"Shidou! What's going on?! I heard your distress call!"
Hearing Shidou's desperate cry, Melusine burst into the restroom.
And what met her eyes was—
Shidou, blushing furiously, clutching at his pants with all his strength as if protecting his last shred of dignity, and Origami Tobiichi, who was firmly tugging at his pants and refusing to let go.
Oh, and for the record—
Origami had also pulled her own clothing up above her chest, revealing flawless skin as smooth and pale as carved jade.
Her body, likely honed through relentless training, had a stunningly perfect silhouette.
Faced with such a shocking sight, Melusine was left utterly speechless.
Meanwhile, upon seeing Melusine intrude, Origami's expression remained as stoic as ever—
but her gaze sharpened.
One could faintly feel the wariness and hostility she directed toward Melusine.
"Even though I don't know why Shidou said he's going on a date with you, I'm declaring my claim here—"
"Shidou is my lover."
"Also, as a girl, don't you think it's disgraceful to just barge into the men's restroom like this?"
Even Melusine, normally the picture of calm, widened her eyes in astonishment at Origami's words.
Excuse me? Did Origami—Origami-sama—just scold me for lacking self-respect?
Am I actually getting lectured about propriety by Origami-sama?
"And so," Origami continued, her tone ice-cold, "I believe the best thing you can do now is pretend you saw nothing, turn around, and quietly shut the door on your way out."
Her words practically screamed, Get lost.
"No, no, no! Origami, you do realize it's wrong for a girl to be in the men's room, right?! Then why don't you leave too?!"
Still clinging to his final line of defense, Shidou frantically protested.
"It's fine."
"I came here to help you... relieve yourself."
Origami stared down at him with those blank, emotionless eyes, her voice cutting like ice.
"And afterward, it would be a perfect opportunity to take care of our other unfinished business."
"...Huh?"
"We've already established that we're lovers, haven't we?"
"Yet, we still haven't done what lovers are supposed to do."
"This is the perfect chance—"
"I can make sure all the vixens around you give up completely."
"N-no no no no!"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever it is, I don't want it!!"
At Shidou's protest, Origami tilted her head in confusion.
"Shidou... you don't know what lovers do together?"
"It's alright."
"If you don't know, then I'll take the lead."
"You just need to close your eyes and enjoy."
"I have a very bad feeling that if I close my eyes, I'll lose something extremely important, so absolutely not!!"
"It will feel good."
"THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE!"
"Shidou, it's okay. Trust me."
"It's really not okay! LAN—LANCELOT, SAVE ME!!"
Shidou screamed for help with every ounce of strength he had—but it was hopeless.
From the look on Origami's face, it was clear—
she wasn't even exerting herself yet.
Although the AST mainly relied on CR-Units for combat, they were still trained like elite soldiers.
And Origami, as the AST's ace, was more than capable of overpowering an ordinary high schooler like Shidou.
He didn't know exactly what Origami was planning,
but every fiber of his being screamed that it wasn't anything good.
Finding himself completely powerless to resist, Shidou desperately cried out for Melusine's help.
"Mm..."
Melusine mused for a moment, having observed the entire bizarre exchange.
Then she asked calmly,
"Are you two... engaging in intercourse?"
The word hit like a thunderclap—
Shidou's face instantly turned crimson, and even Origami momentarily paused, turning to look at Melusine.
"That's correct. We are preparing to engage in intercourse."
Origami stated it without a hint of shame.
"NO, WE'RE NOT! LANCELOT, YOU'VE MISUNDERSTOOD!"
Panicked beyond belief, Shidou shouted,
"We're absolutely not doing anything like that!"
Melusine: "If you're preparing for intercourse, then I'll leave you two alone."
Origami: "Thank you for your consideration."
Melusine: "Shall I shut the door for you? And perhaps guard the entrance so no one else intrudes while you're busy?"
Origami: "If you could, that would be very helpful."
Two expressionless, beautiful girls seemed to have forged some wicked agreement.
