Translator: Reflet

  Editor: ryunakama

  “Ooo, look at how pretty she is!”


  Akiha said as she peeked with her binoculars. She was looking at a traditional Japanese restaurant, in which Sakura was sitting straight up on her knees in a long-sleeved kimono. Refinement and sex appeal oozed out of her. Taiyou thought he had known her, but she looked like a completely different person right now.

  “…”


  “Taiyou?”


  “…Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing.”


  “I didn’t even say anything…but more importantly…”


  Akiha stared straight at him with a grin on her face. He felt like she was seeing right through him. Shirokiyami also looked in his direction with her hazy eyes, her cute, pale lips opening.

  “Time to, pounce on her?”


  “No, I will not ‘pounce on her’.”


  “But you really should.”


  Akiha said. There was some exasperation mixed in with her tone of voice and her face. Taiyou was surprised to see that she was being serious.

  “What are you getting at?”


  “‘What are you getting at?’, he says. Heeeh.”


  “Mhm…heeeh.”


  The two girls nodded at each other. They seemed to understand each other, but Taiyou felt a bit out of the loop.

  “…Anyway, there’s something I need to discuss with you.”


  “Discuss?”


  “Yes.”


  He nodded, looking at Juurokuya.

  “So you want to stop this affair, or rather, you want to crush the whole thing, right?”


  “Y-Y-Yes!”


  “Is that what you personally want? Or does Sakura-san want the same thing for herself?”


  “I…”


  “So it’s what you personally want.”


  As soon as Juurokuya had hesitated, Taiyou knew the answer. He still didn’t know what was in it for her, but he at least knew that it wasn’t necessarily what Sakura wanted.

  He was becoming increasingly convinced that he had to discuss this with Sakura. There was a woman wearing japanese-style clothing who had just entered, preparing something.

  “With that person in there, it doesn’t seem like you can just nonchalantly have a chat.”


  Taiyou thought for a bit, then asked Shirokiyami a question.

  “Could you make it so that no one enters there for a little bit? Without causing a ruckus, if you can help it.”


  “I can…but…”


  “But what?”


  “I am…an expensive, lady.”


  “Huh? You still need money?”


  Akiha was a bit surprised. She knew that Shirokiyami had once lent a hand to Taiyou in exchange for the hefty sum of 40,000 yen per hour, so if that were happening again, it was a bit shocking to her. But Shirokiyami slowly shook her head.

  “Hug me…one time.”


  “So cheap!”


  Akiha blurted out. Taiyou gestured for her to be quiet. Shirokiyami tilted her head, adding another condition.

  “Then…rub your face against, mine.”


  “I’ll throw in a headpat as well.”


  Taiyou said, and Shirokiyami’s face reddened. She quickly stood up, showing her resolution.

  Her figure wavered for a second…before she disappeared entirely. The next moment, the woman in japanese clothing slowly crumbled to the ground. Sakura looked shocked, as did Akiha.

  “She did that just for some skinship?”


  “That’s probably because she’s the neediest among all of you when it comes to that. She prefers regular skinship over kissing or anything like that. That’s how it feels at least.”


  “Oh? That’s kinda interesting.”


  “…So it’s not ‘fantastic’?”


  “That’s cause I know about even more fantastic things.”


  Akiha gave Taiyou a little kiss, barely touching him. Juurokuya’s face flushed when she saw that. By this point, Shirokiyami had vanished from the room, in addition to the other lady.

  “Sooo, they’re gone?”


  “Probably went to any other rooms in order to clean up there too.”


  “Quite the feat of strength!”


  “But it won’t cause a commotion.”


  Taiyou said, and Akiha nodded.

  They exchanged glances before slowly making their way over to the room. Sakura, who hadn’t budged an inch from the sudden turn of events, turned around with a wary glance before giving them a slightly surprised look.

  “Why…are you here?”


  “She begged me to come here, you see.”


  “New Moon-sama? Why have you come…?”


  “I-I-I—-”


  “Oh, don’t mind her, she happens to be Juurokuya, the other one.”


  “Huh? Ah, I see.”


  Sakura understood. Taiyou sat on the opposite end of the table, crossing his legs, and Akiha sat next to him. Sakura was kneeling down further away.

  “So I heard that you have a marriage interview.”


  “Indeed.”


  “And you are fine with this?”


  “Of course I am.”


  Sakura laughed, as if she had heard something silly.

  “I was born in this kind of household. I knew from the very beginning that this would be my future. This was supposed to happen, and it makes perfect sense.”


  “Not for Youran.”


  “Well, she still resisted your advances.”


  Sakura smiled mischievously, a bit out of place with the current outfit she was wearing, which actually made it more appealing.

  “Besides, if New Moon-sama were to try and find a suitable candidate based on status and upbringing, I doubt she would have ever found a partner in all of Japan. It’d have to at least be the king or eldest prince of some country, or else they wouldn’t be a good match for one another.”


  “You can’t be serious.”


  “It’s the truth. Otherwise she wouldn’t be able to choose anyone and would just pick someone she likes.”


  “I’m not so sure.”


  “Really now? I’ll have you know that New Moon-sama is worth more than anyone can fathom. On the other hand, I would merely fetch a pretty penny.”


  “You’re sisters, and yet you’re that different?”


  “Oh, and Adashino-sama is the same way. Since she’s not quite as high-up as New Moon-sama, the chances of getting into a political marriage with her aren’t nil.”


  “The way you say that, it sounds like you’re affirming it.”


  “It’s actually an honor, although I wouldn’t expect everyone to understand.”


  “You shouldn’t have been the kind of person to accept this, as far as I recall.”


  “Oh, was I not?”


  Sakura made a graceful smile.

  “And if I weren’t that kind of person, what would you do about it?”


  Taiyou quieted down, thinking about what to do. He glanced at Juurokuya, who was the one who had petitioned him to come in the first place.

  “What do you want to do? You want to stop her, right?”


  “Y-Y-Yes!”


  “…Then that’s what I’ll do.”


  “You’re going to help her?”


  “There’s also the way Youran’s been acting. I’ll put a stop to this for the time being.”


  “Well aren’t you a stoic one. By the way, I’ve been constantly chasing after you, getting reports from my subordinates.”


  “Chasing me?”


  Taiyou wondered what she meant all of a sudden.

  “I also know that you’ve gotten your hands on Shirokiyami.”


  “…And?”


  “What I’m saying is that we have a countermeasure.”


  “Countermeasure?”


  “As in we have prepared the perfect viper for your mongoose.”


  “?”


  He didn’t quite get it at first, but then it slowly dawned on him. The image of a certain person came into his mind. Viper and mongoose. A venomous snake. The natural enemy.

  The sliding screen doors opened, revealing two girls: Shirokiyami and her older sister.