Chapter 49: Ellen: Perverted Master... (Patreon)

"Still, you know what the payment is, right?"

Back home, Ellen couldn't stop replaying Musachi's words in her head, and her expression had gone strange.

It wasn't that she disliked him. Ellen didn't dislike Musachi at all, even when she called him a pervert shopkeeper or whatever — that was just teasing, just a joke. After all, no matter how shamelessly his eyes wandered, he'd never actually done anything that truly disgusted her.

It was just that the thought of him touching her tail wouldn't let her mind settle.

She got her tail touched plenty by Ruby and the others normally. But the thought of Musachi touching it...

Just imagining it, Ellen could already feel a hot current racing straight up her spine into her brain.

Just like that time Musachi had carried her home on his back, and she'd felt it in her thighs.

That feeling of every muscle clenching.

"Forget it, I'm not thinking about this anymore..."

Ellen shook her head, then curled up on the couch, hugging her knees.

Beside her, Corin watched Ellen's movements with a puzzled look.

What was wrong with Ellen today? Why did she look so... fidgety?

That word had never once matched Ellen before.

Still, after a moment's thought, Corin decided not to ask.

A little while later, the door opened, and Rina walked back in.

"Sorry, I'm back late. Have you two eaten dinner? If not, I'll cook for you."

Rina smiled as she looked at her two little maids.

"I... I already ate!" Corin blurted out the moment she heard Rina offer to cook.

She really had eaten already, out with friends.

"I've eaten too. The boss treated me," Ellen replied likewise.

She could actually eat Rina's cooking. The taste left something to be desired, but thanks to a shark-kin's formidable digestion, she wasn't in mortal danger the way other people might be.

She remembered once, during a mission, a cunning enemy had disguised themselves as one of Ellen's teammates and slipped poison into her water. Ellen drank the whole thing and felt nothing, which left the enemy so baffled they figured the poison must have expired — and took a sip themselves to check.

They foamed at the mouth on the spot. That was when Ellen realized she'd actually been poisoned.

"Mm-hmm~"

Once she knew both girls had eaten, Rina nodded with a smile, then peeled off her prim and proper maid uniform, revealing the stunning figure underneath.

She stretched lazily afterward, letting out a comfortable little moan.

Out in public she had to keep up a maid's poise, so this sort of unladylike stretching was off-limits — but at home, none of that mattered.

Tonight the mayor was hosting a banquet, and she'd need to serve various dignitaries and officials there. At the very least, she couldn't afford to embarrass him.

Calling it a banquet was generous — really, it was the mayor arranging various matters, like the follow-up cleanup of Hollow Zero and the aftermath of the whole TOPS affair.

But since the serious meeting that morning had already settled the most important issues, the banquet itself would be a fairly relaxed affair.

Of course, the banquet still had its stars.

For instance, the current head of Hollow Special Operations Section 6, Hoshimi Miyabi, was without question one of the evening's centerpieces — though Miyabi herself wasn't much for socializing, so it fell mostly to her father Souichirou and her mother Miyuki to handle the small talk.

As for our esteemed Void Hunter, Lady Hoshimi Miyabi, she was single-mindedly devoted to the noble pursuit of clearing every last dish of banquet food.

The banquet's other focal point was Grandmaster Yixuan.

As a direct participant in the recent great battle, she and several of her disciples drew no shortage of attention.

Compared to Miyabi, though, Yixuan was far more adept at handling the social side of things.

Even though her elder sister had shouldered most of the sect's day-to-day affairs these past years, Yixuan herself was no naive recluse lost in cultivation alone — she was plenty skilled at reading people.

Every official and dignitary with an ulterior motive found themselves deflected flawlessly, without a single crack to exploit.

"Speaking of which, Ellen, isn't your school's parent-teacher conference coming up soon? I haven't heard you mention it lately."

As she pulled on a loose white dress, Rina suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Ellen.

She stood in front of Ellen, hands on her hips, looking down from above.

Even in a loose white dress, the pressure she radiated was immense.

Especially for Ellen.

"Ah, the parent-teacher conference?"

Ellen's eyes darted away, unsure how to answer.

"I don't care about your grades, but you're not planning to have me go get scolded at school again, are you? I don't even feel this small when I'm working for the mayor..."

Rina spoke while giving Ellen a long, meaningful look.

