing to hesitate over.

“Wait, Ryousuke.”

Lisara set her teacup down.

“If we don’t have a plan to actually find Mina, then going there won’t do us any good.”

“W-Well, that’s true…Oh, right—there are lots of Shinigami in the Restall family, right? Then we should all just storm in together—”

“No, Ryousuke. Sure, there are combat squads, but I told you last night, didn’t I? Without approval from the higher-ups, we can’t mobilize the Restall family’s Shinigami. And more importantly, if we recklessly storm into one of our subordinate houses, we’ll be the ones in the wrong. We could end up losing all justification.”

“Mgh… mm…”

“Well, if we can find Mina, that would serve as strong evidence that the Pignaut family is connected to 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》. After all, Mina was kidnapped by Galdabroeg, one of their executives, and she’s there.”

Ryousuke nodded, now understanding.

“So if we can just locate Mina, the upper brass will be convinced and willing to authorize mobilizing the combat squads.”

Saying that, Lisara turned to Almeia.

“Mother, once we’re inside the Pignaut estate, do we have any way of actually finding Mina?”

“Of course. Ever since this threatening letter arrived, I’ve had Urs and the others prepare something.”

As Almeia spoke, Urs and the other maids placed three earrings on the table. They were slightly plain earrings, each set with a small red gemstone.

“Mother, what are these?”

Kyuru picked up one of the earrings and examined it closely.

“These, you see, have spell formulas woven into them.”

“Spell formulas?”

“That’s right. Originally, they were tools designed to catch royal family members who kept running away.”

“Royalty running away? To be caught?”

Ryousuke muttered in disbelief.

“She was obsessed with girls, you see… constantly sneaking off to town and, well… peeking and other such problems…”

A most disgraceful royal.

“In any case, these earrings were created to track and capture royalty. Now, Ryousuke-san, what’s the distinguishing trait of royalty?”

Once again, Almeia looked at Ryousuke with a testing gaze.

“Eh, me? Um…”

It felt like being called on in class.

“Ah, royalty, unlike normal Shinigami, have spiritual energy in their souls. That’s it.”

“Mm, correct. Yes, royalty have spiritual energy in their souls, just like humans. In other words, these earrings have spell formulas woven into them that search for souls containing spiritual energy. And the magic is powerful enough to work even through crude barriers.”

In other words, even inside a Shinigami-filled estate, they would be able to detect Mina’s presence.

“Though… the detection range is only about ten meters or so.”

Almeia muttered with a sigh, but Lisara nodded firmly.

“Then it’s decided—we’ll accept Pignaut’s invitation. We’ll go in, create a bunch of excuses to move around the estate, and search everywhere. That way, we’ll definitely find Mina.”

“Yeah, you’re right. We just have to search the whole place, top to bottom.”

Ryousuke nodded as he clapped his right fist into his left palm.

Watching the two of them, Kyuru let out a sigh.

“You’re both far too carefree… Do you even realize how big a Count’s estate is, even if you’ve never seen Pignaut’s?”

“Ugh…”

Lisara groaned.

“Also, saying you’ll come up with excuses and search around… under normal circumstances, something like that wouldn’t be allowed. And besides, there’s no way they’d let guests they invited wander around without assigning a maid to follow them.”

“Ah…”

Lisara groaned again.

“In that case, how about we accompany them?”

Urs quietly offered a suggestion.

“Oh, since we’re maids, we’d probably have more freedom to move than Lisara-sama and the others.”

Hild nodded, but Kyuru shook her head firmly.

“That won’t do. There’s a high chance we’ll be walking into enemy territory. Bringing along Shinigami without combat ability would be far too dangerous.”

“But still—”

Urs tried to insist, but Lisara held up her hand to stop her.

“Kyuru’s right. If they really are the ones who kidnapped Mina, there’s even a possibility that Galdabroeg will be there. We can’t bring Urs and the others with us.”

“In that case, it’s fine if I go, right?”

At Ryousuke’s words, Lisara and Kyuru exchanged glances and, in perfect sync, looked at him with a unified, “Haa?”

“What? If Galdabroeg’s there, wouldn’t it be better if I was too? I mean, I’ve already beaten that guy twice, you know?”

…Mostly thanks to 《Gram》, though.

“Listen, the whole point is that you’re the target, Ryousuke. If you just waltz in there, they’ll catch you instantly and it’ll be over.”

“Exactly. Kyuru and the others should go speak with them while you stay behind, Ryousuke-san.”

Lisara and Kyuru said it in rapid succession.

“No way. Mina got kidnapped because of me. So how could I just stay behind and do nothing? I can’t stand the thought of someone getting hurt because of me—especially not Mina.”

“I get how you feel, Ryousuke, but…”

Lisara shook her head.

“Hmm… but if Galdabroeg really is there, then Ryousuke-san being present would definitely be a big help.”

“Mother, what are you saying now?!”

Lisara glared at Almeia.

“…Oh! Kyuru has just had a flash of brilliance. A perfect two-birds-one-stone solution!”

Kyuru confidently looked around at everyone.

“Two birds… One of them is Ryousuke, obviously, but what’s the other problem?”

“Lisara Onee-sama, are you surprisingly forgetful, or is your head just too full of thoughts about Ryousuke-san?”

“Kyuru, I’m really not in the mood for that kind of joke right now.”

“Oh my, that wasn’t a jok—well, fine.”

Under Lisara’s sharp glare, Kyuru got back to the point.

“If it’s the Ryousuke-san I know, no matter what we say, he’ll end up going to the Pignaut estate with us anyway.”

Ryousuke nodded without hesitation—of course he would.

“So, the first thing is a method for Ryousuke-san to infiltrate the Pignaut estate without being recognized. The second is a way to create conditions that allow us to move around enough to search for Mina-san. And this Kyuru has thought of a brilliant plan that solves both at once!”

Don! Kyuru thumped her chest. Her breasts, unusually large for her age, bounced softly.

“The answer is: as maids.”

“Haa?”

Lisara raised her voice in disbelief and threw a look that clearly said, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ The sentiment was likely shared by everyone in the room. But Kyuru didn’t flinch and confidently continued her explanation.

“Aunt and Lisara Onee-sama will go to the Pignaut estate as guests. Meanwhile, this Kyuru and Ryousuke-san will accompany them… as their attending maids. Like Urs mentioned earlier, maids can move around more freely than guests. If we can also prepare maid uniforms that match those worn at the Pignaut estate, then it’s perfect. Yes, yes, very solid plan!”

Kyuru nodded over and over, clearly satisfied with herself.

“I see… As a basic idea, it’s a good plan. But there’s one thing I absolutely cannot overlook. May I?”

Lisara narrowed her eyes.

“What is it?”

“You seriously intend to put Ryousuke in a maid outfit? I don’t know how Ryousuke feels about that, but I, for one, have no desire to see him cross-dressed.”

“I don’t wanna dress like a girl either!”

Ryousuke instinctively snapped back.

“Oh good. I was starting to worry you had every possible perverted fetish under the sun.”

“H-Hey now…”

“Fufufu, in that case, there’s no problem. Have you forgotten the feminization spell that Iria-san cast on Ryousuke-san?”

At Kyuru’s words, a rush of traumatic memories surged through Ryousuke’s mind…

To stop the flow of spiritual energy to Lisara, Iria had cast a transformation spell that turned Ryousuke into a girl. Thanks to that, he lost his manly parts and was stuck in a half-dead, half-aroused state, even when subjected to erotic stimulation. To top it all off, he ended up being chased around by his upperclassman Tamano Hikaru (♂)—.

