"Hey, hurry up! We're just going shopping—does it really have to be this complicated?"
Haruki stood waiting in the living room, several empty teacups scattered across the table beside him.
He had told the girls yesterday to get ready for a day out in the capital, thinking that would be plenty of notice. What he didn't anticipate was how long it would actually take them to get dressed—especially when going out with someone they liked.
He'd been waiting for nearly an hour already, and still, no sign of them. With no other choice, Haruki finally called out.
"We're almost done! Just wait a little longer, will you? It's not like we get to go out often—what's the rush?"
Nina's voice echoed from the room next door.
Since returning to the Imperial Capital, Haruki had rarely left his estate, devoting nearly all his time to training the girls. Aside from Esdeath, who often went out on missions, the others had stayed by his side the whole time.
In fact, Haruki had never taken them out for leisure since coming back. They hadn't said anything, but he could sense their quiet anticipation. So today, he finally agreed to take them out for a stroll through the capital.
After a while, the girls finally appeared, all carefully dressed up. Esdeath wasn't present—she had recently left to lead the army in suppressing a minor rebellion by southern tribes. Standing before Haruki now were Nina, Gin, Kurome, Tsukushi, and Pony.
The moment he saw them, whatever irritation he'd felt from waiting instantly disappeared.
The girls were already beautiful to begin with, but now, dressed to the nines, each had a distinct charm that turned heads.
Aside from Esdeath, Gin was the oldest among them at fifteen.
Compared to before, she had grown far more womanly, her figure well-developed. She stood around 170 cm, and years of training had given her a perfectly balanced physique—elegant yet powerful. She wore a white silk blouse and short skirt, paired with white knee-high leather boots. The exposed stretch of snowy thigh between her skirt and boots drew the eye, while her long, soft white hair cascaded down to her waist. With her cool demeanor, she looked like a spirit of the mountains—untouched by the world and utterly ethereal.
Nina, now fourteen, had matured early and already stood about 165 cm tall. She wore a refined beige dress that reached just past her knees, along with short boots made from the pelt of a Danger Beast. Her ample chest filled out the front of her dress, and her shining golden hair rested gently on her shoulders. A delicate hair clip above her right temple added a touch of playful charm, radiating youthful energy.
Kurome, also fourteen, stood about the same height as Nina, though her chest had yet to develop—strikingly different from her sister Akame. True to her appearance in the original story, she still wore her black sailor uniform and matching knee-high stockings, which perfectly showcased her long, toned legs. But unlike before, perhaps influenced by Haruki, Kurome now wore her jet-black hair long and flowing down her back—the very image of a classic anime beauty with long, straight black hair.
Although another year had passed and Tsukushi and Pony were now both fourteen, thanks to Haruki's blood, they had become immortal vampires and looked almost exactly the same as when they first returned to the Imperial Capital with him. Both stood at about 155 cm, with skin as smooth and pale as porcelain, deep red eyes, and light blue-tinted hair. At a glance, they shared a striking resemblance to Haruki—at least seventy percent alike.
Today, the two wore matching off-shoulder princess-style dresses: black with red trim, paired with black leather knee-high boots. The wide cuffs of their sleeves were embroidered with several silver-white bats of a strange, almost magical design. Tsukushi's pale blue hair flowed freely down her back, and on her left ear was a lifelike silver bat-shaped earring, its material unidentifiable. Her chest was so full it looked like it might tear through her dress at any moment. She gave off an alluring mix of purity and seduction, like a fusion of angel and devil. Pony, on the other hand, had long brown hair with a bluish tint tied into a high ponytail that reached her waist. She wore the same bat earring, but on her right ear, and exuded energy and liveliness in every movement.
Since they had once been comrades in the elite group of seven, and both were now vampires who had spent the past year drinking each other's blood, Tsukushi and Pony had become incredibly close. Not only did they wear matching outfits, they even shared a room at night. At this point, Haruki couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on between them. He didn't mind, of course—as long as they didn't become exclusively attracted to women, he actually found the idea somewhat appealing. After all, it did have a certain thrill to it, didn't it?
He hadn't really paid attention during training, but now that the girls were all dressed up, Haruki found himself stunned. In his previous life, he'd been a shut-in loser with zero experience around real women, let alone this many breathtaking beauties. His eyes kept darting from one girl to the next, and if not for a bit of self-control, he might've started drooling right then and there.
As the saying goes, women dress up for the ones they care about—and every one of these girls clearly liked Haruki. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten up so early just to spend all that time getting ready. Seeing his dazed, lovestruck expression only made them more pleased. They simply stood there, letting him look as much as he wanted.
It took Haruki quite a while to snap out of it. Realizing how he must've looked, he felt a bit embarrassed. To think, after over a thousand years in this world, he still hadn't learned to keep his cool.
Trying to change the subject, he quickly said,
"All right, if everyone's ready, let's head out."
"Okay!"
The girls answered in unison. Though they all knew he was dodging the moment, none of them called him out on it. They were more than willing to go along with it—for his sake.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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