"Ahem, don't worry, Rina, you won't have to get scolded this time."

Ellen turned her head away, a little guiltily.

Rina's eyes lit up. "Your grades improved?"

"No, it's that you don't need to go."

Rina blinked. "What do you mean?"

She seemed genuinely surprised.

Could Ellen have gone to Lycaon? That didn't make sense — hadn't Lycaon sworn off ever going again, after that one time? He'd even declared that if he ever went to another one of Ellen's parent-teacher conferences again, he'd turn into a dog...

That line had sounded absurd at the time, but true to his word, Lycaon had flatly refused to go again ever since.

Which meant the one getting scolded had ended up being Rina.

Ellen's homeroom teacher was the sort who judged everything purely by grades, so she tended to be rather harsh when the topic of academics came up.

"I asked the boss. He agreed — he's going to handle the parent-teacher conference for me," Ellen said, eyes fixed to the side, not daring to meet Rina's gaze.

"I see... I didn't realize the boss was so generous, agreeing to go to a parent-teacher conference for you, of all things."

Rina clapped her hands together, as if something had just clicked.

Generous, my foot... He's clearly just a pervert taking advantage of a vulnerable situation, Ellen grumbled internally.

"But since the boss has done us such a huge favor, I can't just let it slide without some kind of thanks. Don't worry, Ellen — tomorrow after school, I'll come pick you up myself, and then I'll personally cook a meal to repay the boss."

Rina said this and left, brimming with motivation, already turning her mind to what dishes to cook the next day.

This time, she was determined to bring out her full skill and cook something truly presentable!

"It really is... a way to say thank you, and not repaying kindness with disaster... right?"

Ellen twitched the corner of her mouth, watching Rina, who was already completely lost in her own world, feeling a bit helpless.

Well, whatever. Worst case, she'd just suffer a little tomorrow and help the boss eat everything...

In any case, she absolutely could not let Rina end up poisoning the boss!

...

"Time to get up~ hoo."

Early the next morning, Remielle whispered softly against Musachi's ear, and after finishing, gave a gentle little puff of breath right into it.

Musachi shot up from the bed on the spot.

There was no helping it — that single breath had jolted him wide awake instantly.

"Remielle, do you have any idea you're playing with fire?" Musachi said, his face darkening.

Blowing into someone's ear first thing in the morning was way too stimulating, wasn't it? Was she really not afraid he'd lose control?

He'd just been fast asleep a moment ago, and that one breath had sent him kicking the blanket clean off, nearly launching him straight into the ceiling.

"Aren't you going to the parent-teacher conference for little Ellen today? If you don't get up early and get ready, how's that going to work? High schoolers care a lot about appearances — you can't embarrass her~"

Remielle said this, shot Musachi an unimpressed glance, then dashed out of the room as though fleeing something terrifying.

Musachi scratched his head, watching her go.

She had a point, sure, but why run off so fast? It wasn't like he was actually going to eat her.

A moment later, though, he glanced at the blanket he'd kicked off, then looked down at himself.

Understanding dawned.

Meanwhile, once Remielle had made it outside the room, her face flushed red.

Didn't the books say the average length was only thirteen? Why was it that big? So thick... could it be that a hundred years later, human development had improved?

But then height hadn't really changed much either...

By the time Musachi had gotten dressed, Remielle had breakfast ready.

"You're planning to go dressed like that?" Remielle eyed Musachi's casual outfit — a black short-sleeve shirt paired with black casual pants.

"Why not? It's just a parent-teacher conference, not a blind date where I'm supposed to show off like a peacock." Musachi rolled his eyes.

"That won't do. On the surface it's a parent-teacher conference, but really, how the parents present themselves becomes gossip fodder among the students. High schoolers can be pretty sensitive about their pride — you can't show up dressed like that!" Remielle puffed out her cheeks.

"Hurry up and eat. Once you're done, I'm taking you to pick out an outfit."

"Is it really necessary..." Musachi muttered.

"Of course it's necessary. Ever heard the saying, clothes make the man, saddle makes the horse? Come on, let's go — it's only eight now, the conference starts at ten. That's two hours, plenty of time!" Remielle's eyes went wide as she jabbed a finger in the air to emphasize how serious this was.

Musachi looked a little helpless at that.