“Uu… uhh… uuuugh…”

Ryousuke clutched his head and shook it from side to side in refusal. His whole body was clearly protesting—no more feminization. But that sentiment reached no one.

“That might actually be a solid plan, but if I recall correctly, didn’t that spell make it so Ryousuke couldn’t use 《Gram》?”

Lisara offered a half-acknowledging, half-skeptical reply.

“That’s not an issue. I’ve already analyzed Iria-san’s spell.”

Kyuru gave a proud little ehen and lifted her nose confidently.

“You analyzed the residual traces of the spell on Ryousuke? I’m honestly impressed… Kyuru, you really are good at this kind of thing.”

“Well, it was originally for a report I need to submit when I return to Shinigami School.”

Kyuru was currently on leave from the Shinigami school she had originally attended in order to operate in the human world.

“So if you’ve analyzed it, that means you can modify it?”

“Exactly. The feminization spell works by using the image of a woman that exists in Ryousuke-san’s subconscious and reshaping him based on that. The effect is originally supposed to only alter appearance and not affect the soul. Iria-san had modified it to also feminize his soul, but if we slightly reduce the effect, we can make it so that only his body changes while keeping his soul male.”

Kyuru explained fluently. Both Lisara and Almeia nodded along, fuhn funh, impressed.

“And if we add some camouflage magic so his soul doesn’t register as human, the infiltration problem is solved too, don’t you think?”

The decision to feminize Ryousuke marched forward… without regard for his own wishes.

“Oh my, Ryousuke—are you against it?”

Lisara, quick to notice Ryousuke’s darkened, brooding expression, grinned as she spoke.

“I mean, just think about it…”

“You’re not seriously saying you’d refuse when it’s for Mina, right?”

Stab. She had struck where it hurt most—there was no way he could argue back now.

“Fiiine! I got it already! Maid, girl, whatever—I’ll do it!”

Driven by desperation, Ryousuke shouted. And then, he added:

“Kyuru! I’ll become a hundred times more maid-like than you! I’ll become the Maid King!”

“Whether you’re more maid-like than Kyuru or not, I think the correct term would be Maid Queen, wouldn’t it?”

Ryousuke was calmly shot down.

“You’re so mean…”

“Hmmm, well, it looks like the overall direction is mostly settled now.”

As Almeia said that, she leaned over and whispered something to Urs. In response, Urs began typing rapidly on a typewriter-like machine at the corner of the room. Hild, meanwhile, swiftly opened a large hidden door in the wall.

Behind it was what unmistakably looked like a monitor screen.

“Could you get me Shigeil of the Zeria family?”

“Yes, I’m calling him now.”

Urs replied immediately.

“Do you need something from Father?”

Kyuru asked Almeia. Now that Ryousuke thought about it, Kyuru’s full name was Kyuru Zeria.

“Shigeil—is that your dad?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Kyuru nodded without hesitation.

“Shigeil-san is also the head of the Restall family’s intelligence division. That’s why we’ve had him investigating Raifan Pignaut since this morning.”

“Sounds… pretty important.”

Ryousuke looked at Kyuru’s face, reacting to Almeia’s explanation.

“Of course he is. He married Saila Restall, who’s my mother and Lisara Onee-sama’s aunt. His rank in the Restall family is quite high.”

Kyuru puffed her chest out proudly.

Almost simultaneously, a face appeared on the monitor.

“Father!”

Kyuru called out reflexively. Displayed on screen was a gentleman who looked like a silk hat would suit him well. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a cross-tie fastened crisply at his collar, giving off a strict and proper impression.

“Shigeil-san, thank you for your time.”

As Almeia spoke her thanks, the man on the monitor—Shigeil—lowered his head deeply.

『Not at all. It wasn’t much trouble.』

Shigeil replied in a serious tone.

“Father, it’s been a while.”

『Kyuru, it’s good to see you again.』

Though he only spoke briefly in response to Kyuru’s greeting, his stern expression melted into a warm smile. It was obvious—he was a major softie for Kyuru.

『Ahem. Now, about Raifan Pignaut.』

Noticing he’d smiled too much, he cleared his throat and returned to his serious demeanor.

『Raifan Pignaut has already been under surveillance by our intelligence division for some time. As such, we’ve accumulated a considerable amount of information. I’ll now report what seems to be most relevant.』

Shigeil glanced down at the materials in his hand.

『Raifan Pignaut. In Shinigami realm years, he is sixteen.』

Ryousuke’s ears perked up. Younger than expected. Could this be… the ideal scenario? A beautiful girl head of the household, instantly falling in love with him at first sight? Was such a dreamy development not only possible—but destined?

No. It should be. Save Mina, and while he’s at it, win the heart of a beautiful girl. That would be the classic route, Ryousuke thought to himself.

『He’s male.』

Deflate. Ryousuke’s wild fantasy disintegrated like mist.

『His parents and grandparents all passed away early, and he was raised by his great-grandfather. That great-grandfather died last year, and Raifan became the head of the Pignaut family. This much, I believe, Lady Almeia already knows.』

“Yes, I was present at the succession ceremony. He was a rather androgynous handsome young man.”

『Perhaps because of that… he seems to have somewhat troublesome tastes. He is extremely fond of women, and after taking over the estate, he dismissed all the male staff and employed only females.』

As a fellow man, Ryousuke felt a small spark of camaraderie.

『As a Shinigami, he is technically in a lower grade than Lisara-sama, but he holds a first-class certification. Despite poor conduct and lack of seriousness, which hurt his academic record, reports confirm that his abilities are genuine.』

“Any progress on confirming ties with 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》?”

『Regrettably, no. While we suspect ties dating back to his great-grandfather’s generation, no definitive evidence has been obtained.』

Shigeil bowed his head apologetically. He truly did seem rigid and earnest. Without a doubt, Ryousuke figured, they probably wouldn’t get along.

“I see. Well then, Shigeil-san, as I mentioned this morning, we’ve decided to accept the invitation after all.”

As Almeia said this, Shigeil raised an intrigued brow.

『So you and Lisara-sama will personally conduct the internal investigation?』

“There will be Kyuru-chan and one more joining us too, you know.”

『Understood. I will then trace the ring you always wear, Lady Almeia, as a marker. In addition to your position, all conversations will be transmitted to us. Once sufficient evidence is collected, we’ll teleport in the intelligence division’s strike team, 《Short Sword Scramasax》.』

While listening to the exchange between Shigeil and Almeia, Ryousuke jabbed his elbow into Lisara’s side.

“Hyann!”

Lisara let out an unexpectedly sultry yelp, turning bright red as she glared at him.

“What was that for?!”

“Ah—no, I just wanted to ask what that 《Short Sword Scramasax》 thing was.”

“There are better ways to ask, you know… 《Short Sword Scramasax》 is the intelligence division’s combat team. Every member is a Rune Master—a Shinigami who can use spell formulas.”

Lisara folded her arms and answered with a side glance.

“Then, that teleportation thing is—?”

“Shigeil Oji-sama meant teleportation, as you’d call it in the human world. The Restall family stores a massive amount of Spirit Money at their core treasury. That’s what they use to instantly send a team to their destination. There aren’t many Shinigami organizations capable of that, you know? For example, Melro would never be able to pull it off.”