And only poor Shidou was left with a face drained of all color, looking ready to pass out.
Although Melusine seemed completely prepared to leave them to it,
Origami didn't get the chance to act on her intentions.
Because just then, three men suddenly burst frantically into the restroom.
With so many people storming in, it was obviously inappropriate for Melusine and Origami to remain.
Stepping out, Origami's expression finally showed a trace of disappointment.
Melusine, meanwhile, glanced briefly at the newcomers, thoughtful.
They're from Ratatoskr, aren't they?
She mused inwardly.
Looks like that brocon Kotori couldn't sit still after seeing her brother being pinned down by Origami.
Melusine had recognized them easily—
especially that golden-haired pretty boy whose hair was longer than most girls'.
Koyasu Takehito!
Don't think just because you changed faces I wouldn't recognize you!
The moment you open your mouth, I know it's you!
What?
You're saying I'm missing a character in the name?
That it's supposed to be "Kouyasu Takehito," not "Koyasu Takehito"?
Please.
Didn't he already stop being "human" long ago?
When Melusine heard Kōzuki Kyouhei's voice, her first thought wasn't a blond vampire—
but a certain pharaoh and a certain fairy tale author.
Even Deputy Commander Kōzuki himself showed up.
Kotori must have figured that even sending a few men wouldn't stop Origami,
so she sent a serious combat specialist.
After all, most of the Fraxinus crew were non-combatants.
But Kōzuki Kyouhei, the Deputy Commander, was a different story—
rumored to have once been an instructor in AST.
If Origami had attempted to force things with Shidou, she likely would have been swiftly and brutally subdued.
But still—
none of that really concerned Melusine.
With things getting this chaotic, surely they'll finally give up on trying to capture me, right?
Even if it's only temporary, that's fine.
After all, I'm planning to leave this world sooner or later anyway.
---
A cool breeze brushed gently through the morning air, carrying a hint of crispness but also softness.
The sky was a deep, clear blue, dotted with a few lazy clouds drifting along.
Sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, painting the ground in patches of light and shadow.
Before the door even opened, Shidou's flustered voice could already be heard from the other side.
"Sorry, sorry!"
"I overslept today!"
"Tohka! Yoshino! Yae and Yuzuru!
"Are you hungry? I'll get breakfast ready right away!"
His panic was understandable.
After all, Yatogami Tohka was a super glutton.
If she went too long without eating, who knew what kind of chaos she might cause?
All the Spirits under Ratatoskr's protection lived in the Spirit Apartments right next door to the Itsuka house.
In fact, Shidou could easily jump from his own balcony to theirs.
This arrangement had been made for their safety—
since if Tohka or Yoshino's powers ever spiraled out of control, Shidou needed to be close by to calm them.
As the only one whose skill points were maxed out in housework, it fell to Shidou to handle all the cooking and cleaning.
But today, when he rushed into the Spirit Apartments—
he found Tohka and the others already sitting neatly at the table, happily eating.
"...Huh?"
Completely baffled, Shidou stood there in shock.
It took about two minutes to get the full explanation—
"So, basically..."
Sitting stiffly at the dining table, Shidou stared at the breakfast before him.
Ham and egg sandwiches were stacked neatly on the plates.
Next to them, there was even a warm glass of milk thoughtfully placed.
The delicious aroma filled the air, making Shidou, who had skipped breakfast in his rush, instinctively swallow.
He turned his head toward the nearest girl—Yoshino.
"These... were made by Lancelot?"
"Y-Yes..."
Yoshino answered softly.
Shidou Itsuka was deeply surprised.
Up until now, with the Spirits he had encountered, it was already a miracle if they didn't cause trouble while he was cooking.
A Spirit who could not only cook by herself but actually seemed pretty skilled at it—this was truly the first time.
"Then, where's Lancelot?"
Shidou glanced around the room but didn't see any sign of Melusine.
It was Yuzuru Yamai who answered him.