"Fine, fine, whatever you say." Musachi gave a resigned nod.

"Hehe, that's more like it~"

After finishing breakfast, Remielle dragged Musachi out the door.

"Not going to Lumina Square?" Musachi asked, a little confused.

"Nope, nope, everything there is too expensive. We're going somewhere else."

As she spoke, Remielle flagged down a taxi and gave the driver an address.

"This shop was recommended to me by Cecilia. She and the owner have been friends for years, and if you drop her name, they only charge for materials~"

Remielle had been getting along well with the trio of Trigger, Orphie, and Isolde lately, and by extension, with Cecilia too.

Cecilia was quite fond of Remielle — a stunning beauty who could dance and had a great personality besides — and the two had grown close fast, becoming the kind of best friends who told each other everything.

Before long, the taxi pulled up outside a shop in the Janus Quarter.

It was a storefront specializing in custom tailoring. When Musachi walked in, there were no other customers — just a woman who looked to be in her forties.

The woman had fine features and had clearly taken good care of herself, though the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes betrayed the passage of time.

"Hello, hello — Cecilia sent us. We need an outfit put together for him, if you don't mind," Remielle greeted the shop owner.

"Cecilia just told me. You must be Remielle? Just call me Gabrielle. Whatever you need, just say the word — Cecilia and I have been friends for over a decade, no need to be polite." Gabrielle smiled warmly at Remielle.

"I have a parent-teacher conference to attend. She says I need to dress nicer," Musachi said, sighing. What a hassle...

"A parent-teacher conference? Hmm, I see. Since it's not an especially formal occasion, let's go with something a bit more casual. This gentleman has such handsome features, and a fine build too... in that case, how about a casual suit?"

"I'll trust the professional's judgment," Musachi said with a smile.

"One moment." Gabrielle stepped off to one side.

The shop normally handled custom-order business, but Gabrielle also sold ready-made pieces from time to time — whenever she was bored in her spare time, she'd sew a few pieces just to keep her hands sharp.

But even though these were just idle pastime pieces, the craftsmanship and materials were both top-notch.

It was clear this place specialized in high-end tailoring.

"Right this way, please — the fitting room is over here."

Before long, Gabrielle returned carrying an outfit.

A coffee-colored casual suit jacket, paired with a white shirt, and below, a pair of suit trousers with front pleats, finished off with a pair of brown leather shoes.

The whole ensemble had a layered, dimensional quality to it.

"Since it's not that formal an occasion, I skipped the tie — but that leaves the neck looking a little bare, so please wear this necklace," Gabrielle said, handing the clothes over before leading Musachi to the fitting room door.

Left to her own devices in the meantime, Remielle wandered the shop.

With her eye for quality, she could easily tell this shop was no ordinary place.

Every piece here was handmade, and the seam work and craftsmanship were both exquisite.

Soon, Musachi stepped out of the fitting room.

The moment they saw him, both Gabrielle and Remielle went briefly speechless.

A suit is the sort of thing that naturally flatters a good figure, but a casual suit like this, by comparison, doesn't usually give quite as sharp a silhouette.

But Musachi's model-like build more than made up for it. His long neck and broad, angular shoulders filled out the casual suit and held it crisp and sharp. He hadn't buttoned the jacket, and through the gap, the white shirt beneath peeked through.

Up top, the shirt's collar was left with the top two buttons undone, lending what would otherwise have been a slightly formal suit an air of easy rebelliousness.

And that black cross necklace was the finishing touch, drawing every eye and pulling gazes irresistibly toward his neck and the faint hint of collarbone beneath it.

The lower half was simpler — fitted white suit trousers with brown leather shoes, showing off his tall, lean frame perfectly.

There wasn't much to say, really. He just looked handsome.

Devastatingly handsome.

Remielle had a point — clothes make the man, saddle makes the horse. Musachi was always handsome, sure, but in casual wear he always seemed to be missing something. Today, though, even dressed casually, his outstanding presence came through without a doubt.

He was practically born to model clothes.

With that height and that face, whatever he wore was bound to look good on him.

"Wow, Remielle, your boyfriend is really handsome!" Gabrielle exclaimed, watching the scene with genuine awe.

"Actually..." Remielle opened her mouth, about to correct her, but looking at Musachi in front of her, something crossed her mind, and a flush of red flashed across her face. She didn't correct the woman after all.

