"Mm, I believe in you." Nakoruru nodded firmly.
Just then, a petite blue figure approached, face flushed, fidgeting nervously.
It was Rimururu.
In her hands, she held an "emergency kit" made from clean cloth strips.
"Um... br-brother-in-law..." She kept her head down, her voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz. "You... did you get hurt in the battle just now? I... I have herbal medicine here... I can help bandage you..."
Cloud looked at her adorable state—wanting to show concern but too shy to look directly at him, her small hands trembling with nervousness—and nearly burst out laughing.
Injured? What a joke.
That battle had expended less stamina than playing "Pictionary" with Rimururu for a morning. He wasn't just uninjured—he hadn't lost so much as a single hair.
But looking at the young girl's eyes full of anticipation and worry, the words of refusal wouldn't come out.
"Ah, now that you mention it, I do feel like I might have some internal injuries." Cloud very cooperatively clutched his chest, adopting an expression of "I'm so weak, please support me." "That last technique had too much recoil—it's got my qi and blood all churned up."
"Huh?!" Rimururu immediately panicked. "Where? Where are you hurt? Let me see!"
She fumbled open the "emergency kit," pulled out bandages and herbal medicine, stood on tiptoes, and tried to wrap them around Cloud's chest.
"Here, here." Cloud pointed to his wrist.
"Oh, oh!" Rimururu quickly grabbed Cloud's wrist and began clumsily "bandaging" him.
Her movements were unskilled, the bandages wrapped crookedly, looking like a rice dumpling. Her little face was flushed red from nervousness and shyness, almost dripping blood. Her long eyelashes trembled, and fine beads of sweat formed on the tip of her nose.
Cloud watched her earnest expression, smelling the faint ice-and-snow fragrance emanating from her, and his heart warmed.
This tsundere yet innocent little sister-in-law had been completely conquered.
"Done~" Rimururu finally finished "bandaging." Looking at her "disaster-level" handiwork, she stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. "S-sorry, I didn't do a good job..."
"No, it looks great." Cloud pulled a White Rabbit candy from his system, unwrapped it, and popped it into her mouth. "This is your reward."
"Mm?" Rimururu's eyes widened in surprise at the thing suddenly in her mouth. A sweet, milky flavor instantly exploded across her taste buds.
"So... so good!" She happily squinted her eyes like a kitten that had gotten a little fish.
Nearby, Nakoruru watched the warm yet slightly ambiguous interaction between her little sister and her beloved, showing not a hint of jealousy. Instead, she wore a gentle, indulgent smile.
In her view, her sister accepting and liking Cloud was the best possible outcome.
She stepped forward and naturally took Cloud's arm from the other side.
"Cloud, you've worked hard." She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering. "When we get back to Kamui Kotan, I'll... I'll cook something delicious for you."
"Sounds good." Cloud felt the soft sensation on his arm and contentment filled his heart.
On his left was the innocent, adorable ice-and-snow little sister-in-law, freshly conquered through his "candy and stick" policy.
On his right was the gentle, caring nature priestess big sister-in-law, filled with love and adoration for him.
This "sandwich cookie" treatment was simply too good to be true!
Ahem!
Just as Cloud was savoring this beautiful moment, an untimely cough interrupted the touching scene.
It was Haohmaru.
He wore an expression of "I can't watch anymore" as he walked over. "Hey, Alliance Leader, could we maybe not spread dog food here? The castle's collapsed, but there's still plenty of stray monsters to clean up. Plus, everyone's been fighting for ages and we're tired and hungry. Shouldn't we find somewhere to throw a victory banquet and drink our fill?"
"Good point!" Cloud immediately "sobered up" from his tender moment.
Business first, business first.
He freed himself from the two priestess sisters' "constraints," cleared his throat, and announced loudly to everyone:
"Everyone! We've achieved total victory! Amakusa is eliminated, the monsters scattered! I hereby declare!"
"Tonight, everyone goes to the nearest town! My treat! The best sake, the best food, all you can have!"
"YEAH—!!!"
The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers once more.
Nothing could boost morale more than a feast of eating and drinking after an exhilarating battle.
Cloud looked at the excited warriors before him, then at the priestess sisters gazing at him with adoring eyes, his smile growing ever brighter.
This "buffet" in the Samurai Shodown world hadn't just served him a delicious "main course"—it came with lovely "desserts" as well.
This "business trip" was an absolute windfall among windfalls!
He was already looking forward to discovering what kind of "hidden menu item" the so-called "Mizuki" lurking in the depths would turn out to be.
...
The victory banquet after Amakusa Castle's fall was held in the nearest town to Shimabara.
Cloud made good on his promise, booking out the town's largest izakaya entirely. Rivers of sake and mountains of cuisine were served without pause.
The scene was so lavish that the izakaya owner briefly wondered if he was dreaming, so moved he nearly kowtowed to Cloud on the spot.
Naturally, the atmosphere was hyped to the extreme.
These warriors who normally lived on the edge of their blades now set aside all caution and pretense, arms around shoulders, playing drinking games, bragging and chatting—having the time of their lives.
"Come! Haohmaru! A toast to you! That was absolutely amazing!"
"No, no! Master Yagyu, your dual-blade Tsukikage was the one that was truly flawless!"
"Stop the mutual flattery! The most badass one is obviously our Alliance Leader! That Sunlight's Blessing move—I'm telling you, even now when I close my eyes, all I see is white light! That was literally physics-based salvation, photon-level persuasion—you can't help but submit!"
...
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