Chapter 123: The Eldest Daughter Loses Again
Haruto arrived at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. He didn't seek out Flandre first, but instead made a beeline for the vast, subterranean library.
Pushing open the heavy doors, he saw her. Patchouli Knowledge was seated at the thick wooden table in the center of the room, just as she always was, engrossed in a book. As if on cue, she closed the tome and looked up, a familiar trace of weary helplessness flickering in her violet eyes as she saw him enter.
"Is there something you need my help with?" she asked, her voice soft and even.
Haruto didn't waste any time, producing the necklace he'd acquired. "A reward I just picked up. It's supposed to stabilize the mind. I was hoping you could take a look and see if it might be useful for Flandre."
A spark of genuine interest lit Patchouli's eyes. She accepted the necklace, and a gentle, multicolored luminescence began to glow from her fingertips as she channeled her magic into the artifact.
After a moment of silent analysis, she reached her conclusion. "The energy is remarkably pure. It's designed to generate a localized field of tranquility. It will certainly help with Flandre's condition, though it won't be a permanent cure."
"Is it safe?" That was Haruto's primary concern.
"It should be," Patchouli confirmed, handing the necklace back to him. "At least, its energy won't conflict with her innate magic. It's worth a try."
"That's good enough for me."
Haruto secured the necklace and turned to leave, heading for Flandre's room. Behind him, Patchouli hesitated for a beat before rising from her chair.
"I'll go with you."
Haruto certainly wasn't going to refuse the offer.
Although Flandre's affection for him was quite high, he was acutely aware of what could happen if the little girl lost control. If she accidentally crushed the 'eye' that represented his existence, he'd have to go find Shiki Eiki for a little chat over tea and fried shrimp in the afterlife, and he wasn't quite ready for that.
Flandre's door was unlocked.
Ever since the Scarlet Mist Incident, Remilia no longer restricted her younger sister's movements, only requesting that she try to remain within the grounds of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Flandre, however, still preferred to stay in her room most of the time.
Thinking of this, Haruto couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. It had all started with that first manga he'd given her when they met. In short, Flandre had become utterly obsessed with manga and light novels. Gensokyo had gained another hardcore shut-in.
This development made Remilia feel a complicated mix of love and hate toward him. She was grateful that the reading material he provided kept Flandre docile and content, yet she was intensely jealous that her sister always sweetly called him 'Brother Bai' while referring to her, the lady of the mansion, as 'that person.'
Pushing the door open, the first thing they saw was a cozy, vibrant room that stood in stark contrast to the gothic, vampiric style of the rest of the castle.
Volumes of manga and stacks of novels were scattered everywhere. Flandre herself was lying on a soft, plush carpet, her crimson eyes glued to the pages of a manga. Her two small, fair legs swung back and forth in time with the idle fluttering of her crystalline wings.
Hearing the door creak open, she turned her head. Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Brother Bai!"
She scrambled to her feet and lunged toward him, only to stop herself a few paces away, standing there with an uncharacteristic obedience.
This subtle act of self-control made Patchouli, who was observing from the side, raise her eyebrows in surprise. It was obvious that since Flandre had started interacting with Haruto, she had made incredible progress.
"Did you bring me any gifts today?" Flandre asked, her eyes sparkling with expectation.
Haruto revealed the necklace. "This is for you. Your Brother Bai here went through a lot of hardship for this—almost had to go report to the Underworld, in fact. It can help you suppress your emotions."
Hearing his dramatic tale, Flandre was visibly moved. She nodded emphatically and took the necklace. The moment her fingertips brushed against it, a faint, reddish aura emanated from her.
"It feels so warm," she whispered, her expression softening. "Like being gently embraced by the sun."
She eagerly fastened the clasp around her neck, then closed her eyes to feel its effects. When she opened them again, they were wide with astonishment.
"Those noisy voices… they've become so distant."
Patchouli carefully observed Flandre's state, confirming that the necklace was indeed working as intended and hadn't produced any adverse reactions. She gave Haruto a slight, affirming nod.