"Well?" Musachi stood in front of Remielle, one hand in his pocket, the other propping up her chin, and gave her a playful raise of an eyebrow.

"Show-off." Remielle rolled her eyes.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk — if it weren't for me being an old lady now, if I were twenty years younger, a young man like you would have my head spinning for sure," Gabrielle said, sizing Musachi up with an admiring look.

"You're not old at all, ma'am. You're still so young," Remielle said sweetly, not mentioning that her own age could have made her Gabrielle's grandmother several times over.

"Old, old — can't compare to you young folks these days." Gabrielle laughed behind her hand, and though she talked about being old, she was clearly pleased by the compliment.

Then Gabrielle turned to look at Remielle, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"Why don't... you get an outfit too? I'm in a good mood today — I'll only charge you two the price of one piece, how about it?" Gabrielle looked from Remielle to Musachi and back, eyes practically sparkling.

What a great couple — I've got to start shipping them!

Ooh, and that scene just now, with the young man cupping Remielle's chin — that was fantastic. If he'd pinned her against a wall, it would've been even better!

"Won't you lose money on that?" A hint of hesitation crossed Remielle's face — clearly, she was tempted too.

"Don't worry about it, dear. My shop is meant for wealthy clients, and to them, what matters most is my label, not the cost of materials. I'll just charge the next customer a bit more — they won't even notice," Gabrielle said with a beaming smile.

As New Eridu's famous private haute couture designer, money was the one thing Gabrielle never lacked.

Her savings alone could buy several properties around Lumina Square, easily.

"Then thank you so much, ma'am," Remielle said sweetly.

Afterward, Musachi waited outside while Gabrielle pulled Remielle into the fitting room. From inside came the occasional sound of Gabrielle exclaiming in awe.

"Oh my, sweetheart, what a figure. That boy is a lucky one. I get plenty of famous celebrities coming through here, but most of them can't hold a candle to you, and they don't have half your assets either. If you went into showbiz, you might just give Astra Yao a run for her money."

As she spoke, Gabrielle couldn't help but marvel again.

How could there be someone this gorgeous? Like an angel come to life.

Soon, the fitting room door opened.

At that moment, Musachi was outside, idly scrolling through the Inter-Knot, looking for anything interesting.

But the instant Remielle stepped out, his gaze caught her out of the corner of his eye, and his eyes locked onto her, unable to look away.

Remielle was wearing a fitted, waist-cinched evening gown, covered head to toe in sequins and pearls, the overall effect stunningly luxurious.

That said, given the gown's particular color palette, it would normally wash out anyone whose skin wasn't fair enough.

Of course, that flaw simply didn't apply to Remielle in the slightest.

She was already more than pale enough. What caught Musachi's attention even more was the gown's design.

Compared to a typical evening gown, this one was far bolder — the front, from her chest to the shoulder straps, tapered in a linear, narrowing line, and the plunging V-neckline left the fullness of Remielle's chest almost impossible to ignore.

The waist tapered in gradually, revealing the slight curve of her belly, before flowing down into hips shaped into an enticing curve.

But rather than being a flaw, this only made her all the more captivating.

"Well?" Remielle looked a little shy as she turned a slow circle in front of Musachi. Beneath her pristine white wings, the backless design at the waist bared her smooth, fair skin.

Even she thought this gown was a bit too revealing — the kind you couldn't really wear out in public.

But Gabrielle, standing to the side, wore an expression of pure satisfaction.

Who said an evening gown could only be worn to a banquet? There was nothing stopping the young couple from wearing it at home too, was there!

"It's beautiful. So beautiful I don't even know what else to say," Musachi said. Remielle radiated an astonishing charm just then, and simply looking at her left his mouth suddenly dry.

"All right, you two — this outfit can be worn any time once you're back home. Though that'll be up to Miss Remielle here, won't it?" Gabrielle smiled, looking at Remielle. Even though she'd kept calling the two of them a couple, as someone who'd been around the block, Gabrielle could tell their relationship was still ambiguous, not quite at that final step. Maybe this outfit could help push things along a bit.

No, this simply wouldn't do — if you like someone, you have to say it out loud, or you'll only regret it later...

Watching Remielle, now changed back into her regular clothes, walk off together with Musachi, a flicker of something distant crossed Gabrielle's eyes.

