Kaguya Houraisan was very depressed today.
It wasn't that her games weren't fun or that something had happened; it was all because the old man who had adopted her had caught a cold yesterday.
The story wasn't so clichéd that the old man died; a cold wasn't deadly enough to take someone out in a day. In fact, they met a traveling doctor who cured him with a single dose of medicine. But this happy event became the source of Kaguya depression.
She remembered what the old man said when he came to her room after being cured.
"Kaguya-hime, I know that as a Celestial, you look down on mortals. But after this incident, I feel there are some things I must say."
Whether it was when he first found her or when the nobles came to propose, he had never shown an expression like this. It made Kaguya expression turn serious.
Previously, she suspected he had taken her in because of that "strange charm." But later, she found that even after Lancer sealed it, his attitude toward her didn't change at all; he treated her like his own daughter. She had grown to genuinely care for the old man. Seeing him so serious, she had to push her gaming thoughts aside.
"After what happened these past few days, I realize that the old woman and I don't know how much longer we'll live. We can care for you now, but what will you do after we die? Since you've come to the surface, find a man just like the girls on earth, so that at least someone can look after you when we're gone."
Even when countless nobles came to propose, he had only advised her once, and quite formally at that. Once she refused, he never mentioned it again. Why bring it up now?
Looking at the unhidden concern in the old man's eyes, she felt lost.
To this day, the only person who cared for her simply for who she was, with no ulterior motives, was her Master ... and maybe that man?
Faced with the old man's concern, she didn't know what to say. She wanted to refuse but couldn't bring herself to do it. Finally, she could only say hesitantly, "Grandpa, please allow me to consider it."
Holding her handheld console, Kaguya suddenly felt that her games had become dull.
'That guy said he had business and left for nearly half a month. He hasn't come back, and he didn't even send someone to say he's safe. No, why am I thinking about this? He's never around when he's needed...'
Perhaps because no one was around, she—who usually looked like a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko even while gaming—puffed out her cheeks.
But at that moment, she noticed a shadow behind her, and then—
Poke!
"Ah!!"
Clutching her cheek that had been poked, causing it to deflate, Kaguya turned around in a fit of rage. She saw Lancer, whose clothes were in disarray.
"You jerk... how can you just touch a girl's face like that?!"
"Sorry, sorry~ I just rushed over and saw your puffed-up cheeks, so I couldn't help myself..."
Couldn't help himself? What the hell kind of reason is that?
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Feeling her fists—which were more like a massage than a punch to him—Lancer couldn't help but laugh. His "mockery" only made Kaguya more embarrassed, and she punched harder and faster until...
"Damn it! Why is your chest so hard?!"
Looking at Lancer chest muscles, which were larger than her own chest, Kaguya felt a surge of anger. Her sister was larger because she was born earlier; her Master was obviously larger; but why was this jerk larger than her?!
"I trained for it~"
Lancer looked at Kaguya reddened fists and wanted to laugh. Although he deliberately controlled his muscles so they didn't bulge like a typical bodybuilder, his streamlined lines were full of explosive power. His muscle density was so high that her fists—not much larger than a normal person's—couldn't hurt him. Even if she had the old man's wood-cutting axe, she probably couldn't wound him.
Seeing the smile he was trying to suppress, Kaguya turned around angrily, crossed her arms, and puffed out her cheeks again, clearly showing she was ignoring him.
Lancer really wanted to poke her cheeks again but gave up. A joke is funny once; doing it again would be crossing a line.
"Alright, Lady Kaguya-hime, who upset you? Do you need me to go beat them up for you?"
"Hmph! It's you, you jerk!"
"I can't beat myself up. Want to pick someone else?"
Hearing Lancer casual words, Kaguya glared at him fiercely. This guy didn't even have sincerity in his apology!
But then she felt something was strange. Why did he appear so suddenly? And his clothes were in tatters.
Perhaps because she was turned away but clearly sneaking glances at him, Lancer finally noticed his clothes.
"Sorry, I was in such a rush I didn't notice..."
As he spoke, Lancer stood up, propped one hand on the windowsill—and jumped out.
'What is he doing?'
Curious, Kaguya stood up and walked to the window. Under the moonlight, she saw Lancer tearing off his clothes and striking a strange pose...
Lancer could feel a strange gaze while he was changing, but he didn't care. It was likely the person protecting Kaguya, right?
But—so what?
He wasn't stripping completely; what was wrong with changing clothes?
If you want to look, go ahead!
Lancer was very confident in his trained body. He even struck a showy pose under the moon before putting on new clothes.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
It had actually only been about a minute; tearing off a shirt and putting on a new one didn't take long.
But what was strange was that even though Kaguya was still turned away, he felt she was different than before. Specifically, were her ears a bit red?