Remilia, unaware of Sakuya's overactive imagination, finished her meal, got down from her chair, and headed toward the Great Library. She hadn't forgotten her plan to talk to Patchouli about Kars's skilled kneading and see what she would say, and whether there were any hidden secrets.
Entering the Great Library, Remilia effortlessly found Patchouli, who was engrossed in writing a magic book. Her arrival didn't surprise Patchouli, as she had expected Remilia to visit.
"Patchouli, I have something I want to ask you about Kars. Do you know anything about his behavior while sleeping?"
Patchouli nodded in response. "I do. Kars has exhibited that kind of behavior recently. It seems you've encountered it too, Remilia."
"Yes. I don't quite understand why Kars does this in his sleep, and with such practiced technique. Is there anything you can tell me about it?" Koakuma had already been punished and couldn't touch Kars, so she couldn't have taught him anything. Among the remaining people, only Patchouli was left, and Kars had even mentioned kneading Patchouli's chest. All these facts pointed to an issue. Remilia had initially thought Kars was only studying magic and knowledge here, but it seemed there were other things she didn't know about.
Patchouli wasn't nervous about Remilia discovering something. She had only hoped to conceal this matter for a little longer, as she considered its discovery to be inevitable, just happening a bit sooner. It seemed Remilia hadn't completely attributed the problem to Kars himself.
"Well, I did have Kars help me with a massage some time ago. He got quite into learning it, so that's probably why his technique is so practiced." As she said this, Patchouli cupped her own chest and added, "After all, with these two things, my shoulders are often quite sore."
Remilia's mouth couldn't help but twitch at Patchouli's action. So what if your chest is big! I'm sorry that people with small chests can't experience that feeling! However, just massaging the shoulders still didn't seem like the full story.
"The other reason is likely due to how we sleep. When I'm asleep, I like to hold Kars close. When he feels stifled, his instincts kick in, and he performs certain actions. That should be the reason." Patchouli's answer sounded plausible. All the reasons were clearly explained, outlining why Kars would act that way in his sleep. However, Remilia still found this explanation quite provocative.
"I see. Kars, that brat, really does cause a lot of problems." Remilia didn't seem to doubt anything, apparently believing the explanation, and didn't press the issue any further.
"Children are like that. It will stop being a problem when he grows up."
"Hmm, that's true. Well, I won't bother you any longer then." Remilia quickly chose to leave. Seeing this, Koakuma came up to Patchouli.
"Lady Patchouli, I think if you talked to Lady Remilia about your relationship with Kars, you wouldn't have to worry anymore, right?"
"That's true, but the problem is, Remilia would be furious if she knew I taught Kars strange things just to do certain things with him." Patchouli explained. She had acted impulsively at first, and then continued to do so to get more intimate. Even if it was initially harmless, it had become problematic now. If someone learned that a trusted friend had acted this way and taught strange things to their child, anyone would be angry. Who wants their child to learn strange knowledge?
"That's true." Koakuma agreed, thinking that Lady Patchouli's actions were indeed a bit hard to justify.
"And right now, Kars seems to favor that Yuuka Kazami quite a bit."
"Huh? But Kars also said before that compared to you, that Yuuka Kazami is no competition, right?" Koakuma remembered Kars saying that Patchouli was more important when comparing the two.
"That's because he doesn't see me as someone he would marry yet. Of course he chooses me when it comes to who is more important." Being seen as important was a good thing, but Kars hadn't considered her as a potential wife, which was frustrating. Otherwise, why would Kars look for other monsters? He could just choose her.
She hadn't initially thought this way, either. If it weren't for recent developments sparking this idea, she wouldn't have started doing those things. Otherwise, she would have long ago planted the idea in Kars's head to marry her when he grew up.
"So, I need to slowly work on changing his mind. If I were to tell Kars directly, it could cause issues, and Remilia's reaction is unpredictable."
"I understand." Koakuma nodded in realization. The situation was indeed quite complicated. Achieving ultimate success was truly difficult, especially with a powerful rival monster outside. She suddenly felt that the entire matter was quite complex. If she were the one in charge, she would probably be tearing her hair out, and she wouldn't even think about the problem that much.
"So, Lady Remilia probably doesn't suspect you now, right?"
"I can't be sure about that, but the problem shouldn't be too big." Patchouli wasn't certain whether Remilia truly didn't suspect her. It was possible Remilia trusted her completely, or perhaps she knew but chose not to say anything. Although she had attributed the problem to Kars's inherent issues, her answers weren't exactly perfect. However, judging from Remilia's lack of concern, it seemed things were leaning in a favorable direction, which allowed her to relax a little.