Makoto plucked out a strand of hair and gently twisted it.
That black hair straightened and hardened between his fingers, its tip becoming as sharp as a needle.
He inserted the hair needle into the edge of the young girl's collar, his fingers weaving through the fabric, sewing up a section of the collar that had been opened too wide.
Rabbit Hair Needle.
One of Otsutsuki Kaguya's abilities.
The single mother residing within Makoto's body just wanted to curse.
'Is this what my abilities are meant for?'
The young girl kept her head down, not moving a muscle.
Her pretty face began to redden from the base of her neck, the flush spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.
Since childhood, apart from her father, she had never had such close contact with a man.
"Ah—!"
By the time Makoto had finished sewing, she finally reacted.
She covered her chest, now sewn up tightly, with both hands, stepped back two steps, her eyes wide open.
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
Makoto flicked away the remaining hair strand with a calm expression.
"You're not that young anymore, so how come you can't even dress properly?"
The young girl's eyes reddened. "That's how everyone dresses where I come from!"
"That means there's a problem with the customs there. It needs to change."
Yunyun felt like she was having the worst luck, encountering a crazy person right after leaving her hometown to gain experience.
"I-I'm leaving."
She turned around.
The hem of her dark red magic robe, somewhat resembling a JK uniform, fluttered as she turned.
"Hey. Can you be my friend?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Yunyun's footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Her whole body seemed to hit a pause button. With her back to Makoto, her shoulders shrank slightly.
Makoto had already recognized her.
The daughter of the Crimson Demon Clan's chief, Yunyun.
The Isekai Version of Baby 5.
If the three words 'I am needed' had a special effect on Baby 5, then the three words with the greatest impact on Yunyun were, without a doubt, 'be my friend'.
Yunyun turned around.
"Is that... okay?"
Her voice was full of anticipation, her tearful eyes shining like two rubies.
"Crimson Demon...?"
It was then that Malty noticed Yunyun's eyes.
"Is she from the Crimson Demon Clan?"
Kazuma, who had hurried over from behind, looked surprised.
Because earlier at the Adventurer's Guild, Malty had told them that members of the Crimson Demon Clan all had strange personalities.
But seeing Yunyun's shy and bashful demeanor was completely different from what he had imagined.
'If she were in my previous life's school, she would definitely be the perfect school beauty.'
Although he didn't want to doubt Malty, seeing Yunyun like this made Kazuma wonder if this princess, who had stirred his heart, was tricking him.
"You're from the Crimson Demon Clan, right?"
Makoto's voice was very casual. "Actually, I'm from the Crimson Demon Clan too."
Yunyun was stunned. Her gaze stopped on Makoto's face for two seconds, looking him up and down.
"Then, how come I haven't seen you in the village?"
The Crimson Demon Clan was a minority group to begin with. The village was only so big. It could be said that she knew everyone in the village, especially since Yunyun herself was the chief's daughter.
Makoto pointed to his eyes. "Look, my eyes are red too."
Ace turned his face away in the back, not wanting to watch anymore.
'Wow. He was pulling out the Eternal Mangekyo just to pick up a girl, huh?'
Yunyun was completely baffled by his words. She moved closer, stared at the Eternal Mangekyo in Makoto's eye socket for a few seconds, and confirmed it was indeed red.
"It feels... a bit different from the eyes in our village..."
"Maybe it's because I'm mixed blood, from the Crimson Demon Clan and another race."
Makoto shrugged, his tone carrying a heavy sense of disappointment. "I'm not sure either. I just always felt different from others since I was young. No one wanted to play with me. Maybe it's because my eyes are different from everyone else's, so..."
Makoto's expression turned earnest. "Seeing you, whose eyes look so much like mine, suddenly makes me feel a sense of closeness. So, so... will you be my friend?"
"Mmm, mmm, mmm!"
Before Makoto had even finished speaking for a second, Yunyun couldn't help but take his hands in hers and nod vigorously.
Malty looked suspicious. She thought, 'Wasn't he summoned from another world by the church using teleportation magic? How did he become a member of the Crimson Demon Clan?'
"Is he from the Crimson Demon Clan?" Malty tilted her head toward Yu, her tone carrying a hint of probing.
Yu couldn't be bothered to look at her. "Are you an idiot?"
Beam chimed in, "Didn't your people summon us from the real world? How is that possible?"
The Teddy Devil gave Malty a dismissive look. "And I thought you were some high-level schemer. This is it?"
Naofumi was startled. "Th-the dog talked!?"
But the next second, Naofumi also thought it was no big deal. After all, they were already in another world. Monsters were everywhere. Why was it strange that a dog could talk?
The corner of Malty's mouth twitched, and then an unprecedented anger appeared in her eyes.
Because that man had never given her a single direct glance since being summoned until now.
Malty compared the smile Makoto was currently showing Yunyun with the expression he showed her and found there was no comparison at all.
'Damn it. What was so good about that little girl who hadn't even fully developed?'
Her gaze moved down half an inch, landing on the two bulging mounds beneath Yunyun's magic robe.
Alright.
At least there, Malty knew that girl was indeed better than her.
But no matter what, she was going to make this man pay.
At that moment, Beam drew Samehada from his back and sliced off the Goblin Berserker's head in one stroke.
"I remember this guy has a bounty at the guild too. Taking it back should fetch a good amount of money, right?"
Malty, who was in a fit of anger, didn't respond.
Kazuma thought for a moment and then said, "I remember only adventurers holding a Silver rank can accept quests to subjugate Goblin Berserkers. Taking this back might not only get us the reward but also allow us to rank up."
Makoto clapped his hands. "Alright, things are settled. Let's go back."
He glanced at Yunyun beside him.
The young girl still didn't dare look at him, her fingers slightly curled, clearly very unaccustomed.
"What's wrong?" Noticing Makoto kept looking at her, Yunyun finally mustered the courage to ask.
"Nothing. I just think you look very pretty."
Yunyun's face turned red again. She lowered her head, her lips letting out an adorable 'mmph mmph mmph' whimper.
Makoto's smile grew even brighter.
There were quite a few characters in Konosuba he wanted to sleep with... the lich Wiz, the masochistic knight Darkness, the receptionist Luna...
But if he had to choose one he most wanted to marry, it would definitely be Yunyun.
Perhaps it was because he was getting older.
He just had no resistance to this kind of young girl with a personality as pure as a blank sheet of paper, inexperienced in the world.
Every time he read the scenes in the original work where Yunyun was tricked out of food and drinks by Megumin, or deceived left and right by other adventurers trying to make friends, he couldn't help but think: if I ever meet a little girl like this, I'd be letting myself down if I didn't trick her into having a whole soccer team of children.
Of course, he couldn't go too far for now. She was only fourteen.
This was a bottom line that Makoto would not cross.