“I see… So basically, if they figure out Mina was kidnapped or if someone’s confirmed as a member of 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》, that 《Short Sword Scramasax》 team will bam! teleport in to help.”

“Exactly.”

“Wait, what about barriers and stuff?”

Ryousuke recalled the battle with Galdabroeg. The enemy always used barriers to keep others from interfering.

“That’s what the Restall family’s Spirit Money is for. Even if there’s a barrier, they can forcefully smash through it.”

“…Got it.”

Ryousuke thought it wasn’t exactly subtle… but swallowed the comment.

Looking at the screen—

『Then, please give us further instructions later regarding the detailed procedures.』

With a self-assured grin, Shigeil concluded and bowed his head. The screen then cut off.

“Well then, that leaves us with one last problem.”

Lisara looked Ryousuke straight in the eye.

“What?”

“You said you were going to become the Maid King, but being a maid isn’t some sweet fantasy, you know?”

Ryousuke could see Urs and the others nodding solemnly behind her.

“So after you’re turned into a girl, you’ll undergo special training to at least learn the bare minimum behavior expected of a maid. You’d better be prepared.”

“Heh heh heh…”

Ryousuke chuckled.

“What’s with that laugh?”

“I said… bring it on.”

Ryousuke clenched his fist with determination.

‘Maid training. That means living closely with maids. In other words, eating meals with maids──’

“Changing clothes with maids… using the girls’ restroom with maids… girl talk with maids… yuri-yuri with maids… sleeping in the same room with maids… maybe even the same bed… and wiping the floor with a rag alongside maids… watching the maid’s butt from behind while wiping the floor… M-M-M-MUHHAAAA──────!”

…The air suddenly felt cold. Or rather, the glares were painful.

“Huh? What?”

It wasn’t just Lisara, Kyuru, and Almeia.

Ryousuke timidly glanced around the room.

Urs was making an X with his arms in front of his face. Hild was looking at him like he was the most disgusting thing she’d ever seen.

“Oh…”

“Umm, before we even begin training… the instructor’s already rejecting you…”

Lisara drooped with a heavy sigh.

“Haah… It can’t be helped. Kyuru will teach you the basics, at least.”

Kyuru muttered with a deep sigh, and thus, Ryousuke’s maid instructor was decided.

※ ※ ※

In the room they had prepared for him, Ryousuke slowly opened his eyes.

“Mhm mhm, splendid! A beautiful girl through and through, Ryousuke-san.”

Kyuru, now dressed in a maid uniform, handed Ryousuke a mirror.

Ryousuke stared into it, looking at his reflection. Just as Kyuru said, the girl reflected there was someone who, out of a hundred people, all hundred would declare, “She’s a total beauty!”

Glossy black hair, soft and gentle yet large eyes, long lashes, and pale pink lips. His height had dropped a bit from when he was male — probably somewhere in the mid one-sixty centimeters. His arms were slender, his thighs plump but not overly so. A narrow waist, and though his butt wasn’t particularly big, it had just enough presence to draw the eye.

And above all — the chest. So full it looked ready to burst out of a man’s shirt.

Yes, this was exactly the kind of girl Ryousuke had always dreamed of.

“It’s different from last time, right? This time《Gram》shouldn’t be suppressed. Can you tell?”

As Ryousuke blankly stared into the mirror, Lisara gave him a small kon tap on the head.

“Eh… ah…”

Ryousuke tried calling《Gram》several times in his mind.

But there was no reply.

Back when Iria had forcibly turned him into a girl,《Gram》had roared in resistance before eventually fading away. This time, though, he hadn’t heard anything like that.

“There’s no reply from《Gram》, but I don’t feel like it disappeared either.”

“Hmm… then maybe it worked.”

Lisara crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly.

“Lisara-chan, you should be able to summon《Gram》, remember?”

“Ah…”

At Almeia’s words, Lisara let out a small voice and nodded, a little embarrassed.

“Well, yeah. Even if it’s stabbed into me, you’re the contract holder.”

“Uu… I didn’t realize…”

Pouting slightly, Lisara placed her hand on Ryousuke’s chest… and sighed.

“…They’re huge… What is this… this completely unconvincing feeling…”

Lisara looked down at her own chest — incredibly flat — and bit her lip in frustration.

Ryousuke quietly called her name.

“Lisara.”

“What is it, Ryousuke?!”

Her eyes looked like she was ready to bite his head off.

“Lisara, I admit it. I love big boobs. But you know… I love all the boobs in the world. Lisara, your boobs are also… more than adequately charming.”

“…Haaaaaaaaaahhh…”

Lisara let out an incredibly long, heavy sigh.

“What now?”

“Enough already. Hearing that from you, right now, is just miserable. And anyway, I… I believe I’m still going to grow.”

“Really, though?”

“Of course I will! I have to! I mean… my mother’s are huge! At the very least, I believe I’ll reach one-third of those!”

“Yeah well… holding onto hope is a good thing.”

“Grrrghhh…!”

Lisara groaned in frustration.

“Aaah, geez—anyway,《Gram》, answer me!”

She shouted. And with a thump, Ryousuke felt《Gram》pulse within his soul.

“Hmm… good. I can make contact with it just fine. With this… fufu.”

Lisara turned to Ryousuke with a mischievous smile.

“W-What?”

“It means I can suck out your lewd spirit energy anytime I want.”

“Wait, hold up! I just got drained last night, I’m still in recovery! If you drain me now, I won’t just dry out—I’ll turn to dust!”

“Yes, yes, I understand. Of course I do. Even your maid daydream earlier was, for you, relatively tame. Buuuut… ufufufu, if you try anything funny, you know what’s coming, right?”

“Ugh… I’ll behave.”

He felt like a frog being stared down by a snake…

“Alright, alright, that’s enough. I’ll be changing into my maid uniform now, so Onee-sama, Oba-sama, please leave the room.”

Kyuru clapped her hands together while pushing Lisara out of the room.

“Why do we have to leave? Ryousuke may look like a girl right now, but it’s not like it matters if we see him change, right?”

Lisara raised her voice in protest. But Kyuru shook her index finger left and right in front of her face, rejecting the protest.

“You just don’t get it, do you, you two? Ryousuke-san and I are going to become maids now. Which means, you two will be our masters. Would a maid ever change clothes in front of her master?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but… you don’t have to go all out with the maid roleplay from the moment of changing clothes…”

Lisara tried to push back, though clearly feeling the pressure.

“Besides, Ryousuke-san’s training period is going to be very short. If we don’t go full-on Spartan mode from the soul out, there’s no way we’ll make it in time.”

“Ugh… fine, I get it.”

Shut down firmly by Kyuru, Lisara reluctantly left the room with Almeia.

“…Hmm?”

Ryousuke placed a hand on his forehead, thinking. Something felt off.

“Is something the matter, Ryousuke-san?”

Kyuru peeked into Ryousuke’s face.

“Ah… wait a second.”

“What is it?”

“Kyuru… you don’t need to be here either, do you?”

There wasn’t really any reason Kyuru needed to be present while he was changing. Even if he was in a female body, being seen changing by the opposite sex still felt embarrassing.

But Kyuru just scoffed through her nose.

“Fufu… Ryousuke-san… you truly understand nothing.”

“What now?”

“Do you even know how to put on a bra?”