"Answer: Lancelot prepared breakfast for everyone before we woke up, finished the housework, and then went out."
She probably went to help someone again...
Shidou couldn't help thinking that.
Then, he recalled what Melusine had told him the day before, and his heart grew heavy.
Such an obedient and kind-hearted girl... why does fate have to treat her so cruelly?
Shidou felt a surge of anger at the injustice Melusine had suffered, and a deep admiration for the Master who had saved her.
Just as Shidou picked up his chopsticks to try Melusine's cooking, he felt a scorching gaze so intense it was almost physically burning him.
"...Tohka."
"Hmm?"
Yatogami Tohka wiped her mouth and turned toward Shidou.
"Are you going to eat that?"
"Is it really okay?!"
Tohka immediately stood up, her eyes sparkling brightly.
But then she quickly stepped back, shutting her eyes tightly as if trying to resist temptation.
"No, no, no!"
"That's Lancelot's breakfast for Shidou—I can't eat it!"
"Well... you're right."
Shidou furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment before saying,
"Alright, I'll eat this one myself. After that, I'll cook something for you, Tohka."
"Really?! Shidou, you're the best!"
Seeing Tohka so overjoyed, Kaguya Yamai suddenly spoke up, as if remembering something.
"I recall that this morning, Lancelot even entered Tohka's room and stayed there for a while."
"Huh?"
Shidou, curious, turned to Tohka and asked,
"Tohka, what did Lancelot do in your room this morning?"
"Well, Shidou, you said that all the homework had to be finished before the end of vacation, right?"
"But I still hadn't finished my math homework, and today I was planning to ask you to help me."
Tohka explained earnestly, "Then Lancelot overheard and said, 'Shidou probably hasn't woken up yet. It's not right to disturb someone's sleep over such a small matter. If you don't mind, I can help you instead.'"
"And you handed your math homework to Lancelot?"
Just to be safe, after finishing breakfast, Shidou went to check Tohka's math homework.
And then—
"Everything's correct——?!"
She could cook, she could do housework, and apparently she was also good at studying.
Lancelot, aren't you a little too capable?!
"She even solved the super hard problems? Seriously?"
The further Shidou flipped through the notebook, the more stunned he became.
"But... why are there so few steps in the solutions?"
"Some of these problems just have the final answer written!"
"Obviously because those problems were so simple they didn't deserve a full solution."
Looking toward the doorway, Shidou saw Melusine standing there, carrying several shopping bags, her expression as calm as ever.
"Why waste time writing down steps when the answer's obvious at a glance?"
"If you spend all your time on meaningless things and end up running out of time before finishing the exam, then what?"
Apparently, Melusine had suffered firsthand from this.
Back in her school days, she had been a math prodigy—but also someone who often couldn't finish the test in time.
When the problems were easy, most students scored 130, 140; she scored 120.
When the problems were hard, most students got 90 or 100; she still scored 120.
Her scores were as stable as her heartbeat.
Of course, Shidou had no way of understanding Melusine's frustration...
But sensing the faint pressure emanating from her, he dared not pursue the matter any further.
Instead, he hastily changed the subject.
"Lancelot, where did you go this morning?"
The moment he spoke, Melusine's sharp golden gaze locked onto him.
"What, do I have to report my whereabouts to you now?"
"!!!"
Shidou froze, words caught in his throat.
But then, Melusine's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Just kidding."
"I went to the hospital this morning.
"The old lady from the shopping district, Kuwabara-baasan, fell and injured herself a few days ago."
"When I found her, I rushed her to the hospital immediately."
"Since then, I've been visiting her every day to take care of her."
The name meant nothing to Shidou.
Lancelot really knows so many people...
How does she even remember all of them?
Alongside his admiration, Shidou felt a small flicker of curiosity.
"So... are you planning to visit Kuwabara-baasan every morning from now on?"
"No."
"In two or three days, her son will be back from out of town."
"I just need to help out until then."
"I see..."