East Side of Little Garden, Arcadia Headquarters, inside a hall with its doors and windows tightly shut.
"L-Leticia, do I really have to wear something this embarrassing? Do you really think Su Mo will like this kind of outfit?"
Shiroyasha's shy and timid voice echoed through the hall.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Leticia, who was used to Shiroyasha's usual boisterous attitude, would never have believed she could act this way.
Anyone else who saw her would have undoubtedly commented, Why are you fidgeting and acting as shy as a damsel?
It wasn't their fault for thinking so; the change in Shiroyasha was simply that drastic. For a white-haired loli who frequently harassed other girls to suddenly adopt such a maidenly posture was enough to make anyone doubt their eyes.
At this moment, the Celestial Spirit of the Sun and White Night tuged down on the skirt of her maid outfit, her cheeks flushed crimson. She didn't seem entirely comfortable with this kind of attire.
Beneath the short skirt were a pair of incredibly smooth white stockings that complemented her slender, loli-like legs. Far from being revealing, the outfit had a rare moe style that was a stark departure from her usual image.
Seeing Shiroyasha in this uncharacteristically cute state, even Leticia was taken aback for a few seconds before she snapped out of it.
Noticing the nervous hesitation in Shiroyasha's eyes, Leticia offered a gentle, encouraging smile.
"Don't worry, Lady Shiroyasha. This adorable style suits you perfectly. I'm certain Lord Su Mo will appreciate your beauty!"
In contrast to Shiroyasha's fresh, white maid outfit and matching white stockings, Leticia, also in her loli form, wore a Gothic-style maid outfit paired with black stockings.
One loli was a blonde with red eyes and black stockings, the other silver-haired with golden eyes and white stockings. The combination was strikingly exotic; both were exceptionally rare beauties.
"Really?" Shiroyasha's eyes lit up with a hint of anticipation. "If Su Mo likes this style, does that mean I can join your daily research study group from now on?"
"..." Hearing this, Leticia's expression stiffened, and her whole body began to feel hot.
Shiroyasha, oblivious to this change, continued to dream aloud. "If I hadn't run into you two yesterday, I would have never known about this. Honestly, Leticia, you're not much of a friend for keeping it a secret."
"But since you said yesterday that Su Mo wanted to study the anatomy of vampires, based on what he told me before, he must need to research the anatomy of Celestial Spirits too, right?"
"I may be a Sun Celestial Spirit, not an Earth one, and have nothing to do with the origin of the Third Stellar Particle, but the principles should be similar. So you have to include me today! I want to have tea and chat with Su Mo, too."
Evidently, while Shiroyasha had accidentally seen the vampire sisters heading to Su Mo's room, the shielding enchantment Su Mo had set up was too powerful, so she had no idea what they were actually doing.
Don't be fooled by this loli's usually lewd way of thinking; that was just her letting loose when she was joking around. In reality, she was quite innocent.
Thus, it never crossed her mind that the two vampires were actually there to drain Su Mo's vital essence. Instead, because Su Mo had been completely open with her about his future plans, she genuinely thought he was conducting purely academic research.
That was why she had swallowed her pride today and asked Leticia to find a way to request that she join the research.
Of course, her intentions were not as pure as she made them sound. Whether she was researching or being researched, her main goal was likely just to get a head start on the other members of the chat group.
"Er, if it's just having tea and chatting..." Hearing Shiroyasha's innocent words, Leticia awkwardly averted her gaze.
A vampire's essential sustenance wasn't tea, but bodily fluids. Doing... that in front of her sister was one thing—she had more or less gotten used to it—but adding Shiroyasha to the mix would be a real test of her pride.
Then again, her and her sister's stamina combined was no match for Lord Su Mo. Having Shiroyasha there to share the burden didn't seem like such a bad idea.
Just as she was weighing the pros and cons, a small, lively vampire loli pounced on her back.
"Of course, it's no problem!"
Lamia, wearing an identical dress that made her look like Leticia's twin, sidled up with a mischievous grin. Her features were remarkably similar to her sister's; the only real difference in their outfits was that Lamia wore no stockings, opting for bare feet instead.
Three girls, three different styles, creating a fascinating contrast when gathered together.
Seeing the hopeful look on Shiroyasha's face, Lamia took over for her less-talkative sister and began to coax her.
"Besides, the study group isn't just about tea and chatter. There are things far more stimulating than that, you know!"