“Eh… uh, don’t you just… stick your boobs in it?”

“Haaaa….Completely hopeless.”

Kyuru shook her head in disbelief.

“Kh… I’ve trained myself to undo bras with the Air Bra Remover Technique… but I never thought I’d need to put one on.”

“And this maid uniform fastens in the back… do you have any experience with that?”

“Beyond T-shirts and dress shirts… not really…”

“Fufufu, Ryousuke-san. Don’t you have something to say to Kyuru?”

“Ugh… if only I had a crossdressing fetish, I wouldn’t be in this mess…”

Ryousuke groaned.

“Now, now, there’s nothing to be afraid of, you know?”

“Kyuru-sensei, I humbly ask for your firm and thorough instruction.”

Ryousuke bowed deeply to Kyuru.

“First, take off those men’s clothes.”

Prompted by Kyuru, Ryousuke casually pulled off his T-shirt.

Bururururururun! His breasts bounced. The large breasts that had been tightly squished under the shirt were suddenly set free. What was this… this incredible sense of liberation?

“──!”

Ryousuke caught a glimpse of his own chest and hurriedly averted his eyes to the ceiling.

“What’s the matter?”

“Well, I mean, look, bare boobs… they might be mine, but I’m a girl now, and they’re bare boobs!”

“Well yes, they are part of your body.”

Kyuru looked exasperated.

“You say that, but they’re girl’s bare boobs! If I stare at them this intensely, my heart might literally explode! And don’t forget, at the tips of those sacred mounds… lie the pink treasures! And those treasures—you can’t just gaze upon them. You must purify yourself with things like cleansing rituals and meditation! Otherwise, the shock is too great, and boys will die! You’ll die from boob overload!”

Ryousuke delivered his impassioned speech straight from the depths of his soul.

But it didn’t seem to reach Kyuru.

“…………”

Rather than exasperation, her gaze now resembled that of someone witnessing a phenomenon beyond comprehension.

Ryousuke, however, paid her no mind as he sank into further anguish.

“But… to see bare boobs… to touch, to pinch… this is a rare and sacred opportunity…”

Gulp. Ryousuke swallowed hard.

“Yes. It’s in the panties…!”

Within the panties lies El Dorado. The El Dorado that every man seeks…

“Alright, here I go! Into the panties—my hand! I shall insert my hand!!”

“Umm, Ryousuke-san?”

Ignored.

“OORYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

ZUBO! Ryousuke shoved his right hand deep into his own panties.

“………………”

No words.

Kyuru looked on with growing concern and finally called his name.

“Ryousuke-san…?”

“………………”

His voice—or rather, his whole body—froze.

Kyuru called Ryousuke’s name again.

“Umm, Ryousuke-san?”

“………………”

Munii. Muni-muni.

What… what is this familiar sensation?

This texture he knows all too well. Something he’s intimately familiar with.

Kyuru, genuinely worried, leaned her face in closer to check on him.

“Ryousuke-saaaan. Hellooo, Ryousuke-saaaan. Are you really dead from shock~?”

“………………One more time.”

“Huh?”

Munii. Muni-muni.

“P-P-Pa…”

“Pa? What’s with『Pa』? Are you seriously broken or something?”

“Pao───────n!”

He shouted while yanking his hand out with force.

But it got caught in the waistband of the panties… Buchin. With a tearing sound, the panties ripped and fell off.

And then—

“Eh… Kyaa──────aaah!”

Kyuru screamed and covered her face with her hands.

“What happened— Kyaa──────ah!”

Lisara, who had apparently been peeking from in front of the door, burst in, screamed just like Kyuru, and turned her face away.

“Oh my, oh dear… did something happen? Oh my, oh my my, it’s surprisingly impressive, isn’t it?”

Following after Lisara, Almeia entered the room and stared intently at Ryousuke’s groin. There it was—something dangling down like an elephant’s trunk. Yeah. That thing that boys have.

“Noooo! Don’t stare at it so directly!”

Noticing Almeia’s gaze, Ryousuke panicked and covered his crotch with both hands. There’s no way he wouldn’t be embarrassed having his thing seen.

“Mother! What is the meaning of this!”

“Yes, Aunt! Does this mean Ryousuke-san’s feminization was a failure?”

Avoiding looking at Ryousuke’s groin, Lisara and Kyuru pressed in on Almeia.

“Umm… let’s see, what was it again. There’s a word for this kind of situation in the human world, right?”

Placing her index finger to her chin, Almeia pondered. And after a few seconds—

“Ah, that’s right. This is what they call『futanari』, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yeah. That’s exactly right.”

Ryousuke answered without thinking.

“That doesn’t matter right now! Mother, seriously!”

Lisara raised her voice in frustration, still making sure not to look at Ryousuke.

“Ah, regarding Ryousuke-san’s current condition, right?

This is just a theory, but… you see, deep within the soul—In other words, the life force itself— When it came to Ryousuke-san, we modified the spell so that the feminization wouldn’t affect his ecchi soul.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Kyuru nodded while still covering her face with both hands.

“That’s probably why the symbol—the manifestation—of that ecchi soul…well, that thing ended up remaining, I suppose.”

“So, wait… does that mean my upper half is female, but the lower half is still male…?”

Still hiding his crotch with both hands, Ryousuke wept quietly.

“Gakkuri…u, uu, Ryousuke can’t get married anymore…”

“Don’t you mean become a groom?”

Kyuru interjected bluntly.

“Whichever is fine!”

Lisara snapped.

“Mother, please continue with the analysis.”

“Y-Yes. But you know, the girl part is fully there too. So that means Ryousuke-san’s lower half is hermaphroditic. You know,『futanari』, right?”

“I see. So I’ve become such a niche existence…”

“That’s your takeaway from all this?”

Lisara was exasperated.

“Well, I mean, what’s done is done, right? Besides, you’ll change me back later, won’t you?”

“…Sometimes I really think you’re surprisingly thick-skinned, Ryousuke.”

Lisara gave a bitter laugh.

“Whatever, it’s fine now. Visually, you’re completely a girl and there’s no problem. Ryousuke, hurry up and put on the panties and maid outfit.”

As she said that, Ryousuke nodded and used his left arm to cover his chest while reaching out with his right hand to grab the panties placed on top of the neatly folded maid outfit. They were, of course, women’s panties. Otherwise known as shorts.

“Eh? Wait, huh… I’m supposed to wear this?”

They were small. The fabric was ridiculously tiny. There was no way it would cover his son properly. The surface area was simply not reassuring.

But the underwear he had been wearing… he’d ripped it earlier. In other words, the only thing available now were these tiny shorts.

“You seriously want me to wear this?”

Ryousuke looked around. Lisara and Kyuru were hiding their faces with their hands, while Almeia was nodding with a big smile.

“Y-You’ve got to be kidding─────!”

Crying, Ryousuke awkwardly put on the panties using only his right hand…And then, with Kyuru’s help, he put on the maid outfit.

※ ※ ※

“Ahem, now then, let us commence Operation Turn・Ryousuke・into・a・Maid.”

In front of Ryousuke, who was now wearing a maid outfit, stood Kyuru, also dressed as a maid, puffing out her chest.

“We’re visiting the Pignaut household in three days. That means we only have today and tomorrow for maid training.”

Lisara looked up at Ryousuke while still seated in her chair.

“Exactly what I was hoping for. And the sooner we pay the visit, the better.”

