Chapter 154: An Unexpected Encounter with Black-Haired Beauties
"Mhm… bro, what are you doing? Why did you suddenly hit yourself?"
Franklin let out a slow breath. "I feel like an idiot. I forgot a lot of things I shouldn't have forgotten."
Seeing Mikan's confused expression, he smiled and explained, "I just remembered that Ikaros right now isn't the complete Ikaros.
Her memories are sealed, and even her cognitive authority is restricted. She's basically moving by relying on whatever basic instincts were implanted in her."
Mikan found it hard to believe, but after meeting Ikaros' blank, unfocused gaze, she couldn't deny it.
"Bro, is there a way to fix it?"
Franklin shook his head helplessly. "You're giving me too much credit. Ikaros is practically a high-dimensional mechanical construct.
If Lala keeps researching in this direction, she might figure it out someday. As for me… I can fight, sure. But this kind of thing? Don't make it hard for me."
"Master, are you arguing because of me?"
"No… Well, Ikaros, let me ask you—how many of your computational systems can you use right now?"
"Computational system?"
Seeing her blank confusion as she repeated his words, Franklin was speechless.
"Never mind. I'll think of something else."
Should he sacrifice another eighty years of lifespan to try summoning Nymph?
The idea flashed through his mind and disappeared just as fast.
Even assuming eighty years was enough to summon Nymph, he already had his hands full dealing with the girls around him.
Bringing in Nymph—a girl with extremely high emotional attachment—would make the house a chaotic disaster.
He could only postpone this. His priority now was keeping all the girls around him stable and happy.
Just then, the curtain of the fitting room was yanked open. Momo walked in with a bright smile, carrying six or seven uniquely styled sets of underwear. Bulma followed behind, also holding six or seven extremely bold designs.
One glance at those exaggerated pieces was all it took for Franklin's imagination to betray him—and his lower half reacted immediately.
"Master, your face is very red. Are you not feeling well?"
Feeling Momo's and Bulma's glances, Franklin instantly circulated spiritual energy through his body and forced himself back to normal.
"No, I'm fine. Ikaros, go ahead and take off your clothes and try them on. If they all work, we'll buy them all."
"Yes, master."
With no expression at all, Ikaros began removing her clothes one piece at a time.
As more of her figure came into view, Franklin's eyes widened… very wide.
Pure styles, cute styles, sexy styles, subtle styles—all displayed one after another in front of him.
Minute by minute, Franklin's face got redder.
Fully revealed, half-revealed, lace temptation, front-closure designs—each one made him feel he was about to lose control.
"They all look good. Ikaros, you can put them on yourself, right?"
"I've memorized them, master."
Franklin's head was burning. If he didn't calm down soon, he was absolutely going to do something ridiculous inside this fitting room.
Once Ikaros had put on a pink-and-white set and slipped her jacket over it, Franklin quickly pushed the curtain aside and rushed out.
And the first thing he saw were two long-haired black silhouettes—while Nana had completely vanished.
"Franklin-kun? Why are you here?"
Seeing Franklin's flushed face, Hiratsuka Shizuka shifted slightly and saw the scattered clothes inside… and a collared girl calmly sorting her outfit with a blank expression.
"Franklin-kun… what… exactly are you doing?"
Seeing the anger hiding beneath Hiratsuka's calm expression, Franklin immediately stepped aside, exposing the fitting room behind him.
Kotegawa Yui and Hiratsuka both saw everything—the five girls inside, three of them peeking out curiously.
"What are you… all doing inside a fitting room together?"
Franklin had just steadied himself and was about to speak when Bulma casually walked out.
"Nothing much. Franklin's just helping us decide which underwear looks good. We're wearing them for him, after all, so obviously we need his opinion."
Instantly, Kotegawa Yui's face darkened. Hiratsuka looked stunned, bordering on disbelief.
"You mean… all five of you are Franklin's girlfriends?"
Mikan, never one to miss a chance to stir trouble, chimed in, "I'm not. I'm his little sister. Ikaros here just likes calling him 'master.'"
The moment Mikan said that, Kotegawa Yui's brain froze, and Hiratsuka completely lost composure.
"Sister?! Master?! Franklin-kun, your personality is seriously warped and must be corrected! I don't care how powerful your family is, or how strong you are—this is absolutely unacceptable! When school starts Monday, I will meet your parents. This is too outrageous!"
Seeing Hiratsuka's dark expression and the way she looked ready to throw hands, Franklin scratched his head helplessly.
"No, Shizuka-sensei—you're misunderstanding. I'm not as degenerate as you think."
Hiratsuka's look said she didn't believe a single syllable. The suspicion in her eyes made Franklin's scalp prickle.
"I'm holding back my temper right now. I'll hear your explanation. If it's bad, I will hit you."
Kotegawa Yui glanced between them, remembering Franklin soaring into the sky to fight Ren. She tugged at Hiratsuka's sleeve.
"Sensei, no. Talking is fine. But fighting is absolutely impossible."
"It's fine. I hit very lightly. Just enough to correct his personality without affecting his schoolwork."
Yui went pale. "That's not what I meant, sensei!"
Franklin cleared his throat. Seeing both of them look at him, he smiled at Yui.
"Relax. If I get hit, I get hit. I won't fight back. So don't worry."
Hearing that, Yui let out a breath. Hiratsuka narrowed her eyes.
"What, you think you could even fight back? Don't think being tall means you could beat me."
Franklin didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "No, Shizuka-sensei. My family situation is… complicated. My parents disappeared when I was ten. I don't even know where they are.
Lala is my fiancée. Bulma is my girlfriend. And this outspoken grade-schooler is my sister, Mikan—"
"Your sister without blood relation," Mikan corrected instantly.
Franklin's pupils shook. He turned and saw Mikan wearing a "I know everything" look.
After taking a moment to calm himself, Franklin slowly exhaled.