Chapter 41: Momo: I Have a Plan.
....
Regarding the possibility that Nana had developed feelings for Kihara, both Sanae and Momo chose to stay silent. The former simply did not care, while the latter felt more time was needed to observe before reaching a firm conclusion.
All in all, under the combined persuasion of Nana and Anna Yanami, Lala ultimately changed Kihara's reward to a home-cooked feast—one prepared entirely by her own hands without using any food-making gadgets.
After the minor interlude came to an end, Kihara and Sanae stepped into the kitchen to begin preparing dinner. Inside his shadow space, Shinobu reclined comfortably on a couch, her right hand propping up her head as she faced a television displaying the outside world. After taking a blissful bite of a soft, sweet donut, she teased Kihara deep within his mind:
[What a pity, my master. Such a grand opportunity to dye a pure white canvas like Lala in thy own colors, gone just like that.]
[Let nature take its course. Given where our relationship stands, there's no need to rush.]
[True enough. Then how dost thou plan to handle Anna's situation? I see she is getting quite impatient.]
[That... can be left to my clever and capable sister-in-law, Momo, to handle.]
[Ho ho ho. Art thou planning to let her initiate the Harem Plan on her own?]
[I've always been the one actively winning girls over. Experiencing it from the other side for a change sounds pretty interesting.]
[Kaka~ Then I shall look forward to a good show. Just make sure thou art not chopped into pieces by a yandere's cleaver, my master~]
[Shoo, shoo. Stop cursing me.]
...
That evening, taking advantage of a moment while Nana was taking a shower, Momo pulled out her phone to contact her father back on Planet Deviluke.
"Hello?" A mature, middle-aged male voice drifted out from a silhouette within the projected screen.
Momo clasped her hands neatly over her lower abdomen, bowing politely in greeting.
"Father, it has been a while. Are you and Mother doing well?"
"Mmhmm. Aside from my body remaining in a weakened state due to overusing magic power, everything is fine. Though Sephi is quite angry about you two skipping school. If I hadn't held her back, you probably would have been dragged back long ago."
"Ahahaha... thank you, Father."
Aside from a dry chuckle, Momo did not know what expression to make. Although her father, Gid, was the mighty conqueror who had ended the long galactic war and established the Galactic Empire, he personally knew absolute zero about managing and running a nation.
Essentially, every single major affair of the empire was managed by their mother, Sephi Michaela Deviluke, while Gid himself functioned more like a walking strategic weapon.
The sole reason the universe's strongest warrior was rushing Lala into an arranged marriage was his burning desire for his daughter to quickly produce an heir to take over the empire, allowing him and his wife to set off on a endless honeymoon trip.
"Ahem... enough of these side topics. Since you reached out to me on your own, it means you've reached a final evaluation regarding that kid named Kihara, right?"
"Yes, Father!"
"Tell me then. How is the kid? Is he worthy of my Lala?"
"Whether in terms of appearance or inner character, Nana and I agree that Mr. Kihara is the absolute best choice for big sister's husband. No one is more suitable than him."
"Oh? Such high praise?"
Gid was genuinely surprised. Ever since the twin sisters took on the job of screening arranged date candidates, the words he heard most in their reports were negative terms like "two-faced," "scumbag," "ulterior motives," and "wild ambitions."
It had almost made him believe that decent, outstanding men were extinct in the galaxy. Now, for a boy on a remote planet like Earth to suddenly earn such glowing praise from both sisters, how could he not feel astonished?
"In truth, something happened today as well..."
Momo briefly summarized the incident where Nana fell into the lake and was rescued by Kihara. The other end of the call fell into a brief silence before Gid tapped open another channel, bellowing into it with a roar.
"Zastin! My daughter encountered such a dangerous situation today—where on earth were you?!"
"Deepest apologies, Lord Gid! Because the place the princesses visited today required specific passes, we couldn't sneak in, so we could only wait outside."
"Tch... make sure to fill in every single lake on Earth after this!"
"Understood!"
"Father! Please don't act recklessly, or Mother will be furious with you!"
Momo called out just in time to stop her father's chaotic outburst. The highly agitated Gid instantly deflated. Despite being the strongest warrior in the galaxy, he still did not dare cross his wife, Sephi, who held the real power of the empire.
When she blew her top, it was truly terrifying.
"Ahem, I was merely joking just now. Since you and Nana both approve of Kihara, then Lala's marriage is officially set. I will discuss the specific wedding date with Sephi before contacting you again."
"...Father, you agree just like that?" Momo had assumed she would need to say many good things on Kihara's behalf before her father would relent and give his approval.
"Of course I agree. Although Lala marrying him makes me a bit grumpy, he saved Nana's life. I'm not so petty as to hold a grudge against my daughter's savior."
For some reason, even though it was Kihara who earned her father's approval, Momo felt immensely proud, feeling as happy as when her garden flowers were praised by her parents during her childhood.
"Then I will go share the news with Nana and big sister. Oh, by the way, regarding our school transfer paperwork..."
"No problem. Tomorrow Zastin will arrange all the relevant files and transfer procedures for you two. Enjoy your student life on Earth. However..."
Gid's tone paused, before issuing an abnormally stern, bone-chilling reminder: "You must absolutely watch out for any boys getting close to you! They are all rotten bugs! Anyway, now that you have an extra brother-in-law, just have him step in and drive the flies away for you!"
"I understand, Father."
"Momo is always the most sensible one. Lala and Nana are nowhere near as worry-free as you."
"Heehee, then I'll hang up now."
"Mmhmm."
After hanging up the call, Momo gathered Lala and Nana in her bedroom, announcing on the spot that their father had approved of Kihara, and that she and Nana were about to transfer into Gensokyo High.
"Hooray! I'm going to go tell Kihara right now!" Lala bounded up with excitement, her figure vanishing from the room in a blur of movement.
Compared to her, Nana appeared far less thrilled, as the mere thought of going to school gave her a headache.
"Hey, Momo, can we wait a bit longer before going to school? Transferring mid-term feels kind of weird."
"Sure, in fact, I was just about to discuss that exact matter with you."
"Huh?"
Momo walked over to her computer and made a few quick clicks, pulling up a famous galactic dating game titled Ten Thousand Loves, One Billion Flowers. She turned to a thoroughly confused Nana and declared:
"Next up is our official operation to help big sister win over brother-in-law. You're going to clear this game in my room first before we do anything else!"
.....
Thank you for reading.