Back in the day, when that no-good man of hers had still been alive, he'd been just as spirited as Musachi.

It was a shame that after they married, he'd stopped putting up appearances and turned rebellious, and the two of them fought constantly.

Even when the Fall of the Old City came, even at that life-or-death moment, the two of them had still been fighting.

Gabrielle never could understand why men changed so much after marriage — so obedient before the wedding, and the second they'd got you hooked, they turned rebellious.

If only he'd listened to her back then, during the Fall of the Old City, they could have escaped together. But no, he wouldn't listen — he'd forced everyone else to drag her away while he charged alone, weapon in hand, straight at that horde of Ethereals.

What was this, some fashionable hero-saves-the-damsel nonsense? As if he even had the strength to pull it off...

And now, look what happened — he'd paid for it with his life.

And you told me to go find someone else to marry — what a joke. We fought every single day, and I never once listened to a word you said!

...

"This is the place."

Stepping out of the taxi, Musachi looked at the school in front of him.

Ellen's school wasn't far from Sixth Street.

If Musachi hadn't taken the detour to buy an outfit, he could have simply walked the whole way.

By now, a crowd had already gathered at the school gate. From the looks of it, they were all parents arriving for the conference.

But among this crowd, Musachi stood out without question.

Whether it was his striking looks or his overall bearing, plenty of people nearby kept glancing his way.

He checked his phone.

Not long now until ten in the morning.

After waiting a little while, students began trickling out through the school gates one after another, heading toward their respective parents.

Most of them simply called out to their parents once they spotted them.

But there were the occasional embarrassing exceptions.

Like a boy standing not far off.

"Dad, what took you so long? I almost thought you'd be late..." the boy complained, standing beside a luxury car.

Compared to an ordinary sedan, this car was a cut above in both brand and price — the modern equivalent of a top-tier luxury import.

"Can't be helped. There's been way too much going on with TOPS these past two days. Half my departments have problems piling up waiting for me to solve, so just showing up here at all is already a stretch. I've been so busy I haven't even had time to check your grades lately — you'd better not cause me any trouble. The people under me are already giving me enough headaches."

"Don't worry, don't worry, Dad. My test scores this time are way better than last time! It's my first parent-teacher conference — I'm not about to let you lose face."

The two of them spoke loudly enough to draw the attention of quite a few people nearby.

Yeah — clearly the father-son pair had a taste for showing off.

But Musachi paid them no mind.

"Brother."

Just as Musachi was waiting, a soft voice called out beside his ear.

Musachi didn't pay it any attention, still watching the show unfold.

"Brother!"

This time the voice came out a bit more forceful.

Musachi suddenly found the voice familiar.

Wait, was that calling to him?

Wasn't that Ellen's voice?

He turned to look, and there stood Ellen right beside him, a pristine white shirt on top showing off her excellent figure, and below, an ordinary JK pleated skirt paired with black sheer stockings and small leather shoes.

It was a very classic schoolgirl look, but on Ellen it managed to look devastatingly charming.

"I don't think I quite heard that. Say it one more time?" Musachi leaned in close to Ellen with a grin, sounding thoroughly shameless.

"Drop dead!" Ellen's face flushed slightly as she raised a small foot and kicked Musachi in the shin.

"Isn't my persona for today your older brother? Isn't it only natural for a little sister to call out to her brother?" Musachi said with a grin.

"What kind of older brother stares at his sister's legs every day and wants to touch her tail?" Ellen shot him a look of disgust.

"What do you mean, there isn't such a thing? Haven't you read that famous light novel, My Sister Can't Possibly Be This Cute!? It's super popular, you know!"

"All I remember about that light novel is that the thing you love most is your own life..." Ellen shot back.

"Mongolian top-laner has something to say."

"Bili Bili will forever love money and war."

Ellen chimed in on cue, right on beat.

"Oho, not bad — you even know that reference?"

"Give me some credit, I'm a high schooler. I know what I need to know!" Ellen rolled her eyes.

"And besides, what kind of person lusts after their own actual little sister? That's just being a pervert," Ellen added, disgusted.

"So you're saying as long as it's not an actual little sister, it's fine?" A gleam flashed in Musachi's eyes as he looked at Ellen expectantly.

"That's even more perverted."

