Hearing that sharp remark, Meyumi fell silent for a few seconds, horrified as she realized Noriko was right. She really had planned to gradually undermine the authority of those pampered dolls to elevate herself and get closer to the master. She still had questions about who they were to him, and if they weren't his daughters, Meyumi planned to push them all aside.
"Ahem, maybe I should be more careful after all, but you're not the one to teach me. I'm much prettier, more composed, and sweeter than you. I don't understand why the master decided to shelter such a stinking mutt. Truly, the master is merciful…" Meyumi finished with a smile, unwilling to lose the argument even if Noriko was right about something.
"Next time, ask the master who of us two disgusts him more," Noriko replied with a laugh. Meyumi's words didn't offend her at all, since the customs in her tribe were far harsher, and being the chieftain's daughter only made it worse, as everyone felt it their duty to challenge her with the strongest insult, leaving the proud chieftain's daughter no choice but to accept.
Meyumi wanted to snap back sharply and continue the argument, but she shuddered all over and opened her eyes in shock.
"Dinner in twenty minutes, don't be late," Kenshin said mentally to her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"T-the master says to hurry… Move it, idiot, I don't want to be late because of you!" Meyumi exclaimed, frantically grabbing the showerhead while trying to open the shampoo bottle.
Meyumi barely had time to wash herself and was facing the difficult choice of most young girls—what to wear—when the door to her room suddenly opened, and Kasumi walked in.
The naked blonde instinctively covered herself with her hands, but seeing it was a woman, Meyumi relaxed a bit and more smoothly covered herself with one of the dresses laid out on the bed.
"Don't be scared—even if it had been him instead of me, you still wouldn't have been in danger. But if you're that skittish, the door locks from the inside—just click this little thing," Kasumi said, demonstrating the lock mechanism.
"Ahem, I'm not skittish," Meyumi replied, flustered, unsure how to act around this girl.
"Get dressed quick, you have five minutes," Kasumi said calmly, heading for the exit, intending to wake Makoto and help her get dressed.
Meyumi wanted to object but stayed silent. She was afraid to quarrel with this girl if she was the master's daughter, but decided to remind her of this arrogance later.
Meanwhile, Makoto was sleeping sweetly for the first time in a very long while. Subconsciously, she didn't want to wake up, fearing she'd see the all-too-familiar walls of the house of flowers again.
"Wake up, sleepyhead. Kenshin will be displeased if you miss dinner," Kasumi said softly, stroking her head.
"Ah!" Makoto cried out in fright and tried to sit up. She still didn't understand what was happening or where she was.
"S-sorry, ma'am…" Makoto said in an apologetic tone once she finally realized she was safe. As her sleep-fogged mind cleared a bit, she nearly jumped for joy at the realization that she'd woken up in her own bed, in her own room.
"No need to apologize, and how many times do I have to say—call me Kasumi. I'm not ma'am to you," Kasumi said with a smile, stroking Makoto's head. After washing with the excellent shampoo, her hair was finally soft and silky, making Kasumi reluctant to remove her hand from the tiny head of this little one.
"S-sorry, ma'am…" Makoto whispered.
"Fine, let's pick something nice for you. I'm sure Kenshin will be glad to see you in good clothes," Kasumi said softly, opening the closet, which already had clothes sized perfectly for Makoto.
Hearing the master's name, Makoto made every effort not to forget it and silently let Kasumi dress her.
Kasumi got so absorbed in dressing Makoto that she only stopped when she heard Kenshin's telepathic call. Quickly putting Makoto in simple jeans and a sweater, grabbing Meyumi and Noriko along the way, Kasumi hurried toward the dining hall in the "parental" wing.
By the time Kasumi brought all the new girls to the table, Kenshin and the other wives were already seated, engaged in casual conversation.
Seeing the master surrounded by those very "porcelain dolls" she'd seen before, Meyumi grew wary. She became even more convinced of the need to be quiet as water, lower than grass—at least until she figured out what was going on.
Once everyone was seated, Meyumi felt envy again for Makoto, who sat right next to Kenshin. But the blue-eyed blonde quickly suppressed her emotions, fearing the master would sense them again.
"Since it's all family here, I think we can drop the disguise," Kenshin said with a smile, and in that same second, the stately fifty-year-old man miraculously grew younger. All wrinkles smoothed out, the gray vanished completely, and his appearance underwent only minor changes.
"Ah!" Makoto cried out, unable to hold back her surprise. Meyumi and Noriko were more restrained and just stared in shock at what was happening.
"Yeah… I didn't think you were just pretending to be an old man. Must be some masterful Fuinjutsu seal if even the eyeball idiots from the Hyuga clan didn't notice," Noriko said, then flinched upon looking at Hitomi and seeing her completely white eyes.
"Ahem!" Hitomi snorted discontentedly but didn't make a scene.
"Why didn't I notice your eyes before…?" Noriko said in surprise. Diving into her memories, she realized with astonishment that right after getting out of the carriage, she'd seen this woman's Byakugan, but for some strange reason, hadn't paid it any attention at all.
Kenshin ignored her words and peered into the interactive menu before his eyes, selecting dishes for dinner.
"Since our family has a little addition, I think a hearty dinner is in order," Kenshin said with a smile, somewhat surprising the clueless girls. They hadn't seen a single servant setting the table and couldn't figure out what he had in mind.
But all thoughts fled the new girls' heads at once, and Makoto even let out a frightened squeak when a huge amount of diverse food suddenly appeared on the table.
"W-what technique is that?! No such techniques exist! Is it Fuinjutsu?!" Noriko exclaimed in shock, leaping back from the table several meters. Few things could scare or surprise her, but food appearing out of nowhere completely threw her mind off balance.
"Calm down and sit. You'll learn everything later, but for now, let's eat," Kenshin said calmly, smiling and patting the Makoto sitting beside him. He'd insisted she sit next to him this evening, which couldn't help but bruise his wives' egos, as they were displeased with the husband's extra attention to a stranger.
"Eat, don't be shy or afraid of anyone," he said softly, sliding a plate of pork ribs glazed with a golden crust toward her, from which faint steam rose.