4. The Witch Sips Blue Leaves
"Do you have a preferred drink?"
"Anything's fine."
"Then, black tea it is."
At Ichinose's gesture, Retishia bowed politely from behind her and vanished. This didn't seem to be Ichinose's private room—it felt more like a reception parlor. The servants I'd glimpsed here and there weren't ordinary people, either. Nearly all of them appeared to be non-humans who looked human at a glance, like Inuyama or Ichinose herself.
Maybe my face, tinged with a hint of unease and dissatisfaction, pleased her. Ichinose wore the smuggest grin I'd seen from her all day.
"Tsukino-kun. What's your impression of the Ichinose estate so far?"
"It's lonely."
"Oh my. That's not what I expected."
Maybe because there were so many non-humans around, I'd actually calmed down a bit. It was like finding peace amid a hail of bullets.
The black tea arrived surprisingly quickly, as if they'd prepared it in advance. I took a sip. No poison or anything. Of course—Ichinose was the type to punch you outright, never one to poison or drug someone.
"As I said earlier, let me thank you once more. That was a genuinely dangerous situation."
"I have a bit of a question, though."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Ichinose-senpai is a vampire, and the guy Aoba and I just took down was human. You couldn't beat him?"
"It's... complicated."
She looked a touch troubled, set down her cup, averted her eyes briefly, then spoke again.
"Vampires are an ancient non-human race. Our homeland is Serbia."
"Got it."
"That means our weaknesses are well-known, and with all the factions among vampires, there are plenty of tools designed to exploit them."
"So those guys..."
"Were equipped to weaken vampires. They were sent by a faction targeting me, the designated heir to Ichinose."
"Ah."
It was something I'd wondered about during the original game, and her answer was clearer than expected. No lies there, probably. I shrugged to show I understood, lifting my tea to my lips again.
"Nothing else you want to ask?"
"Not for now."
"Then, one request from me."
"What is it..."
"Help me. For the next three months, while these people are after me."
Aigoo. Here it comes. In the original, this was Sendo's event. Truth be told, I rarely got stuck with events meant for Sendo. Our power sets were too different, and the connections or requests that came my way diverged from his.
Yet for some reason, even though my abilities were far from pure physical might, Ichinose made the same request.
"Senpai."
"Yes."
"What you really want... isn't that, is it?"
She looked flustered at my words, her expression wavering. She set her tea down again and shot back.
"Why do you think that?"
"If it were just about protecting you with brute force, there are plenty of better candidates."
"You just took down an adult man..."
"The people after you aren't ordinary adult men."
"..."
"Retishia-san, who just left to fetch the tea. She's a machine—or more accurately, a robot, right? One with emotions, something like a soul, and the ability to act independently. Surely no one's targeting her?"
"I underestimated you from the start. ...But that's exactly why you're the perfect fit."
She straightened her sly expression into one of earnest seriousness and laid out the details of her request.
"The Ichinose Group—and all the top conglomerates in Japan—employ spiritualists. The only defense against curses or attacks from skilled spiritualists is another spiritualist."
"I'm not that strong."
"I told you: vampires are ancient and infamous, so all our weaknesses are public knowledge. That's why some in the Ichinose Group believe we need bolder, more special measures to transcend our vulnerabilities as vampires."
This was new territory. Aodaru's story involved saving Ichinose Aris from internal conflicts—not exposing the group's dirty secrets.
She rubbed her temples briefly, as if the thought gave her a headache, then lowered her hand and continued.
"Of course, I have no intention of allowing actions that harm civilians. But my father is quite weakened right now."
"So, my role in this?"
"Those eyes. They can interfere even with the living, right? You used them on Inuyama-san, after all."
"Possible."
"You're two cards in one, Tsukino-kun. A merciless dagger piercing their obsession with our vampire weaknesses—and if they don't back down, a vision of a vampire's future."
"You're saying I can deliver the species-level weakness transcendence they crave."
"Yes. As a last resort. Truth is, I have almost no desire to become a new species."
That made sense. Her request to Sendo was just to tide over immediate danger; to me, it was for a fundamental solution.
Having heard her out this far, refusing wasn't really an option anymore. She wouldn't let me walk away knowing all this. I'd braced myself, but facing off against a massive corporation still drew a heavy sigh.
"Just to be sure—how about my family's safety?"
"To be honest, we're short on protectors for myself, so I can't hand out blanket guarantees."
"Then I refuse..."
"But I'll beg anyone who can protect your family, no matter the cost."
That included spiritualists I didn't know yet, no doubt. Her head bowed low in plea, but with these risks, I had one more question.
"If I refuse and you handle it alone, what happens?"
"They'll use any means to oust me from management completely."
"Specifically?"
"What's the easiest way to strip a highborn woman of her dignity and force her fall? And what was the point of those men you saw today?"
Ah, damn it. In this eroge world overflowing with suspiciously bad luck, a woman's tragedy could only mean one thing.
I shot her a glare—she was cornering me with no escape—and she sipped her tea from both hands, looking apologetic.
"...Fine. I've heard way more backstory than I should anyway."
"Thank you so much."
"No, but... my family."
"I'll do my utmost. I'll start preparations right away."
Sendo tangled with Retishia, me with Ichinose. Like it or not, we were destined to fight together eventually. I'd have to power up thoroughly until then.
"Come to think of it, we haven't discussed your compensation."
"Yeah. After hearing everything—and excluding threats to my family—I'm inclined to accept."
"...No wonder Hanasaki treasures you. Then, shall we add a bit of mischief to it?"
"Pardon?"
"Protect me. Help me. If we make it through safely, I'll give myself to you."
"Pardon?"
"What's with that reaction? You're hurting my feelings."
"We barely talked properly until today."
"I've had a lot of interest in you, Tsukino-kun. I know you're a good guy. And more than that..."
She tousled her long hair with both hands. Her slightly short top shifted, revealing her navel.
"I told you: their scheme is to frame me as 'raped and impregnated by an unknown man.' If the reward matches that risk, what else but me?"
She grinned playfully—not entirely serious, maybe—but with the Manatsu family already treating me like a fiancé, Inuyama's unusual devotion, and Hanasaki's emotional swings and pleas for rescue only toward me, her words didn't sound like a joke. Not with all these entanglements.
This was modern Japan. No one's thinking "Hehe, harem time, polygamy it is" without going mad. Especially not someone from an ordinary family like me.
"Something else. Whatever I decide later."
"Hmph. No fun."
I squeezed my eyes shut, and she burst out laughing at that. Not clarifying it was a joke made her downright devious.
"Personally, I've taken a liking to how you've carried yourself since moving to Kanemachi. Helping people selflessly and staying disciplined—anyone would admire that."
"Appreciate the praise, but treat me like a mercenary."
"Think about it. After three months stuck together, protecting me—do you really think I'd feel nothing? I'm good at self-assessing."
No end in sight to this, so I sighed deeply and drained the rest of my tea. She smirked, offered cookies as snacks, and only after I'd stuffed them down was I finally free.