"I'm here to handle your parent-teacher conference today. You don't want me to cosplay as an embarrassing brother, do you, miss?"

"You—!" Ellen stared at Musachi, utterly incredulous.

Threatening her at a moment like this — how shameless!

"Say 'brother.'" Musachi puckered his lips and gave the order.

"Bro—" Ellen glared daggers at Musachi, as if trying to figure out where exactly to bite him.

But in the end, red-faced with humiliation, she quietly murmured, "...brother."

"There we go, good little sister. Today, big brother absolutely won't let you lose face," Musachi said with a grin, patting Ellen's head.

"Hm? Ellen, is this your brother? He's so handsome! How come I've never seen him before?"

"Ahaha, he's always been really busy with work, so he doesn't come around much."

"I didn't realize you were so popular at school?" Musachi looked at Ellen, a little surprised.

On the way in, plenty of people had gone out of their way to greet Ellen.

At a glance, there were athletes, members of various clubs, top students — even the delinquents looked deferential toward her.

What was this, some kind of high school protagonist life?

"It's... it's fine, I guess. They just tend to cling to me a lot... it's a bit of a hassle," Ellen said, scratching her cheek with one finger, looking a little embarrassed.

"How did you get to know all of them?" Musachi asked, curious.

"Let's see. Those sports club kids — I got dragged into a sports meet and forced to take first place, and they've been clinging to me ever since. If I'd known, I would've held back more. I really thought I was barely putting in any effort, but I still came in first somehow... As for the drama club, there's a girl in there who won't stop chasing me, it's such a hassle. That honor-student girl — I stepped in and beat someone up for her once when a delinquent was bullying her. And that delinquent girl started worshiping me after I saved her from a group of thugs from another school who cornered her when she was alone..."

Ellen rattled off the stories one after another, explaining to Musachi how she'd come to know each of them.

Musachi listened to the girl's account.

Well, it turned out Ellen was the real protagonist here — a textbook high school golden child, wasn't she?

She had everything except good grades covered.

Pretty impressive, honestly...

"Here we are, this is my seat," Ellen said as they walked into the classroom.

Yep — back row, by the window. The king's domain.

Musachi sat down at the desk and scanned the room.

He recognized a few familiar faces.

Like several of Ellen's close friends.

Both Lynn and Monna had their own parents seated beside them.

Ruby was faring far worse — standing beside her mother, not daring to say a word, legs visibly trembling.

Clearly, she was already calculating whether she'd survive the day.

Besides them, there was also that loud father-son pair from the school gate who seemed determined to make sure nobody could possibly miss them.

Turned out they were in the same class as Ellen too.

In the classroom, they still spoke just as loudly, as if terrified someone might forget how rich their family was.

Soon, a somewhat portly middle-aged woman walked in.

With her arrival, the chatter of the parents in the classroom quieted considerably.

"Dear parents, thank you all so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our conference. Today we'll mainly be discussing..."

There was nothing particularly novel about the content of the conference.

Mostly it was just a discussion of the students' grades, followed by some talk of future outlook and so on.

And true to the tired old stereotype, for the students with good grades, the teacher's attitude was warm — practically gushing — and her demeanor toward them was friendly throughout.

For students in the middle range and their parents, the teacher's earlier cheer vanished, replaced with a few perfunctory remarks about "keep up the good work, fix what needs fixing," before moving on.

Incidentally, that showy student's grades were actually decent — solidly upper-middle in the class — and the teacher singled him out for praise.

When it came time for his father to speak afterward, it went exactly as expected:

"Ah, it's partly my fault Haohao's grades weren't great before — I've been too busy with work, no time to keep an eye on him. But last time he brought his report card home, I realized this just wouldn't do. Can't neglect the kid just because of work. So afterward, I specifically hired a top-tier tutor for fifty thousand Dennies an hour to help Haohao catch up. Seems like it's paid off — I'll have to thank that tutor again once I'm back."

Yeah, dripping with showing off.

But once the teacher finished with the good students and the middle-tier ones, her expression turned visibly bitter and sharp.

And when she spoke, she didn't hold back at all.

"Ma'am, you must be Ruby's parent. Ruby's test results weren't especially good — in fact, compared to last time, her scores actually dropped, especially in math. Aside from the multiple-choice questions, she left everything else completely blank! This is..."

