After parting ways with Kars, Koakuma seemed completely distracted. Her usual sharp efficiency was gone, and she looked out of sorts. Patchouli noticed this and frowned.
"Koakuma, what is wrong with you? Have you been feeling unwell?"
"Ah? Oh! No! I feel perfectly fine!" Snapping back to attention, Koakuma quickly shook her head, insisting she was fine. However, Patchouli wasn't convinced. She stared at Koakuma for a while and then made a determination.
"What is going on? You seem to have been charmed—and at a very low level, too. Who did you interact with that managed to affect you?"
What Patchouli said astonished Koakuma. She seemed surprised by the diagnosis.
"I was charmed? But I don't think Kars knows any magic like that, does he?"
"Kars? Were you just with Kars? Well, that would explain it." After all, Koakuma would only let her guard down enough to be affected by such a low-level charm if she were with someone she completely trusted and wouldn't suspect.
"As for the charm, some vampires are naturally born with a very mild ability to charm, but it's usually not very effective. It would only cause a slight influence, certainly not enough to make you look as distracted as you were." As she spoke, Patchouli suddenly realized something. Her eyes narrowed as she intently scrutinized Koakuma, instantly making the little devil nervous.
"Koakuma, what exactly were you doing with Kars? Although you were charmed, such a low-level charm isn't enough to make you behave the way you were. So, something else must have happened that was even more captivating, wasn't it?"
Being questioned by Patchouli, Koakuma's eyes darted around. She debated whether to reveal what happened and whether there would be any consequences. However, realizing Patchouli had already noticed a problem, continuing to hide it would only make things worse.
"Well, Kars and I were talking earlier about how to interact with people based on the standard of treating them like someone you like. I suggested that personal experience would help him understand better, and he wanted me to cooperate and try it out, so…"
"So you engaged in indescribable acts with a child?!" Patchouli was completely aghast, not having expected Koakuma to harbor such thoughts about a century-old child.
"No, I didn't! Lady Patchouli! Kars and I just rubbed cheeks at most! We didn't do anything else! It was just… what Kars said that made me feel happy."
Patchouli breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. It was a huge relief that nothing like that had happened. Still, she was surprised by the situation. Patchouli understood Kars's motivation, but understanding was one thing. Koakuma's current reaction showed that she needed to pay attention. The low-level charm might not affect others, but for Koakuma, the effect was significant.
"Lady Patchouli?" Koakuma looked at the silent Patchouli carefully, wondering if she was in the clear.
"I understand now. Go back to your duties." Hearing Patchouli, Koakuma immediately relaxed. It seemed like there were no serious consequences. She resolved to exercise more self-control next time.
With that in mind, Koakuma finished her remaining duties and returned to her room to rest, feeling a sense of anticipation for what might happen when she was with Kars tomorrow. With her pleasant thoughts, Koakuma quickly fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Kars also returned to his room, ready to rest.
"You look very cheerful. Did something good happen?" Remilia, also in the room, noticed Kars's unusually good mood and was curious.
"Little Auntie! I've started learning how to interact with people I like! And it feels really good!" Kars didn't hesitate to share his recent findings with Remilia, telling her everything that happened between him and Koakuma. Remilia blinked, taking a moment to process the information.
"You mean you asked Koakuma to cooperate with you for that kind of experiment to understand the complexities of relationships?"
"Yes. Why? Is something wrong?"
"Is something wrong?" How can you ask that so casually? Remilia felt she had slightly underestimated her nephew. He had managed to pull off something like this without her realizing it. While it was likely that Koakuma couldn't resist Kars's pleas, and their familiarity made her agree, the fact remained: Koakuma had effectively been hooked by Kars. If they continued this experiment, it might just become real.
Remilia looked at the still-clueless Kars, unsure how to evaluate him. Could this actually be a good thing?
"Little Auntie, what's wrong?" Kars asked, seeing Remilia suddenly fall silent.
"Nothing. Just… do your best with this." Remilia shook her head. She decided to observe the situation. The outcome was uncertain, but maybe she didn't have to worry about this boy finding a partner anymore.
"Oh! I will! I won't disappoint you, Little Auntie!" Kars thumped his chest in reassurance, then climbed into bed, ready to sleep. However, as soon as he lay down, Flandre, who had been hiding under the covers, tackled him.
"I caught Kars!" Flandre hugged Kars and then pulled him up.
"Hey! Kars, let's play! We didn't get to play together today!" Because of the banquet, Flandre hadn't been able to play as much as she wanted, but she had been obedient and followed her sister's instructions to behave. Now that the banquet was over, she didn't have to hold back. Since she couldn't find Kars, she had just waited for him in the room.
"Flandre, Kars needs to sleep now. Don't keep him up to play." Remilia immediately refused on Kars's behalf. Flandre's bright smile faded into disappointment.
"Oh!" Flandre thought she wouldn't get to play, but Kars reached out and took her hand as she was about to leave.
"It's okay! I can stay up a little later, Little Auntie Flandre, let's go play!"
This was unexpected, but it didn't stop Flandre from cheering up.
"Kars! (ฅ>ω<*ฅ)" The delighted Flandre hugged Kars tightly. Seeing the two embrace so affectionately, Remilia, feeling left out, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.
She wanted to hug Kars and Flandre like that too...