All of a sudden, Minamiya Natsuki's voice rang out in the room—and with her words, she appeared out of thin air in her usual seat.
"Eek—!"
Avrora jumped in fright. Before she could conjure clothes, she darted behind Shichen and hid, clutching his shirt and pressing close.
So timid.
Not that it was exactly a bad deal for him.
"Natsuki, you're back," Shichen greeted her casually, as if nothing were out of the ordinary.
"..."
Natsuki hadn't expected him to be this calm—without the slightest hint of panic.
"Aren't you going to explain yourself?"
"It's all a misunderstanding," Shichen said, hands spread.
"Um… Shichen, w-who is she?" Avrora poked her head out and studied Natsuki curiously.
"She's Minamiya Natsuki, the lady of this room."
"I see… S-so it's your room, then I requisi— eek—"
Before Avrora could finish, a single glance from Natsuki sent her squeaking and ducking back behind Shichen.
"She's No. 12?" Natsuki asked, giving Avrora an odd look.
Of course she knew the situation already; she was asking out of sheer annoyance.
Being interrogated by the higher-ups was one thing, but coming home to find Shichen alone with a naked woman? Hardly mood-lifting.
What did surprise her was that the much-warned-about vessel of the Fourth True Ancestor looked… like this.
"Yeah. Her name's Avrora."
"Avrora? Sleeping Beauty? Did you name her?" Natsuki narrowed her eyes at Shichen.
"Nope." He smiled and shook his head—her jealous look was honestly kind of cute.
"Fine," Natsuki said, schooling her expression.
"Natsuki, it's okay if Avrora stays here, right?"
"You've already brought her home—what am I supposed to say?" she shot back.
"Heh~ They didn't give you too hard a time, did they?" Shichen stepped behind her and began kneading her shoulders.
Avrora stayed close to him the whole time, still not bothering with clothes.
Shichen's massage was excellent; Natsuki closed her eyes in contentment. "How could they not? Question after question—equal parts worry and fear."
"Heh~ What did they ask?"
"They wanted to confirm your identity, of course."
"And did you tell them?"
"Not yet. I said I wasn't sure and came back to ask you."
"You don't need to cover for me. Just tell them."
"Oh? You're not afraid of anything now? Invincible?" Natsuki cracked one eye at him.
"More or less."
"Seriously?" She turned to look at him.
"I wouldn't joke about this. Remember? I don't lie to you."
"Tch."
"Believe me—even if the other three True Ancestors showed up, I could handle it," Shichen said with confidence.
"Don't get cocky. They've lived a long time. Who knows what trump cards they have?"
"Fair point. Alright, I'll do as you say."
"Better. Now go brew me a pot of black tea."
"On it~"
"W-wait for me, Shichen!" Avrora hurried after him.
Shichen paused, gave her a once-over, and said, "Avrora, aren't you forgetting something?"
"Forget what?"
"Clothes?"
"Eh? Ah! Uuu—" Avrora glanced down, squeaked, and crouched to cover herself.
A rosy flush, faint lines—undeniably alluring.
"Picture what you want to wear. Use the magic inside you and conjure it."
"Mm…"
Light flared from Avrora's body; a moment later she'd formed a black gothic lolita dress—
the exact same style as Natsuki's.
Only then did she stand and spin in place, beaming. "Shichen, how do I look?"
"Why are you wearing Natsuki's outfit…" He blinked—and had to admit it suited her.
"C-can't I?" Avrora asked nervously.
"Don't ask me." He tipped his chin toward Natsuki.
"Um, Natsuki, is it okay?" Avrora asked sensibly.
"Do what you want," Natsuki replied with a sidelong glance.
"Great! Thank you, Natsuki."
"...Call me Natsuki-nee."
"Natsuki-nee? Why?"
"I'm the owner of the house. If you want to live here, you follow my rules."
"Oh—Natsuki-nee…"
"Better."
"Heh~ Don't be scared. Natsuki talks tough but she's soft-hearted. She's very kind," Shichen said, ruffling Avrora's hair.
"I—I believe Shichen," Avrora said, nodding earnestly.
"Then chat with Natsuki a bit. I'll go make the tea."
"Tea? Can I come with you?"
"What, scared of Natsuki?"
"N-no…" Avrora shook her head but kept her eyes glued to him like a little creature seeking its anchor.
"Alright."
"Th-thank you!"
Shichen quickly brewed the tea. Curious, Avrora wanted a taste.
"This is—so good!" One sip and her eyes sparkled.
"Easy—save room for dinner."
"Dinner! Are you cooking?"
"Yup."
"Can't wait!"
"I guarantee you'll love it."
Avrora had been sealed in ice for so long she'd never tasted real food. Shichen was fond of the innocent, grown-woman and planned to let her experience every good thing.
At dinner, Shichen released No. 5 as well.
Seeing her, Natsuki couldn't help asking, "Why do you have two vessels? Are you entering the Eternal Banquet too?"
"As if. Why would I need to join that? Do I look like I have to?"
"Then why collect so many… Don't tell me you've got designs on them?" Natsuki narrowed her eyes at him.
She remembered the vessels all looked quite petite—very much the sort of petite women he seemed to like.
"'Designs'?" Avrora puffed her cheeks and looked blankly at Shichen.
"Eat," he said gently.
"Oh."
"No. 5, don't be so stiff. Just do what Avrora does."
"Y-yes…" No. 5 nodded lightly but still didn't lift her chopsticks.
"That's an order," Shichen said, voice firming.
"Yes!"
She picked up her chopsticks and tried a bite of the nearest dish—her eyes lit up just like Avrora's had with the tea.
As expected, the two were alike.
"No. 5—calling you that all the time isn't great. How about I give you a name?"
"A name…?" she stared, stunned.
"You don't want one?"
"No! I do!" she said, thrilled.
"Alright—how about Kaguya?"
"Kaguya… I love it!" No. 5—Kaguya—broke into a smile.
Shichen looked at her and frowned.
"What's wrong?" Kaguya asked nervously.
"Your short hair doesn't suit you. Grow it out."
"Eh? O-okay," Kaguya answered blankly.
So he disliked it because it was short?
"Best if you grow it long—then tie it in a scorpion-tail pony."
"Okay."
"Much better."
Satisfied, Shichen nodded, then turned to Natsuki to explain, "Natsuki, the twelve of them shouldn't be bound by the Fourth True Ancestor. I want to set them free so they can live normal lives in this world."
"Oh? And not because they fit your aesthetic?"
"Ahem—well, that too, fine," he admitted.
"So you want to gather them all under your wing?" Natsuki's face was unreadable.
"Hardly. I'll respect their wishes."
"Heh. And do you think any of them would actually leave you?" she said with a cold smile.
"Uh…"
"I can't control you. Do whatever you want," Natsuki said, dropping the topic and tasting the food.
What used to delight her tasted strangely flat tonight.
Shichen watched her without eating, then smiled. "Natsuki, there's something I really want to do."
"Oh?" She didn't look up.
"It has to do with you."
"…"
Natsuki's chopsticks paused. She looked at him despite herself. "What is it?"
"I want to set you free," Shichen said softly.
"Free…" Natsuki murmured, staring off.
"Natsuki, I have the power to restore your freedom now."
~~~
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