"It's not an absolute thing, you know. Some people like maturity, but others might not. Everyone has different preferences. Take your past failures, for example: what caused them? Wasn't it your sunbathing habit? Otherwise, you probably would have found a partner already, and maybe some people do like your current appearance." Remilia answered.
Sakuya wholeheartedly agreed with this point. What wasn't appealing about a shota?
"You're right. I guess I still need to learn a lot more. There are still so many things I don't understand." Kars nodded, admitting his Little Auntie was correct. Maybe someone did like his current look? But if he married someone who liked his child form, would they still like him when he returned to his adult form?
"Sigh, this is so mentally exhausting." Kars slumped onto the table, looking miserable. Having to figure out all these issues was hard work. Why couldn't things be simpler? That way, he wouldn't have to rack his brain so much.
"I don't think worrying about it now helps, considering you don't even have a single candidate to choose from." Remilia stated the cold, hard fact, making Kars's face turn even gloomier.
Just then, a figure appeared not far from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, moving quickly toward them.
"Hmm, something is running over here." Meiling stared for a moment and sensed someone approaching, but the dark night made it hard to see clearly. Nevertheless, she tensed up and prepared herself cautiously.
As the figure got closer, the unknown entity stepped into the moonlight. It had long, light-green hair fluttering in the air and a pair of long, upward-pointing horns tied with a ribbon on its head.
"Kars!!"
Kars: ∑(°Д°)
When the face of the unknown figure was fully visible, everyone recognized her: it was Kamishirasawa Keine, who had visited earlier. Now, however, she had changed her blue dress to a green one, and she had grown a pair of long horns.
Furthermore, her demeanor was completely different from her usual scholarly, teacher-like presence. She seemed like an entirely different person, giving Kars a very bad feeling.
"I-is that Teacher Keine?! What's wrong with her?" Kars felt a surge of panic and immediately hid behind Remilia, watching Keine charge straight into the mansion grounds with a grin that made his heart pound.
"Teacher Keine… what… what do you need from me?" Kars asked Keine in a somewhat panicked voice, trying to figure out why she had rushed back here.
"Of course, I'm here to get you to agree to attend the Terakoya! This is part of what I need to accomplish! I was going to arrange this later, but now I'm planning to finish everything in one go."
"But I already told you I don't want to go to the Terakoya! You agreed before you left! And you look really strange right now!" Kars was utterly frustrated by Keine's relentless pursuit to drag him to class.
Any idiot could see that Keine's current state was different from before. Her appearance, as well as the strong aura she emitted, were completely unlike her usual self.
"We can talk about that later. I'm just here to get you to agree. You said you want to learn useful knowledge to help you find a wife, right? Your teacher can help you with that! In all sorts of ways, too! I can help you learn and master it quickly!"
When Keine's eyes fixed on Kars, his body involuntarily trembled. He felt like he had been singled out as prey.
"Come on, come back with me! Your teacher will teach you well! Teaching a child who is so naive is a very interesting endeavor!" Although the words sounded appealing, hearing them from the current Keine only made Kars more reluctant to agree. I-is this what Patchouli and the others called a pervert?! She's terrifying!
"Teacher Kamishirasawa, your current state makes your demands rather concerning. Perhaps we can discuss this when you return to normal." Remilia calmly sipped her tea. This composure earned her an admiring look from Kars, which greatly pleased Remilia. See? Sometimes this is the most effective approach!
"That won't do. I have a lot to accomplish, so I can't delay things."
Meiling, seeing the situation escalate, didn't hesitate to step in front of Keine, adopting a defensive posture. In response, the now-aggressive Keine charged straight at her without hesitation.
"This time, it won't be like with the Shrine Maiden!"
Meiling, facing a direct, non-spell-based assault, felt a surge of confidence. She extended her arms to block Keine, but was instantly sent flying backward.
"S-such a powerful… headbutt…" Meiling fell to the ground, stars circling her head, and immediately passed out. The entire encounter took less than five seconds, leaving everyone else speechless.
"Teacher Kamishirasawa, your actions are putting me in a difficult position." Remilia placed her teacup down. Although she knew Keine was acting abnormally, she couldn't allow the situation to continue.
"While your intentions may be good, your methods are terrible. Regardless, if you want to touch Kars now, you'll have to defeat me first." Crimson energy formed into a spear in Remilia's hand, aimed directly at Keine.
"Little Auntie is so cool!" Kars immediately clapped, greatly satisfying Remilia. Yes, I should do things like this more often to boost Kars's admiration for me.
Meanwhile, Sakuya quickly plunged a throwing knife into the forehead of the unconscious Meiling, instantly waking her up.
"All future wages and meal allowances will be deducted."
"Sakuya, no! I tried my best to stop her! But her headbutt was too powerful! I've never encountered a headbutt that strong!" Meiling insisted her failure wasn't due to lack of effort but the opponent's overwhelming technique. The first time, the Shrine Maiden played unfairly. This time, the opponent's move was simply too strong! She couldn't block it even if she wanted to!