"What? Raphtalia, what do you mean you lost sight of her?"
Kiriko looked utterly bewildered.
Raphtalia's expression was full of self-reproach.
"I followed right after Gabriel when she left the inn, but she'd already disappeared. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find her."
"You're kidding, right?"
Kiriko had trouble believing this.
Could a living person vanish into thin air?
Besides, the royal capital had decent public order. Even if human traffickers were bold, surely they wouldn't openly kidnap a loli in broad daylight, right?
"Raphtalia, you and Lute form one group and search toward the southern part of town. I'll search the north…"
After assigning tasks, Kiriko's group hurried out of the inn, just as they encountered Naofumi Iwatani and his companions returning from the bathhouse.
"Ah, Kiriko-san. You're all in such a rush—did something happen?"
Kiriko answered honestly.
"Gabriel's missing."
"Gabriel?"
Naofumi remembered Gabriel clearly—after all, a cute blonde loli with pure-white wings wasn't exactly common. Her adorable appearance left quite an impression on him.
"Then let us help out too."
"Alright. I'll leave it to you."
Kiriko didn't stand on ceremony, quickly assigning Naofumi's group into two teams—one searching west and the other east.
She herself headed north, checking through the alleyways.
...
The alleys smelled terrible, never cleaned for years, filled with the stench of vagrants' urine and garbage piles buzzing with flies.
Carefully picking spots to step, Kiriko searched through the alleyways.
Finally, she spotted Gabriel… and Motoyasu Kitamura.
Why was this guy here?
And why was he only wearing a pair of shorts?
Right, earlier at the audience hall, someone had mentioned that he was exposed as a fake hero and kicked out.
Seeing his pitiful state, that had to be true.
But still…
A nearly naked guy with only shorts on, hiding in a dark alley with a cute little girl—anyone who saw this scene would naturally imagine the worst.
Before Kiriko could call Gabriel over, Motoyasu suddenly threw himself onto the ground and prostrated deeply.
"Mother-in-law-sama!"
"Hah?"
Kiriko's expression blanked.
"Mother-in-law… Are you talking to me?"
What the hell is this situation?
She'd heard of people accidentally becoming fathers, but accidentally becoming a mother-in-law was a first.
Wait, wasn't becoming a mother-in-law before even being a mother basically a case of "buying tickets after boarding the train?"
Besides, even though she was technically 20, Kiriko looked underage.
Had anyone ever heard of a fifteen-year-old mother-in-law?
Right now, Kiriko really wanted to log onto Zhihu and post:
"What's it like for an underage girl to become a mother-in-law by accident?"
"Gabriel, just what is going on?"
Gabriel tilted her head in confusion—her bewildered look was also extremely cute.
"Gabriel doesn't really know either. Gabriel just gave this spear-guy some takoyaki and talked a bit. Then he suddenly said Gabriel was his wife."
"Disgusting! Any girl who talks to you automatically becomes your wife?"
Kiriko burst into anger, immediately kicking Motoyasu onto the filthy ground.
"Let's go, Gabriel."
"Okay."
Gabriel glanced at Motoyasu sprawled on the filthy alley floor, then back at Kiriko and her older sister Raphtalia, instinctively following Master's command.
But seeing Gabriel about to leave, Motoyasu jumped forward desperately, grabbing Kiriko's black-stocking-covered thigh and smearing tears and snot all over it.
"Mother-in-law-sama! Please don't abandon me, Mother-in-law-sama!"
"Let go! Get your dirty hands off me!"
Yet no matter how Kiriko kicked him, Motoyasu only cried harder and refused to resist or fight back.
Of course, Kiriko wasn't using her full strength—otherwise, one kick would've turned this idiot into ketchup.
"Ma… Master, I think he's kind of pitiful. Can't we take him in?"
"Gabriel, this bastard isn't a good guy at all. Don't get fooled by his looks."
Kiriko had seen too many guys like Motoyasu—always charming girls with sweet words, then vanishing completely after causing trouble.
"Mother-in-law-sama, I'm sincere!"
"Oh? How exactly are you sincere?"
"To show my sincerity, I'm willing to change my surname. You can choose whatever surname you want!"
"Change your surname?"
Kiriko snorted disdainfully.
For a Japanese person, changing one's surname was as easy as drinking water.
Katsugorou, Shimazaki Katsuta, Shimazaki Isamu, Kondou Isami—all were the same person.
Wada Kogorou, Katsura Kogorou, Kido Kanji, Kido Junichirou, Kido Takayoshi—these were all the same person too.
And he thought changing surnames proved sincerity?
Seeing Kiriko remain silent, Motoyasu mistakenly assumed she was considering it.
"I, Motoyasu, am willing to discard my old surname 'Kitamura,' and from today onward, adopt the surname 'Matsudaira!'"
Matsudaira… Matsudaira Motoyasu?
Kiriko immediately exploded.
"You dare call yourself Matsudaira Motoyasu!?"
This time Kiriko kicked harder, sending the Spear Hero flying out of the alley.
Matsudaira Motoyasu was a real historical figure from Japan's Sengoku era. As a child, he became a hostage of the Imagawa clan and later married Imagawa Yoshimoto's adopted daughter…
Then Imagawa Yoshimoto died at Okehazama.
Afterward, Matsudaira Motoyasu allied with Oda Nobunaga, forming the famous Kiyosu alliance…
Then Oda Nobunaga died at Honnoji.
Later, after losing at Komaki and Nagakute, he pledged loyalty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi…
Then Toyotomi Hideyoshi died of illness.
After Hideyoshi's death, his son Hideyori inherited leadership…
Then not only did Toyotomi Hideyori die, but the entire Toyotomi clan was wiped out.
Damn…
Matsudaira Motoyasu's attribute of bringing death to his lords was even scarier than Lü Bu's. At least Lü Bu's lords didn't all die before him—only Ding Yuan and Dong Zhuo did.
But everyone who Matsudaira Motoyasu ever served died amidst cheerful laughter.
Oh right, after Matsudaira Motoyasu finished off Imagawa Yoshimoto, he changed his name again—becoming Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Yes, the founder of the Edo Shogunate himself.
And this spear-wielding idiot—who knew whether he was serious or trolling—actually dared say he'd change his surname to "Matsudaira!"
Was he treating her like that fat pig Imagawa Yoshimoto?