To Ryousuke’s reply, Lisara gave a small nod.

“Exactly. Even if Galdabroeg gave his word, I’m still worried about Mina. It’s only natural to rescue her as soon as possible.”

“Yeah. Mina’s not involved in any of this to begin with. She must be feeling anxious right now.”

With determination, Ryousuke declared in his maid outfit like a real man. Ignoring his gallant form, Kyuru adjusted her glasses as she scanned over what looked like a training menu sheet.

“Now then, allow me to briefly explain the outline of Operation Maidify Ryousuke.”

“Why do you need glasses anyway? Is it just for the atmosphere?”

Ryousuke interjected, and Kyuru gave him a tired look.

“Non non. These glasses contain, albeit weak, a spell designed to interfere with the target’s thoughts. In other words, it hampers the act of someone seeing Kyuru and trying to remember who she is. Well, the effect is quite weak though.”

“Uh… so what does that mean?”

“It means it won’t work on people who know me well, but if they’ve only seen me once or twice in passing, it’ll prevent them from recalling who I am.”

“So it’s like an infiltration item.”

“Precisely.”

Kyuru gave a sharp push to adjust the position of her glasses. From the way she acted, it was obvious she was trying to exude a teacher-like vibe.

“Now then, I shall begin the explanation. First, regarding the roles of Kyuru and Ryousuke-san.”

“We’re both maids of the Restall family, right?”

“No, not just that. Kyuru will be attending as Lady Almeia’s servant, while Ryousuke-san will be Lady Lisara’s.”

“Ugh, I have to serve Lisara?”

“You got a problem with that?”

Lisara glared at him.

“No, not at all, milady.”

“Hmph.”

As Lisara and Ryousuke went back and forth, Kyuru watched them with an exasperated look and spoke.

“This arrangement wasn’t decided by Kyuru, but by Auntie.”

“Mother did?”

Lisara looked genuinely surprised.

“Yes. She said since Lisara-oneesama is always harsh with Ryousuke-san, the two of you already appear to be in a master-servant relationship.”

“Hold on. What the hell does that mean? So to Almeia-san, me and Lisara already look like we have that kind of dynamic? Hey.”

Ryousuke turned his gaze to Lisara. She replied with her eyes,『I wouldn’t know』, and then said aloud,

“Whatever. Let’s just get started already.”

That was her response.

“Yeah, you’re right. We don’t have much time anyway.”

“Exactly. Now then, Ryousuke.”

“Yeah.”

Don! Ryousuke pounded his chest. Even over the bra, the sensation of his breasts was… unmistakably soft…

“First is your manner of speech. You’ve got to speak properly, like a polite girl.”

At Lisara’s suggestion, Kyuru nodded.

“Indeed. That’s essential. First, change from『ore』to 『watashi』.”

“…Wa-watashi?”

So embarrassing. Somehow, this was incredibly embarrassing.

“Don’t blush.”

Lisara cut him down sharply.

“Wa…watashi.”

“Wrong.”

“Watashi…”

“Still wrong.”

“Wa, wa, watashi!”

Even Ryousuke himself could feel the strain in his voice.

“No good, totally no good. Ryousuke, do you really intend to seize the star of maids?!”

Lisara stood up forcefully and glared at him. Overwhelmed by her intensity, Ryousuke instinctively bowed his head and apologized meekly.

“I’m sorry!”

“That’s it! That’s it, Ryousuke!”

“Huh?”

“That submissive attitude. That’s exactly the kind of demeanor a first-class maid needs. Now relax. With your current state, you can do it. From the bottom of your heart, you can say『watashi』like a proper girl.”

Lisara gently took Ryousuke’s hand and held it. Ryousuke looked up at her with eyes full of emotion.

“Lisara… no, Lisara-sama.”

“Now, open your heart. There’s nothing to fear. Come on, say『watashi』.”

“Yes, Lisara-sama… nn… watashi.”

He said it slowly, then cautiously looked at Lisara’s face. A gentle smile had spread across it.

“That’s right. That’s perfect.”

Lisara praised Ryousuke with a delighted smile.

“Ahh, watashi… watashi… ahh! I’m saying『watashi』 now!”

“You really… really did your best, Ryousuke.”

Before anyone realized it, Lisara’s eyes were also beginning to well up.

“Yes, Lisara-sama! I’m not afraid anymore. As a girl, I’ll reach for the star of maids!”

“Ryousuke… no, that’s not right. Starting today, you’re Yoshiko. Yoshiko, let’s aim for that maid star together!”

“Ahh, Lisara-sama! Yoshiko is so happy!”

“Yoshiko!”

“Lisara-sama!”

The two embraced each other tightly. The beautiful friendship between girls truly does exist—Ryousuke could now declare that with pride.

“But you know, that Yoshiko-chan still has something attached down below.”

With a sneer, Kyuru spat those words out.

“…………”

“…………”

Ryousuke and Lisara froze. Then, awkwardly, the two separated from each other.

‘What the hell am I getting swept up in? This is acting, just acting. What am I doing turning into a girl from the heart?’

Shaking his head vigorously to rid himself of that feeling, Ryousuke glanced at Lisara. She was… fidgeting nervously.

‘Ughhh, what am I doing? Even if I look like a girl, it’s still Ryousuke. Why did I… hug… uwaaaah, did I seriously just hug Ryousuke? No way, no freaking way, seriously? What… no, no, no freaking way!’

Lisara bowed her head and pressed her flushed cheeks with both hands, squirming in embarrassment.

Ryousuke had absolutely no idea what that behavior meant, so he gave up and asked Kyuru.

“Hey, Kyuru.”

“Yes, Ryousuke-san?”

Kyuru looked back at him.

“What’s up with Lisara-sama? Does she have a fever or something?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

She confirmed it without a single hint of hesitation.

“…I’m joking. Haa~ honestly, it can’t be helped. Kyuru will go bring Onee-sama back to her senses now.”

Shaking her head with a good grief gesture, Kyuru walked up to Lisara.

“Onee-sama, I know you’re basking in the afterglow of that hug, but we’d like to resume the training now.”

“…Eh, ah, um…”

Lisara looked around in a daze, then hastily denied it.

“I wasn’t basking in the afterglow or anything!”

※ ※ ※

“Don’t walk with your legs spread out like that.”

Lisara’s voice rang out.

“E-Even if you say that… um, well…”

Ryousuke replied in the tone he had always fantasized maids would use.

“Watch Kyuru’s walk again.”

“Yes…”

In front of Ryousuke, Kyuru walked gracefully and quietly.

“Now, once more.”

“Understood.”

That said, maid skirts were long, and it was impossible to actually see how Kyuru was moving her legs. On the other hand, Ryousuke’s wide-legged gait was blatantly obvious even from the outside.

“Ugh, no! That’s not it! You need to walk more pigeon-toed!”

“Got it…”

Ryousuke desperately began practicing walking pigeon-toed.

“At this rate, can he really pull off the maid role…?”

“Kyuru is worried as well…”

Lisara and Kyuru groaned in unison… Hearing their voices, Ryousuke activated every last bit of maid-related knowledge stored in his brain, and continued practicing walking pigeon-toed with everything he had.

He was determined to fully become a maid. That was the fastest path to rescuing Mina!

And then, while walking pigeon-toed…Ryousuke tripped.

※ ※ ※

Two days later.