"It seems the effect is quite good," she said softly.
Seeing Flandre's look of pure comfort and hearing her describe the sensation as being 'embraced by the sun,' Haruto's curiosity was piqued.
"Don't you dislike sunlight?" he asked.
Flandre shook her head. "It's not real sunlight. It's the kind you feel in your imagination."
"Imaginary… sunlight?"
Now Haruto was even more curious. In hindsight, he probably should have tried wearing it himself first.
"How about you take it off and let me experience it for a second?"
"You can't take back a gift once you've given it!" Flandre immediately shot back, putting on an expression that screamed, 'Are you seriously trying to steal from a child?'
Haruto was suddenly at a loss for words, a faint blush of embarrassment creeping onto his face. Just then, a small figure suddenly launched forward and hugged him tightly.
It was Flandre.
She buried her face in his chest, closing her eyes and murmuring softly, her crystal wings fluttering with undisguised happiness.
"As long as you're touching it, you can feel the effect of the necklace too."
The situation was a bit strange, but Haruto didn't have time to dwell on it. That sensation was coming! The feeling Flandre had described, of being gently embraced by the sun!
He waited in eager anticipation.
However, in the next moment, what spread through his entire body was a bone-deep coldness that made him shiver uncontrollably. It wasn't an external chill, but an icy frost blooming from the inside out.
Wait!
No, no, no!
"Flandre, let go! Quick, this isn't right! This is completely wrong!"
Flandre didn't understand why, but she chose to be an obedient child. After lingering for another moment, she immediately released him.
Haruto hugged himself, still shivering, and shot a betrayed glare at Patchouli.
"Didn't you say it was safe?! I almost had to go report to Komachi on the Sanzu River, and you were just watching from the side! And here I thought you were a big sister whose heart was as broad as her chest. This is just too much!" he accused, his face a mask of grief and indignation.
Patchouli let out a long-suffering sigh.
"I only said it was safe for Flandre. Besides, this necklace couldn't possibly kill you; at most, it would make you fall ill for a while. My mistake, my mistake." She helplessly admitted her error. "Since the necklace is useful, I'll go inform Remi. You two be careful. Try not to cause an actual death."
Before Haruto could respond, Flandre spoke up. She waved a dismissive hand, her small face a picture of seriousness. "Go on, go on. Flandre is very stable now; nothing will happen."
Once Patchouli had left, Flandre suddenly turned around and hugged Haruto again, burying her face in his chest.
Haruto flinched, thinking he had somehow offended the little vampire and she was now going to murder him.
But after waiting for a long moment, he felt only Flandre's normal body temperature and a faint, sweet fragrance. The soul-freezing chill from before was gone.
Just as he was puzzling over this, Flandre couldn't help but let out a giggle.
"What is Brother Bai so worried about? How could Flandre possibly hurt Brother Bai? I can control this necklace freely."
She let go of Haruto, took half a step back, and held out her hand expectantly.
"Where are Flandre's snacks?" she demanded, then added with feigned ferocity, "If you didn't prepare Flandre's snacks, then Flandre will have to eat Brother Bai instead!"
"Ugh…"
Haruto's gaze shifted from the manga scattered across the floor to Flandre, whose personality had undergone a significant change, even developing a slight 'mesugaki' tendency. He felt like he was beginning to understand something.
He had, of course, prepared snacks—a small box of cookies.
After handing them over, he walked toward the spot where she had been sitting earlier, curious to see what book had captured her attention. But with a whoosh, Flandre zipped over and snatched the book away before he could get a good look.
Before Haruto could say a word, she had already stuffed half a cookie into his mouth.
Just then, the door was suddenly thrown open, and Remilia and Sakuya Izayoi rushed in.
"Flandre! You! You two are…"
[Translator Note: "Mesugaki" is a Japanese term for a smug, bratty, or cheeky little girl, often one who enjoys teasing others. It's a common archetype in anime and manga.]
[Inorin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/InorinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/InorinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]