Bang!
The car door slammed shut as Tohka Matsubara, sitting in the driver's seat, wore a scowl, making no effort to hide her irritation. Her cute face practically screamed: I'm annoyed, don't bother me!
Muxiao Xiao wasn't intimidated by her attitude. Leaning back in the rear seat, his tentacles draped over the seatback, he raised his round face. "What's with you? You look pissed. Aunt Flo visiting? Oh, wait—do tentacle monsters even get periods?"
"###!!!"
Crosses popped on Tohka's forehead as she snorted. "You're the one on your period!"
"Your simp brother ran off to see Natsumi again, didn't he?"
Simp…
"Shut up!" Tohka's face darkened further. She turned back. "Does he go to Natsumi often?"
"Otherwise, why'd I call him a simp? Tch," Muxiao sighed, as if lamenting the childhood friends' fate.
"Such a perfect pair of childhood sweethearts, now strangers. What's the point of trying to win her back after losing her?" He shook his head dramatically.
"You've got some nerve saying that. Isn't it you, Tentacle Lord, who caused their rift?" Tohka sneered.
"You've got some guts saying that, Tohka. Weren't you the one targeting Natsumi, setting up your brother to fail?"
They locked eyes. Tohka rubbed her nose awkwardly, avoiding his strange gaze, and muttered, "How was I supposed to know that idiot Houichi would catch feelings for Natsumi over this? He used to see her as just a childhood friend, and now he's crushing on her—"
What a headache.
Logically, to keep her brother to herself, she should eliminate Natsumi. But… she stole a glance through the rearview mirror at the tentacle monster playing on his phone, tentacles whipping with afterimages.
She didn't want to provoke this terrifying enemy. Just last night, he'd become even scarier.
Shaking her head to dismiss the annoying thought, Tohka started the engine and headed toward the Himegami Society's base. Muxiao swayed in the back, noticing her shaky driving and panicking.
"Hey! You sure you're okay? You drive like a total newbie!"
"So what? Even if we crash, we won't die," Tohka huffed carelessly.
"…But we'll be exposed! It's broad daylight!" Muxiao clutched his head, muttering. "What if some demon hunter or hero shows up and takes us out? I don't want to be exposed now! You felt that danger at school too, right? What if—"
"Shut up!" This guy—how did I not notice how chatty he is? She preferred the mute Muxiao—much quieter. "I was a normal high schooler a few days ago. Of course I'm not great at driving. If you're complaining, drive yourself!!"
"…"
Why's she yelling? I was just grumbling. Seeing Muxiao quiet down, looking pitifully wronged, Tohka tugged at her lips. Her feminine intuition still sensed his threat, but it clashed with his goofy demeanor.
He's got demon-lord-level power but acts like a clown?
Ugh… I kinda get why Natsumi-senpai likes him. She's right—he's kind of adorable like this.
"I heard you got tangled up with that weird woman and dumped her on Izuki. Serves you right—now you can't find a decent assistant. Izuki's pretty and capable. You're really not into her?"
"…"
"Word is you already did it with her."
"…"
"Say something!"
"Didn't you tell me to shut up?" Muxiao, in his monster form, sprawled in a Ge You slouch, gleefully checking his revamped skills and stats on his system. "As for Izuki, don't talk nonsense. I trust her so much that I gave her the critical task of watching Tomie."
Yeah, right!
Knowing Muxiao didn't trust her either, Tohka sighed and dropped it.
The car stopped smoothly in front of the organization's apartment building. Izuki stepped out, glancing at Tomie, who leisurely exited the passenger side, her lips twitching.
Opening the back door, a pair of elegant legs emerged, followed by a red-tinted black dress and blazer. Long, flowing crimson hair cascaded down, framing a resolute, stunning face—pale, but unable to hide her beauty.
Reina was dressed formally for her initiation into the Himegami Society. Leaving Nishikino Hospital, she followed Izuki to the organization's base.
Everything went smoothly, except for one hiccup: Kawakami Tomie. Even Izuki struggled with her. When picking Reina up, Tomie had mocked the hospital director's wife.
After dragging her out, Tomie demanded lobster, caviar, and truffles for lunch. Fine—Izuki took her to a Michelin-starred restaurant for an expensive meal. Then Tomie clamored for jewelry.
Even an ancestor wouldn't be this exhausting!!
Izuki was done—not with Tomie, but with Muxiao. This President I recruited dumped this troublemaker on me. I'm in for headaches.
As for Reina, she now understood why Muto went bankrupt. She didn't care about Tomie and Muto's affair—Muto was a stranger to her—but since Tomie had hurt her friend Mizuki Nishikino, Reina gave her cold looks.
She hadn't expected Tomie to be tied to the Himegami Society too.
"Miss Reina, please follow me," Izuki interrupted her thoughts. "Before meeting the President, you need to bathe and change."
Leading the frail beauty to a high-floor bathhouse, Reina's delicate body gleamed dreamlike under the water, her graceful figure and unique sickly allure inspiring both pity and darker impulses.
Izuki was pleased with her aura. Wrapped only in a bathrobe, exposing her arms and legs, Reina was led to the top floor.
The room was empty, eerily silent.
Reina had long suspected this organization was shady, but for her daughters, she gritted her teeth. "What exactly are you doing? It's just joining—why all this hassle?"
"Every member undergoes this ritual. Before we had a President, it wasn't necessary, but now, with our great President, every member must perform this special ceremony with him. Don't worry, Miss Reina—this ritual fulfills members' wishes."
"So, after bathing and changing, please sit here, burn incense, and pray. When the ritual begins, the President will help make your wishes come true."
Izuki sounded like a cult leader.
As a teacher, Reina didn't believe a single word, but belief didn't matter—she couldn't refuse.
Kneeling on a cushion, the red-haired woman watched Izuki leave, nervously touching her thin bathrobe. Suppressing her unease, she closed her eyes.
Whether praying or lost in thought, a faint incense scent wafted in minutes later. Reina's nose twitched—it was pleasant.
Under her bathrobe, her curvaceous figure began to heat up…