"More stimulating than tea and chatter?" Shiroyasha's eyes widened with excitement. "You mean, like giving Su Mo a shoulder massage or a lap pillow when he gets tired from his research?!"
"Nope, even more stimulating than a lap pillow." Lamia brought a finger to her lips with a wicked smile, signaling that it was a secret. "Rest assured, Lady Shiroyasha, your outfit will definitely make Lord Su Mo's eyes light up. As for the study techniques that follow, my sister and I will teach them to you in detail, bit by bit! When the time comes, you mustn't waste a single drop, okay? Not one!"
"Ooh! Thank you, thank you! You're the best, Lamia, my soul sister!"
Though not entirely sure what Lamia meant, Shiroyasha nodded enthusiastically, her affection for Lamia soaring. After thanking her, she scratched her head in confusion.
"But... what does 'not a single drop' mean?"
It's not something lewd, is it? she muttered to herself, then immediately shook her head. No way! How long has Lamia known Su Mo, and how long have I known him? Plus, we're both in the chat group. I'm obviously the closest one to Su Mo in this world. There's no way a newbie like Lamia could get ahead of me.
Besides, Lamia and Leticia went into Su Mo's room together. Even if Lamia had wicked intentions, she'd have to consider Leticia's feelings. With Leticia's upright character, how could she possibly accept something like that? It's not like when I knocked on the door yesterday, Leticia was on the other side... enduring it... while talking to me with a straight face, right? The level of shame would be off the charts! That's the kind of thing that only happens in manga. It could never happen in real life.
With that thought, she nodded, her mind at ease.
She conveniently ignored the meaningful silence and shared glance between the sisters when she had asked her question.
And so, playing on her naivety, Lamia naturally ignored her question and affectionately pushed Shiroyasha—who was dressed up like a present—forward, toward Su Mo.
"We'll tell you about that later today! What's important right now is showing the Master how cute you are. Go on, go on!"
Urged on by Lamia, Shiroyasha temporarily set aside her jumbled thoughts and, half-resisting, half-complying, took hesitant steps toward the center of the hall.
A sky-blue ribbon was tied at the back of her pure-white loli maid outfit, making her petite frame look like an unwrapped gift.
Meeting Su Mo's slightly surprised gaze, and egged on by Lamia, Shiroyasha bit her lip, trying her best to suppress her shyness as she recited the lines Lamia had taught her.
"Good morning, Master-nya! Would you like to have breakfast first, or a bath first, or..."
She trailed off, pausing slightly as she peeked up to gauge Su Mo's reaction.
The girl's bashful and timid posture was, in its own way, more captivating than the radiance of the sun. Especially coming from someone with Shiroyasha's personality, this fidgety shyness was a rare sight indeed.
Even Su Mo couldn't help but have a flicker of fascination in his eyes.
Noticing Su Mo's appreciative gaze, Shiroyasha's courage surged, and she finally stammered out the last line.
"...or would you like to eat me-nya?!"
BANG!
The final syllable had barely left her lips when the hall doors were thrown open with tremendous force.
Immediately after, the figure of a young girl with rabbit ears shot into the hall like a bolt of lightning.
"Lord Su Mo, we have important visitors! I hear they're 2-digit class, and they specifically asked to see you and Lady Shiroyasha—Eeeh?!"
The little Black Rabbit, rushing to deliver the message, only noticed the scene in the center of the hall halfway through her sentence.
Her gaze fell upon Shiroyasha, who was fawning over Su Mo like a cat-girl, and her expression froze. She was completely dumbfounded.
What did she just hear? The great Lady Shiroyasha was striking such an adorable pose and spouting such a rule-breaking line? No wonder the doors were shut in the middle of the day! So this is how they were planning to seduce Lord Su Mo!
But at the very moment she was fixated on Shiroyasha's rare display, she failed to notice two unfamiliar figures with powerful Divinitys who had been following close behind her, arriving in a flash.
"No need for all that trouble. Little Kurma and Shiroyasha are great friends! We don't need an announcement. Let me give this idiot a little surpri—Wha—!!!"
Staring at the scene before her, at the posture of her old friend, the silver-haired loli's expression became a perfect match for the little Black Rabbit's.
Even for a being of the Full Authority Domain, she could have never imagined that her long-awaited reunion with her old frenemy would be... like this.
Wait, is this adorable, pitiably cute loli in white stockings really that same idiot Shiroyasha from back then? This has to be wrong, right?