Obligations

"Damn it!"

A furious shout echoed through a dark room, followed by a loud crash as a man smashed a LCD screen into pieces.

The man with white hair, his face twisted in rage, was none other than Westcott, the director of Deus Ex Machina Industries (DEM), who had recently been soundly beaten by Kaguya.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, a series of crisp knocks sounded at the door.

Westcott smoothed down his tie, his face switching from a hideous snarl to a calm smile as he said, "Come in."

A beautiful woman with long pale-gold hair, dressed in a sharp suit, entered. It was Ellen Mira Mathers.

"Director, the new CR-Unit has been successfully completed. It's currently undergoing adjustments, but it shouldn't be long before it's ready for use," Ellen reported, holding a stack of documents in her arms.

"Very good," Westcott smiled slightly. "How is the plan progressing?"

"The plan is not going as smoothly as expected. There are still many challenges to overcome," Ellen replied, "but compared to before, there's been significant progress. It shouldn't be long before the initial experiments are completed."

"Hmm," Westcott rubbed his chin thoughtfully before saying, "Let's proceed with Plan C."

Ellen was startled and hurriedly responded, "Plan C is very effective, but it comes with serious side effects. I'm afraid—"

"I've already decided," Westcott's lips curled into a sly smile, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light. "Time is of the essence. We don't have the luxury of waiting. Besides, with that person around, our plan is bound to be interfered with. We need to get rid of her first."

"Understood, Director," Ellen nodded, her face flushing slightly as if some thought crossed her mind.

"How strong is that Spirit named Kaguya?" Westcott suddenly asked.

"Ah—" Ellen was caught off guard by the sudden question, stammering for a moment before regaining her composure.

"What's wrong?" Westcott frowned. "Did something happen?"

"N-No," Ellen quickly waved it off and regained her calm. "Her power is immense. It might even surpass any Spirit we've encountered so far. Maybe only a Spirit in their inverse form could possess such strength."

"Is that so?" Westcott pondered for a moment, then asked, "If we give you the new CR-Unit, will you be able to defeat her?"

"Of course," Ellen raised her chin confidently. "I am the world's strongest magician."

The new CR-Unit's capabilities far surpassed its predecessor, boosting power several times over. For someone like Ellen, who wielded tremendous magic and precise control, it was a significant advantage. It was no wonder she felt so assured.

Additionally, Ellen had a personal reason—she wanted to redeem herself and defeat that infuriating Spirit who had humiliated her, giving her a taste of her own medicine .The mere thought of it sent a thrill of satisfaction through her.

Morning dawned, the sky bright and blue with scattered clouds, as warm sunlight poured in through spotless windows, chasing away the darkness in the room.

Kaguya, still groggy, sat up from the sofa, her eyes hazy with sleep.

Suddenly, she felt something soft and silky under her hand, followed by a delicate moan.

Kaguya snapped fully awake. She lifted the blanket, and there, beneath it, was a delicate figure—Origami Tobiichi, lying next to her. Memories of the previous night replayed vividly in her mind like scenes from a movie.

"Good morning, darling," Origami said expressionlessly, sitting up as if completely unconcerned about her exposed body.

For some reason, Origami's cool and aloof demeanor only made Kaguya feel more excited, especially thinking back to the rare moments of shyness that had flickered across her delicate face the night before. It had driven Kaguya wild, and she hadn't stopped until Origami was left utterly breathless.

Kaguya reached out, pulling Origami into her embrace, her hand slipping onto the softness of Origami's chest, gently kneading. Origami didn't resist, instead nestling compliantly into Kaguya's arms, even shifting slightly to make Kaguya's touch easier.

Early in the morning, the atmosphere was already thick with intimacy.

But just then, a soft sound came from the next room, snapping Kaguya back to reality. She quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it over Origami, hiding her, before vanishing in a flash of black light.

Kaguya had barely used her Yomotsu Hirasaka teleportation technique when the door swung open, and a girl with long black and purple hair stepped out. Tohka Yatogami. She glanced around, puzzled by the empty sofa, then sniffed the air near it with a confused look on her face. "What's that smell? It wasn't here yesterday."

At the same time, Yoshino emerged from her room, adorably yawning as she headed for the bathroom to wash up.

"The food will be ready soon, just wait a little longer," Kaguya's voice called from the kitchen.

Kaguya breathed a sigh of relief. Last night had certainly been wonderful—especially the sensation of that soft body beneath her—but it wouldn't be great if they were caught. After all, it wasn't exactly something suitable for kids like Yoshino to witness.

Then there was Tohka, the hot-headed girl prone to jealousy, who would definitely cause a scene.

Now that Kaguya thought about it, she and Tohka hadn't known each other for very long, but Tohka's affection for her seemed unusually high. Maybe it was because Tohka didn't have many friends and was afraid of losing the ones she had, leading to such intense reactions.

Kaguya figured that made sense. She doubted Tohka had developed any deep romantic feelings for her in such a short time.

"Darling, is breakfast ready?"

The sweet voice startled Kaguya so much she nearly dropped her spoon. Turning around, she saw Tohka standing behind her.

"What are you doing here?" Kaguya asked, a headache forming. "And what's with calling me 'darling'?"

"Huh?" Tohka tilted her head, confused. "Why can't I call you that? I saw it on TV, people do that all the time."

"And you just believe everything on TV?" Kaguya replied, exasperated. "Why not learn something else from it?"