Lisara and Kyuru stared at Ryousuke with wide eyes.

“Lisara-sama, did you call for me?”

When Lisara called him, Ryousuke responded without panic and promptly stood by her side.

Above all, the aura he gave off while standing there was that of a modest, refined maid.

“I’m amazed. I didn’t think he’d transform this much.”

“Truly, Kyuru is shocked as well…”

Kyuru nodded at Lisara’s impressed words.

“It’s nothing surprising. I’ve read plenty of books about maids since long ago.”

Ryousuke replied calmly to the two, without a hint of arrogance.

“Oh really?”

“Yes. Mostly the kind meant to stimulate male sexual desire, though.”

“…I was an idiot for asking.”

Lisara held her head in her hands.

“So then, Lisara-sama. What would you require of me?”

“Require? I just wanted to confirm that you’d properly show up as a maid, so nothing in particular.”

“If there is nothing in particular, shall I offer you a massage?”

“Massage?”

Lisara gave Ryousuke a suspicious look at his suggestion.

“Yes. A maid’s duty is also to relieve the master’s frustrations. Leave it to me. With my finger technique, I shall make Lisara-sama’s night life truly wonderful.”

Ryousuke wiggled his fingers with a wakiwaki motion.

“W-Wait a minute! A real maid doesn’t do stuff like that!”

Panicked, Lisara pushed Ryousuke back.

“Hmm, as expected of someone whose maid knowledge came from erotic books… It’s impressively biased…”

Kyuru sighed deeply.

“Please, do not hesitate. All of this is for Mina’s sake. Until tomorrow’s visit is over, I intend to conduct myself as a maid in every way.”

Ryousuke declared with firm conviction.

“Ryousuke…”

Against her better judgment, Lisara couldn’t help but think that Ryousuke looked rather manly in that maid outfit.

“Now then, Lisara-sama. Please give me an order. If not, I’ll proceed with a massage.”

“I said I don’t want a massage!”

Lisara raised her shoulders in exasperation, then sighed and relaxed.

“Well, fine. In that case, I suppose I’ll give you a task.”

“Yes, Lisara-sama.”

Ryousuke responded quietly.

“I already told you where the First Archive is, right?”

“Yes, I’ve been informed.”

“There’s a book there called the Restall Family’s Gentlemen’s Register. Could you bring me Volume One and Volume Two?”

“As you wish.”

Ryousuke bowed quietly, then calmly exited Lisara’s room.

“He really does look like a proper refined maid…”

Lisara stared blankly at his retreating figure.

“Ryousuke-san, with that figure and appearance, he’s completely become a maid. Honestly, he might be more feminine than us…”

Kyuru muttered in awe and Lisara gave a sorrowful shake of her head.

“Not『might be』… I think we’ve already completely lost to him…”

※ ※ ※

The place called the First Archive resembled a library.

At the very least, it could easily rival the library of Momozono Academy that Ryousuke and the others attended. In fact, there were even dedicated staff members assigned to manage it. Though at the moment, a sign reading『Away From Desk』had been placed at the counter.

“…It cannot be helped.”

Even though no one else was around, Ryousuke spoke in a feminine tone and stepped alone into the archive.

Within a minute of entering, Ryousuke—sensed it.

Among the neatly organized bookshelves, there was one particular section with an unnatural arrangement of books. From that spot, he could feel a suspicious aura. If he had to describe it, it was the same kind of aura you’d get when visiting a friend’s house and sensing where they hid their erotic magazines.

Something is hidden here!

Ryousuke became certain of it and pulled out one of the books. Behind it, a handle-like structure appeared…

Yes, Ryousuke had realized it.

The presence of a hidden room—.

‘Tch… Should I open it? But right now, I have Mina to worry about. I don’t have time for unnecessary distractions. No, wait. The Pignaut household probably has hidden rooms too. It’s hard to imagine Mina being kept in an ordinary room. This could be good training for developing my intuition…’

※ ※ ※

“…He hasn’t come, you say?”

Lisara’s voice leapt with surprise.

Ryousuke had taken far too long to return, so she had gone to the archive herself. But the answer she received was that no maid resembling Ryousuke had shown up.

“It’s true that I did step away from the desk, but only for about ten minutes… Before and after that, no maid matching the one you described came by.”

The maid staff member in charge of the archive explained.

“What does this mean…”

Lisara fell into thought. Beside her, Kyuru—who also knew the situation—furrowed her brows.

“It certainly is strange. The only possibility I can think of is… that he got lured away by something lewd and wandered off…”

At Kyuru’s words, Lisara shook her head side to side.

“Do you really think there’s that kind of temptation just lying around in this mansion?”

“What about Auntie?”

“Mother had gone out and just came back a moment ago.”

“In that case, with Kyuru here, there isn’t a single Shinigami in this mansion capable of spreading seductive charm.”

“…Did you just intentionally exclude me from your calculations?”

Lisara narrowed her eyes and glared at Kyuru.

“…You’re imagining things.”

Kyuru calmly denied it with a composed expression.

“Well… whatever. But now I’m even more confused—ah!”

Lisara suddenly raised her voice.

“Onee-sama, did something come to mind?”

“If Galdabroeg has already made a move… then Ryousuke might be in danger.”

As Lisara said that, Kyuru immediately rejected the idea.

“Impossible. This is the main estate of the Restall family. There’s no way a Shinigami could sneak into this house.”

“You’re right… that might be true.”

“Indeed. First, we should check for a response from Gram.”

Lisara nodded at Kyuru’s suggestion.

“Right, that’s a good idea. Gram… Broken Sword Gram. Answer the call of your master, Lisara Restall…”

Then several seconds passed… thirty seconds… a full minute…

No response came from Gram.

“No good… there’s no reaction at all.”

Just as Lisara shook her head weakly—

“Oh my, so this is where you two were.”

Almeia entered the archive with Caesar, wearing her usual carefree expression.

“Mother?”

“Caesar?”

Lisara and Kyuru looked up in confusion.

“When I got back just now, I was told that little Caesar was barking up a storm… so I came looking for you two.”

“Wan!”

With a sharp bark, Caesar trotted over to Kyuru’s feet.

“Caesar, is something the matter?”

“Wan, wan! (It’s walk time!)”

Caesar looked sharply at Lisara and Kyuru, then tilted his head slightly and gave a small bark.

“Wan! (Where did my dumbass owner wander off to?)”

“That Ryousuke-san is currently missing…”

“Eh?”

Almeia raised her voice in surprise at Kyuru’s reply.

“What’s going on, Lisara-chan?”

“It’s my fault. I asked him to fetch some documents from here… but he never came back.”

Lisara’s reply was weak and filled with regret.

“Did you try using Gram to search for him?”

“Yes, but there was no response… He might have been kidnapped by Galdabroeg.”

Lisara said this without strength in her voice. And as she said it, the more she started to believe her theory might be true, her eyes began to glisten with unease.

“Galdabroeg… here in this mansion? Is that even possible…?”

“Bau!”

Caesar barked boldly.

“Wan! (Searching and tracking is the domain of us dogs and has been since ancient times. You Shinigami don’t even know that?)”

Of course, that probably wasn’t what he said, but somehow… that’s exactly how it sounded.

“…Wan! (Follow me.)”

Sniffing the floor, Caesar started walking. His figure radiated powerful leadership. Just watching his back filled everyone with a sense of reassurance.

