99% again?
What exactly is holding her back?
Haruka Kasugano was completely bewildered. However, after receiving Void Shiki's promise, the two of them embraced and fell asleep.
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The summer vacation came to an end.
Fujino Asagami, Azaka Kokutou, and Shiki Ryougi all had to return to school. Haruka Kasugano also had to go back to Fuyuki for his classes, reverting to his habit of visiting Misaki City only on weekends.
However, with so many women now, his time management became a bit of a nightmare. Juggling Shiki Ryougi, Fujino Asagami, Azaka Kokutou, and Touko Aozaki over a mere two-day weekend was proving to be quite a challenge. As for Kirie Fujyo... he checked in on her occasionally.
Fast forward to November.
Haruka Kasugano drove to Misaki City once again. He walked into Garan no Dou as usual, only to find the place completely empty.
What the hell? Did she get robbed? This was Touko Aozaki's magecraft workshop; any thief capable of hitting this place would have to be at least on her sister's level. However, he soon spotted a note left by Touko.
"Haruka Kasugano, I've been very happy during this time. But I'm afraid of drowning in your 'gentle village.' I still have many things left to finish. Goodbye."
Dammit! That woman actually ran away! She was head over heels for him just last week, and now she's acting like she doesn't know him the moment she puts her pants back on?
But moving so much equipment in a week meant she couldn't have gone far. He had to catch her. Where would she go?
Haruka Kasugano had a sudden realization. Touko's hometown was Misaki Town, right next to Misaki City. Reien Girl's Academy was situated right between the two. Perhaps she took the chance to head back home?
Following this hunch, Haruka Kasugano drove toward Misaki Town. It wasn't far—less than an hour's drive. Misaki Town was just a small, underdeveloped town. Haruka Kasugano parked his car and decided to proceed on foot. Although this was the hometown of the Aozaki sisters, he didn't know their exact address. Even in a small town, finding them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
As he walked, he made a new discovery. A little girl in a maid uniform was walking out of a shop, clutching a large pile of groceries. Red short hair, delicate features, and a somewhat cold gaze...
...Isn't that Hisui? The two sisters really were beauties even at this age!
He had previously thought about taking Kohaku and Hisui away to serve as maids for Kirie Fujyo. No time like the present!
Haruka Kasugano followed Hisui all the way to the Tohno family estate. He stood outside and observed for a while. He didn't see Kohaku; it seemed only Hisui was working as a maid for the main house. He also didn't see Shiki Tohno, who had likely already been sent away to live with a branch family.
Haruka Kasugano caught a glimpse of a young Akiha Tohno inside the villa. She was definitely a beauty in the making! However, it wasn't the right time to move on Akiha. Unlike the maid sisters, she wouldn't be grateful if he took her away right now.
But Kohaku... she was currently imprisoned and lacked any freedom. If he took her away, she would surely be as grateful to him as Sakura was.
Using [Presence Concealment], Haruka Kasugano slipped into the villa. He quickly located the basement where Kohaku was being held. With his current strength, no locked room could stop him. Entering the secret chamber, he saw little Kohaku sitting on the floor, looking completely lost. Her expression was identical to Sakura's back then—it made him want to protect her immediately.
Seeing a stranger enter, Kohaku didn't scream. She just stared at Haruka Kasugano blankly. He knelt down, stroked her head, and smiled. "Kohaku, my name is Haruka Kasugano. How about I take care of you from now on?"
Kohaku didn't speak; she didn't know what to do. Just then, footsteps sounded outside the room.
"Kohaku, today is your birthday! I have a special gift for you~!" a man with a sickly, weak voice called out from behind the door.
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A special birthday gift? Could this be the day Makihisa Tohno intended to violate Kohaku?
Heh. At your age, you still want to be the 'old bull eating tender grass'? I'm the only one allowed to be that bull!
Kohaku came from the Fujou family, one of the four great demon-hunting families (Ryougi, Asagami, Fujou, Nanaya). As the name suggested, the Fujou were a family of mages, and the sisters were born into a branch of that lineage. After their mother broke a taboo, the family collapsed. Later, Makihisa Tohno discovered their abilities and "adopted" them.
After the adoption, Makihisa immediately locked Kohaku in a secret room. He knew his mental strength was at its limit, and his "Inversion Impulse" could trigger at any moment. He needed to bolster his mental state to suppress it, and Kohaku's sensing abilities were exactly what he needed.
To protect her sister, Kohaku made a pact with Makihisa: he could use her as long as he didn't hurt Hisui. From then on, Kohaku became a tool to maintain Makihisa's sanity. Eventually, as the Inversion Impulse worsened, Makihisa required more "intense" methods—similar to "mana replenishment"—and he used the excuse of a birthday gift to violate her.
From that day on, Kohaku treated herself as a puppet. A puppet isn't alive and feels no pain; it was her only way to resist the agony of her life. But now that Haruka Kasugano was here, he wouldn't let that happen.
Under the influence of skills like [Disguise Work], [Espionage], and [Love Spot], Haruka Kasugano appeared incredibly kind to Kohaku. She instinctively smiled, though her facial muscles were so stiff from disuse that the expression looked a bit unnatural. Haruka Kasugano simply picked her up.
A moment later, Makihisa Tohno walked in, carrying a half-hearted cake. "Kohaku, I'm giving you a special birthday—who are you?!"
Makihisa, hunched and looking frail, had been wearing a lecherous smile that instantly contorted into a snarl. But that snarl quickly turned into fear. When did this man get in? As a powerful supernatural being, he hadn't sensed a thing. Getting into the villa was one thing, but this was a secret chamber even Akiha didn't know about! If anyone breached this room, he should have known instantly. Yet here this man was, already cuddling with Kohaku.
Clat! Makihisa smashed the cake onto the floor. "I don't care who you are... put down my woman and get out!"
Haruka Kasugano gave a cold laugh. "Your woman? Sorry, she's mine now." To drive the point home, he pecked Kohaku on the lips. Kohaku didn't mind; in fact, her face flushed red with joy. What little girl could resist a handsome man with innate charms?
"You—you're testing my patience!" Makihisa roared.
However, his health was failing. He lacked the confidence to fight a mysterious expert who could infiltrate his sanctum so easily. He didn't want to stake his life; if Kohaku was gone, he still had Hisui. He just wanted to scare the man away. Usually, when a secret intruder is caught, their first instinct is to flee.
But Haruka Kasugano wasn't "usual."
Flee? Why would I flee when I can just kill you? If I kill you, I don't just get Kohaku and Hisui... I get your daughter too!