"Something else?" Tohka pondered for a moment, then leaned in and kissed Kaguya on the cheek with a mischievous giggle. "I learned this too."

Kaguya froze in place, feeling like she'd been struck by lightning.

At that moment, the door opened, and a fully dressed Origami Tobiichi stepped out of her room. Surprisingly, instead of heading toward the kitchen where Kaguya was, she walked into the living room as if she didn't see Tohka Yatogami at all.

Seeing Origami's actions, Tohka raised her head proudly and let out a smug "hmph" before saying, "She's my darling now too, how about that? Feeling defeated?"

"Idiot," Origami replied flatly, her expressionless face unchanging. "You achieve one small thing and think you're so great, but compared to others, it's a trivial accomplishment. It's truly pitiful how unaware of your insignificance you are."

"What did you just say?" Tohka snapped, anger rising as she felt slighted.

"Did you not understand? As expected of a brainless amoeba, what I'm saying is probably too profound for you," Origami continued her venomous criticism with a perfectly serious tone. "But since you're so ignorant, let me enlighten you a bit more. Do you even know the duties of a wife?"

"Duties of a wife?" Tohka blinked in confusion, clearly not understanding. "What duties?"

Sigh. "You really are clueless. You're just a child who doesn't know anything," Origami said calmly, her tone condescending. "Meanwhile, I have fulfilled them. You'll never understand."

"What are the duties of a wife?" Tohka asked urgently, now completely ignoring Origami's taunts as curiosity took over.

"Well, since you're so sincerely asking, I'll kindly tell you," Origami cleared her throat, adopting a serious tone. "The duties of a wife are—"

Before she could finish, Kaguya quickly reached out, covering Origami's mouth to stop her from saying anything further. If she let Origami finish that sentence, things would definitely spiral out of control in the house.

"Ahem," Kaguya coughed lightly and said, "This isn't something you should hear right now. Let's leave it for later."

"Why later?" Tohka asked, still confused, looking at Kaguya suspiciously. Her expression fell slightly, and she murmured, "So it's true…"

"No, no, not at all!" Kaguya quickly clarified, "Don't listen to her nonsense."

Origami pulled Kaguya's hand away slightly and said, "I wasn't talking nonsense."

Before she could say more, Kaguya swiftly swatted her backside with a sharp "smack," leaning in to whisper threateningly in her ear, "If you keep talking, I'll punish you."

Hearing Kaguya's warning, Origami's face flushed slightly, a rare blush spreading across her pale cheeks. She turned her head away awkwardly and remained silent, evidently recalling something that made her more compliant.

However, Tohka had already noticed the little exchange, and her face showed a slight hint of sadness. It was as if she felt left out, with a sour feeling rising in her chest, making her feel uncomfortable.

Sensing Tohka's mood, Kaguya walked over and, to Tohka's surprise, took her hand with a smile. "Let's eat first. You must be starving, right? I made some soybean flour bread just for you. I hope it's to your liking."

"Really?" Tohka's eyes lit up instantly at the mention of soybean flour bread. All her previous frustrations seemed to vanish in an instant. "Is there really soybean flour bread?"

"Of course." Kaguya smiled, patting Tohka's head.

Because the bakery didn't open until 10 AM, there was no way to buy soybean flour bread in the morning, which had led to Tohka grumbling for days. To fix this, Kaguya had even bought an oven so she could make the bread herself.

Finally managing to calm Tohka down, Kaguya breathed a sigh of relief.

After finishing their meal, Kaguya set out for a jewelry store to sell her diamonds, intending to exchange them for cash. After all, she had plenty of expenses to cover, and most importantly, she needed to buy a bigger house. She couldn't keep sleeping on the living room couch, and the proximity to the AST base was becoming a liability. If the spirited girls in her house started acting up, they could end up attracting the entire AST unit. That would be a real mess.

Kaguya could already imagine the scene of an entire AST fleet swarming over her house like a plague of locusts.

Moving house was clearly the only solution.

The morning streets were already bustling, filled with office workers hurrying to their jobs and students rushing to school. Their busy, hurried demeanor made Kaguya recall her own school days, where she too had been constantly on the go.

What? Why was Kaguya so busy even back in elementary school?

Well, that's because poor Kaguya had to walk an hour to get to school, and she was late many times because of it. It really had been a miserable experience.

Just as Kaguya was lost in reminiscing, she suddenly froze, sensing something. Turning her head, she saw a small girl lurking suspiciously in a corner of the street. The girl was wearing a strange mage-like hat, ragged orange clothes, and a pair of lantern-shaped shorts with suspenders. Her socks were mismatched in length and color, orange and black, and she wore a pair of pointed shoes.

What kind of kid dresses like that?

Could she be a beggar?

Kaguya wondered to herself.

But when Kaguya got a closer look at the girl, her interest waned. The girl's hair was unkempt, her face unnaturally pale—not the healthy fairness of normal skin but the sickly whiteness of someone who never saw the sun. Her features were decent, but her frail body severely detracted from her appearance.

Looks like a beggar, huh.

Kaguya thought no more of it and continued walking toward the jewelry store, which should have been open by now.

As Kaguya averted her gaze, the little girl seemed to sense something. She turned her head to look at Kaguya, and when she saw her face, she froze. A moment later, a sickly flush crept across the girl's pale cheeks, and a sharp gleam flashed in her eyes.

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