The morning sun was soft and warm.
The rich aroma of black tea filled the entire room.
Yet, even holding her favorite cup of tea couldn't smooth out the frown on Natsuki Minamiya's face.
Her gaze grew colder as she read the report in her hands.
"Vatler of the Warlord's Empire was targeted in a terrorist attack last night. The entire street where the battle took place was destroyed. He is currently still regenerating. The magical energy fluctuations from the fight are suspected to be at the Primogenitor level."
Natsuki Minamiya turned her icy stare towards the three unfamiliar Kaleid Bloods standing nearby.
Weren't these exactly the Kaleid Bloods from the photos Vatler brought earlier?
She silently observed the golden-haired girls for a long moment before finally shifting her gaze to Arcueid beside them, letting out a soft sigh.
"How terribly unfortunate for him," Arcueid said, meticulously braiding the hair of a drowsy Avrora in her lap, not even looking up.
"...What were you all doing last night?"
"Sleeping, of course," Arcueid replied, looking up with a serious and earnest expression. "Why would I be running around at night?"
"...You're a vampire." Natsuki Minamiya glanced at the disheveled, clearly sleep-deprived Avrora in her arms and massaged her temples in frustration.
"If something like this happens again, could you please give me a heads up first?"
As a currently active Attack Mage, she bore some responsibility for the public safety of this Demon Sector.
"Next time for sure," Arcueid said, grabbing Avrora's braid and giving it a gentle shake.
"...So it was you after all."
"What?!" Arcueid's eyes widened in surprise, her movement accidentally jostling the drooling Avrora awake in her lap. "We've been found out?"
"You didn't even try to hide it, did you?"
What?!
Avrora, who had been rubbing her sleepy eyes, froze instantly. Had her unfinished homework been discovered?
Arcueid gave the tense Avrora in her lap a little squeeze, looking at her bleary eyes. "Don't worry, that matter of yours was exposed ages ago."
She pointed at the homework in Number Six's hand. "Look over there."
Avrora's blue eyes widened so much they seemed about to pop out. Trembling, she pointed a finger at the golden-haired girl who shared her face. "Traitor!"
Number Six, dressed in a black-and-white maid dress, expressionlessly turned her face away, a slight smirk playing on her lips.
Out of all of them Kaleid Bloods, only one had to go to school and do homework. Care to guess who?
Natsuki Minamiya took the blank homework from her hand and offered a kind smile.
Since her own workload had just increased, a certain little friend's workload would have to increase as well.
"I expect to see this homework completed by tonight."
The Witch of the Void showed a witch's smile.
"Guh..." Faced with her miserable fate, Avrora let out a pathetic whimper.
Arcueid pinched her cheeks and turned her attention to Number Five, who had just joined them last night. "Come here, let me have a look."
The Blazing Banquet was approaching. Once 'Root' awakened, it would absorb all the Kaleid Bloods into itself.
That would mean losing all twelve of the Kaleid Bloods by her side.
That simply wouldn't do.
And so, as the time for the Blazing Banquet drew near, the process of separating the Beast Vassals from within the Kaleid Bloods was also underway.
After returning last night, she had transplanted the Mystic Eyes into them. The technique for severing the Beast Vassals was already mature and didn't require much time.
After one night, the Beast Vassals sealed within them already showed signs of separation.
Good progress.
Arcueid nodded in satisfaction, then shifted her focus to Number Six's outfit.
Number Six's golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall. She wore a knee-length dress, its classic black-and-white color scheme clearly denoting the girl's current role.
"Is this Natsuki-chan's preference?"
"They have nothing to do at home anyway, so they might as well learn some maid work."
Natsuki Minamiya snapped her folding fan open with a swish and pointed towards Trimmau not far away. "They've been learning from your Trimmau recently."
Trimmau proudly lifted her head, gently lifted the hem of her skirt, and performed an elegant curtsy.
The smile curling on her lips was like a little kitten proudly showing off its prowess.
Seated on her luxurious chair, as if picturing a future surrounded by maids, Natsuki Minamiya also allowed a smirk to touch her lips.
'I hope they learn to cook more than just fried rice in the future.'
Arcueid prayed silently in her heart. She stood up and looked at the Kaleid Bloods. "Come on, let's go out."
She waved her arm with a smile, her beaming face appearing to the Kaleid Bloods like an angel descended from heaven.
"Destination: Lulu's!"
A laser-like gleam shot from Avrora's eyes. She excitedly rushed to Arcueid's side, only to be stopped by a slender finger.
"You are not allowed to join this outing," Arcueid said, gently pushing the approaching golden head away with her finger.
A shimmering liquid instantly welled up in the corners of Avrora's eyes, her tearful gaze fixed on Arcueid, resembling a small animal abandoned by its owner.
Suddenly, as if remembering something, a hopeful light shone in her eyes. "I... I didn't get to eat any yesterday..."
Arcueid blinked, an image from last night flashing in her mind: a certain golden figure swinging precariously from a vine.
It seemed Avrora really hadn't eaten much, too busy frantically jumping around and applying chokeholds.
"Fiiine," Arcueid relented, looking at the pitiful creature before her. "But you can't order a lot."
"O...okay!"
Avrora eagerly pulled the door open and strode out ahead of everyone else.
--+--
"I... I'll have three scoops! With strawberry, caramel, and chocolate!" Avrora clung to the counter at Lulu's, ordering familiarly.
"Well, if she's having three scoops, then I'll have four," Number Five spoke softly behind her.
As her words fell, silence descended upon Lulu's.
Avrora's head turned with a series of stiff creak sounds, her eyes fixed intently on Number Five, her cheeks puffing up in displeasure.
She whipped her head back around, her competitive spirit flaring, and quickly made a new choice. "I'll have five scoops then!"
"The menu doesn't list options for more than three scoops," Number Six interjected calmly, holding the shop's menu, interrupting their competition.
"That's quite alright," the waitress said, looking at the six similar little heads with a kindly smile. "It's a secret menu item not publicly advertised. You can stack up to seven scoops, you know."
Avrora's eyes widened in shock. As a regular at Lulu's, how did she not know about this?
"Heh heh."
Then, Arcueid made her grand entrance from behind them, a proud smile on her face.
On the table behind her sat the legendary seven-scoop ice cream!
"Behold, the legendary seven-scoop ice cream, loaded with all the toppings!"
"Oooohhhhh!"
The ice cream on the table seemed to radiate a golden light, drawing simultaneous gasps of awe from the Kaleid Bloods.
As one, they turned back and placed new orders with the waitress.
At that very moment, just outside the window not far away, a flash of gold streaked past.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.