Lisara gave a nod and followed. Almeia, unable to keep up with the situation, was gently pulled by the hand as Kyuru smiled at her.

“It’ll be fine. Caesar is truly a hero.”

Almeia blinked a few times, then nodded with a smile in response to Kyuru’s words, and walked with them.

“Wan. (It’s here.)”

Deep in the First Archive, Caesar gave a quiet bark.

“This place? It’s just a bookshelf.”

Lisara looked up and down at the tall bookcase.

“Wan! (Yeah, but the trail ends here.)”

“…Ah.”

Almeia let out a small voice and approached the bookshelf.

“Mother?”

“This is a storage area for privately tucked-away items.”

Almeia picked out a book from the shelf. Behind it, a handle appeared.

“Nothing particularly important, mind you… Just things you don’t really want seen.”

Grasping the hidden handle behind the book, Almeia pulled it. Without a sound, the bookshelf shifted backward and slid to the side. A door was revealed behind it.

“A hidden room?”

As Kyuru asked, Almeia, with practiced ease, opened the door wide.

“Yes, that’s right, Kyuru-chan. There’s a barrier in place too, so that might be why Gram didn’t respond.”

“And yet there’s not even a lock?”

Kyuru looked exasperated.

“Oh, there is one. But the things inside aren’t particularly important right now, so… I couldn’t be bothered.”

Almeia shrugged and lit the room.

Illuminated by the light, a towering pile of books came into view. As she looked up at them, Lisara asked,

“What are all these books, Mother?”

“Hmm, I guess you could say… they’re things I’m holding onto for someone.”

As Almeia answered, Caesar trotted past her on light steps.

“Wan! (No mistake. Ryousuke’s scent continues this way.)”

“Then… that means he’s in here?”

Lisara hurriedly followed after Caesar. And then, stopping abruptly—Lisara’s voice trembled with fury.

“W-What is the meaning of this, Ryousuke?”

Her fists were clenched tightly, shaking with rage. Beside her, Caesar let out a good grief sigh and shook his head.

But the one being called—Ryousuke—showed no reaction at all, absorbed in a book. Still dressed in a maid outfit, he sat on the floor, fuhn funh snorting through his nose as he continued to read voraciously.

“O-Ohhhh, whoever owns this collection… really knows their stuff. Oohh, this page is seriously erotic.”

Eyes wide as saucers, Ryousuke flipped through the book.

“Ryousuke!!”

Lisara shouted and snatched the book from his hands.

“Ahhhhh—! My treasure… Huh? Lisara? What are you doing here?”

Ryousuke looked up at her with a blank expression.

“What am I doing here?! Do you have any idea how worried we were about you?!”

“Worried? That’s kind of dramatic. I was just reading a book that caught my eye and—wait… huh?”

Ryousuke looked around himself. At least thirty books were stacked beside him. All of them… already read.

“Hah… I’ve heard books are time thieves, but these bastards really stole my day.”

“Ryoooousukeeeeeeee!!”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m really sorry! At first, I only opened the hidden room thinking it’d be good practice in case I had to search for Mina… but then, the stuff in here—it’s a treasure trove! A-A-And you know how lately I haven’t been able to read this kind of book ‘cause Lisara’s been confiscating them, so I just… I just got too into it! I’m really sorry!!”

Ryousuke dropped to the floor in a flawless dogeza, apologizing profusely. He hadn’t meant any harm.

He really did just intend to skim a little. Just a page, then another… oh, what’s next… and before he knew it, this had happened.

There was nothing else to do but apologize.

He pressed his forehead to the floor.

But what came down on the back of Ryousuke’s head… was a piercing wave of anger.

“Ryousuke, do you really think you’ll be forgiven just like that?”

Lisara’s voice fell with a force overflowing with fury.

“First, raise your face!”

Snapped at, Ryousuke jerked his head up and looked at Lisara.

“Huh? Your eyes are red, Lisara.”

“…T-That’s because dust got into them from this room!”

“Uh, I see…”

“It’s true! Seriously, it was just the dust! That’s all, okay? Tears came out because of the dust! Ryousuke, I’m telling the truth!”

And… well, with her saying that much, even the normally dense Ryousuke understood.

She’d been so worried, she cried.

Because he could sense Lisara’s feelings, Ryousuke gave her a sincere nod.

“Yeah, I get it.”

“…Hmph. If you get it, then don’t make me worry like that again.”

Lisara muttered, looking displeased. But even that reaction was so easy to read, Ryousuke couldn’t help but let out a bitter chuckle.

“What’s with that face?”

Lisara glared at him with a sulky expression.

“Eh? No, it’s my apologetic face.”

“Doesn’t look like it at all.”

Even as she said that, Lisara’s face was less angry now—more like she was pouting.

“R-Really?”

“Yes, really. And how long are you going to keep sitting there? Hurry up and stand.”

Prompted by Lisara, Ryousuke squirmed uncomfortably.

“Umm, well… that is…”

“I said stand up, already.”

“No, it’s just… I mean…”

“What is it?”

Lisara’s expression grew more and more annoyed.

“I’m already… standing.”

“…Haa?”

Lisara’s face filled with question marks.

“Well, it’s that, um, that is very energetic right now… so if I stand, the skirt’s gonna… you know, puff up.”

“…Ryousuke, what are you saying?”

“Uh, I’m saying the thing is standing.”

“The thing?”

“The thing.”

“………………”

Lisara took about ten seconds to process it. Her face still red, she turned her back to Ryousuke.

“Why are you like this?!”

“Because I was reading that kind of book!”

“That kind of book?!”

Lisara opened the book she had taken from Ryousuke.

“──!!”

Lisara froze. Seeing her reaction, Almeia let out a wry chuckle.

“My, my… Lisara-chan really is pure, after all.”

“What do you mean, Auntie?”

Kyuru tilted her head in confusion.

“Well, this whole room is filled with nothing but erotic books.”

“Haaaaaaaaaah?!”

Kyuru looked around the room in shock. The piles of books easily numbered over five hundred.

“A-All of these are erotic books!?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“W-Who in the world would collect this many erotic books? Don’t tell me… it was you, Auntie!?”

Kyuru pointed accusingly, but Almeia waved her hands like a gossiping old lady, chuckling.

“Oh come now. I don’t mind erotic things, but collecting books isn’t really my hobby.”

“T-Then who in the world collected them, Mother!?”

Lisara, finally freed from her stunned state, stepped in, confronting Almeia.

“To collect such filthy material in the Restall family’s archive… It’s unforgivable!”

“Really now, Lisara-chan, you’re just so pure. For a man, having a stash of erotic books is perfectly normal, you know?”

“Wha—”

Lisara was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Meanwhile, Ryousuke nodded along enthusiastically as if he’d finally found his champion.

“Exactly! Exactly, Almeia-san!”

Only to wilt instantly under Lisara’s killing glare. 『I’m sorry…』he muttered, shoulders slumped.

“Whoever collected them doesn’t matter anymore! Mother, you must dispose of all of this immediately!”

“Mmm, I don’t think you need to hate them that much.”

“Mother!”

Lisara pressed forward, but Almeia remained calm and composed.

“Besides, Lisara-chan.”

“What is it?”

“These are entrusted to me, so I can’t just throw them away.”

Almeia glanced around the hidden room with a troubled expression.

“There aren’t many people who would entrust things to you, Auntie.”

Kyuru tilted her head again.

“That’s true, Kyuru-chan. The one who left these books with me… was your mother, Saila-san.”

“……………………Huh?”

Kyuru’s eyes went blank.

“Auntie Saila? But she’s a clean-freak, a total neatness maniac… I can’t believe she would collect this kind of thing…”

Lisara, equally dumbfounded, murmured in disbelief.

“Lisara… everyone has a lewd soul buried deep in their heart.”

Ryousuke spoke to Lisara with a cheerful expression, but was met with a sharp glare and ended up saying, 『I’m sorry…』

“Don’t misunderstand. Saila-san entrusted this to me, but the owner is someone else, okay?”

“W-what do you mean by that?”

Kyuru looked even more confused.

“Uuum, all of these lewd books belong to your father, Shigeil-san.”

“……………………Huh?”

Kyuru’s eyes turned into dots again.

“Shigeil-sama… No way, someone so dignified…”

Lisara also muttered in a daze.

Ryousuke recalled Shigeil’s face that he saw through the monitor. He was a gentlemanly, serious-looking old man. Indeed, at first glance, he didn’t seem like someone who would own lewd books.

But still, Shigeil was a man after all.

Ryousuke suddenly felt a surge of closeness.

“Hey, Lisara. Didn’t I say that everyone has a lewd soul in their heart?”

Lisara let out a deep sigh in response to Ryousuke’s words.

“Ryousuke, even if that’s true, you’re still having a reflection meeting later.”

“…shiku shiku.” (soft sobbing)

Ryousuke could only sob quietly.

“Uuum, so Shigeil-san’s stash of lewd books got discovered by Saila-san. But even if they were to be thrown away, there’s just too many, right? If this many were disposed of at once, people would think the Zeria household is full of lewd books. So Saila-san asked me to take care of them for her.”

“What a nuisance…”

Lisara groaned.

“Come on, don’t be so harsh. I heard that Shigeil-san clung to Saila-san in tears, saying that no matter what happens, no matter what it takes, even if he falls into the dark paths of the underworld, he’ll absolutely, absolutely get them back. Maybe Saila-san felt a little guilty about just tossing them all out.”

Hearing Almeia’s story, Ryousuke collapsed face-first onto the floor. For Shigeil’s sake, he cried. Not quiet sobbing, but a firm, clear cry, as one who had tasted the same tragedy.

“Kuoooooh… what a tragedy. It doesn’t matter if it’s the human world or the Shinigami realm—right here, right now, is a tragedy that cannot be told without tears. A tragedy that almost every man experiences at least once, now on a grander scale, is right here. Kuoooooh, the tears, the tears won’t stop!!”

And right beside him—

“Uuuh… I can’t believe Father… that Father was just like Ryousuke-san…”

Muttering this, Kyuru also collapsed onto the floor.

“Kyuru…”

Lisara was about to comfort her when—

“Well, considering how extreme Ryousuke-san is, just collecting lewd books is actually kind of cute. Yup yup.”

Kyuru bounced back immediately.

“Oh my, Onee-sama, what’s wrong?”

“…I was just thinking I want to learn from your strength.”

“Haa?”

Kyuru blinked in genuine confusion, which was rare for her. Smiling wryly at the sight, Lisara took Ryousuke’s arm.

“Ryousuke, already… um, anyway, you’re fine now, right? Let’s just get out of this room.”

“Eh, already?”

Ryousuke couldn’t help showing a disappointed expression, and Lisara shot him a sharp glare.

“『Already』? You have the nerve to say that? Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?”

“Ah, no, it’s nothing! Really, nothing at all!”

“If you understand, then let’s go—now!”

Lisara yanked Ryousuke to his feet and stormed off with heavy, impatient steps.

“And Mother, please seal this room so no one can enter!”

“Oh my, but it feels like a bit of a waste, doesn’t it?”

Almeia replied airily, but seeing Lisara’s expression, she shrugged.

“Well, alright. If it got stolen, Shigeil-san would be mad at me later, so I’ll take care of it and make sure no one gets in.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Lisara gave Almeia a light bow, then dragged Ryousuke out of the room.

Though Ryousuke let out a protesting voice, he offered no resistance as he was dragged away.

“They’re so close… I’m jealous…”

Kyuru muttered, watching their backs.

“Kyuru-chan?”

“If I don’t stand in the same position as Lisara Onee-sama… then it’s no good.”

Not even noticing Almeia’s voice calling her, Kyuru continued to mutter under her breath.

※ ※ ※

“…So today as well, you’re having her eat something stick-shaped.”

Galdabroeg watched Mina, who was dressed in a white bunny girl outfit, eating a banana held by a maid, and let out a tired smile.

“Does that have any meaning to it?”

Raifan gave a slight shrug.

“Meaning? Of course it does. It’s pleasing to watch, isn’t it?”

“Still the same perverted tastes, I see.”

Galdabroeg sighed and sat down on the sofa in front of Raifan.

“Did you come just to complain today?”

Raifan furrowed his brows in annoyance.

“As if I’d go out of my way just to see your face. I brought you the enhancement ritual for that 《Binding Attire Disurard》, the weapon, the key to give the traitor, and information on 《Fafnir》.”

Galdabroeg threw a bundle of documents onto the table with a slap.

“With this key, the Restall family’s core operations will be crippled for a while, huh.”

Raifan picked up the documents and flipped through them.

“I created it myself. Even the Restall family won’t be able to undo it so easily.”

Galdabroeg answered without a hint of amusement.

“And these are your creations too, right? The enhancement ritual for 《Binding Attire Disurard》 and that axe. I’m surprised the higher-ups approved.”

“Kaga Ryousuke is an opponent strong enough to defeat me. It makes sense to give him power that matches.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll gratefully make use of it.”

Raifan smiled and tucked the documents away.

“But if I get my hands on 《Fafnir》 too, I might end up surpassing your power.”

“You’re going to give it to that traitor, aren’t you? That’s what you promised.”

“Don’t joke. Do you really think we, the 《Týr Hagal, the Hail of the Thunder God》, would give the power of the dragon 《Fafnir》 to some traitorous man? It’s just a means to stop the Restall family’s core from functioning.”

“Well, that’s true. If you block teleportation, you’ll gain the upper hand quickly with the enhanced 《Binding Attire Disurard》.”

Again, Galdabroeg responded without much interest.

“Fufufu. Not that I care about such petty power struggles. All I want is to restore the true form of the Shinigami, and be surrounded by beautiful girls. That’s enough for me.”

“If that satisfies you, I have nothing to say. Just be careful.”

“About what?”

“You invited Lisara Restall and the others, didn’t you? Then it’s likely that Kaga Ryousuke will show up, just as you planned.”

Galdabroeg placed a hand on the broken part of his golden mask.

“His will to survive is so strong, it’s worthy of respect as a man.”

Upon hearing that, Raifan gave a thin smile.

“As a man, huh. Then all the more reason I have to crush Kaga Ryousuke and extract 《Fafnir》 from his soul. A man who relies on the power of a dragon and gets carried away is anything but beautiful.”

“Do as you please. If Kaga Ryousuke gets crushed by you, then that’s all he was worth. I’ll enjoy watching your fight from this room. And once you’ve taken him down, I’ll extract 《Fafnir》 from him and hand it over to you.”

As Galdabroeg sank deeply into the sofa with a laugh, Raifan glared back at him with clear displeasure.