Visibly, Ruby's head sank lower and lower, terror creeping across her face as she cautiously watched her mother beside her, whose expression had gone dark as charcoal.

She was already trying to figure out which position to brace herself in when she got home, to make the beating hurt a little less.

"Monna's grades have improved a bit compared to before..."

"For Ellen — today her brother is the one who came." The homeroom teacher furrowed her brow as she spoke.

"Ellen's grades aren't... particularly good. Her math scores have been failing for several tests running now. Her Chinese is relatively better, but only barely passing. I understand people these days are busy with work, but no matter how busy, you can't neglect your child's studies like this. At this rate, once Ellen graduates high school, she'll only be qualified for the lowest tier of jobs — restaurant server, factory worker, that sort of thing. She'll spend every day exhausted, dignity gone, and still won't earn much. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but please, think about your child's future... In any case, if you don't want her to end up living a failed life, I really think Ellen's grades need to be taken seriously."

When it came to Ellen, the teacher's words turned sharp and merciless. Beside Musachi, Ellen let out a soft sigh.

She didn't particularly care about any of this, but being lectured so mercilessly in front of this many people still left something uncomfortable churning in her chest.

Then Ellen glanced sideways at Musachi.

Sure enough, his face was clouded with displeasure too.

Fair enough — being criticized in front of a room full of people like this would leave any parent feeling humiliated too, wouldn't it?

"Excuse me, teacher, I think there's an issue with what you just said." Musachi frowned, then stood straight up to object.

Beside him, a flicker of shock crossed Ellen's face.

"Which part do you think is the issue? Feel free to point it out," the teacher said, brow furrowed. She hadn't expected Musachi to push back — but with this many people watching, she had no choice but to respond.

"First point: there's nothing shameful about working in the service industry or similar fields. They're tiring jobs, sure, but the people who do them are still earning their living with their own two hands, and that's not losing your dignity. There's nothing shameful about working with your hands and feet. If anything, judging people purely by grades is the real mistake. Grades and diplomas are just a stepping stone — they're not the deciding factor in someone's worth."

"Second point: on the way here, I saw plenty of people greeting my Ellen — good students, troublemakers, all of them. Whatever their reputation, they all clearly get along well with her. That alone tells me the only flaw my family has here is her grades. Beyond that, whether it's her social skills or her character, Ellen is excellent — nowhere near as sorry a case as you're making her out to be."

"Third point: even if a child's grades aren't great, even if they end up drifting through a mediocre working life down the road, I don't think that counts as a failed life. Sure, their lives might have some bitterness, might not turn out exactly as hoped — but that's their life to live. It's not anyone else's place to judge it from the outside."

"Fourth point: I don't think it's right to run a parent-teacher conference this way. Lavishing praise on the good students and being needlessly harsh toward the struggling ones — young people have their pride too. They might not have great grades, but that doesn't mean you get to pass judgment on them in front of the whole class like this, let alone pronounce some verdict on their entire future. A teacher's job is to teach and to nurture. Plenty of teachers manage the 'teach' part fine. As for the 'nurture' part... I'll leave it at that."

Clap, clap.

Clap clap clap clap.

Clap clap clap clap clap clap!

When Musachi finished, a scattering of applause rose first in the classroom, and then it grew steadily louder.

What Musachi said had struck a chord with a lot of the parents.

Ellen, meanwhile, was watching him with her face full of delight.

So he'd actually been just as annoyed by the teacher as she was?

Not every parent in the class had a high-paying job — quite a few of them were from the bottom rung of society too, wages far from generous. What the teacher had said earlier hadn't sat well with them either, but they hadn't felt comfortable pushing back.

Now that Musachi had said what was on all their minds, they felt considerably better.

But if some people were pleased, others weren't looking too happy at all.

Namely, the homeroom teacher.

After Musachi's remarks, she didn't say anything at first, just smiled stiffly, clearly no longer able to save face. Shortly after, she said a few brief words, made up an excuse, and left the classroom.

The activities that followed were run by another young teacher, who came in looking utterly baffled, ran the activities in a state of complete confusion, and dismissed everyone just as confused. To the very end, nobody had any idea what had actually happened.

"So, feeling better now?" Musachi leaned in beside Ellen, who was walking beside him with a smile on her face and a spring in her step.

"Of course. Thanks, boss. I've had it out for her for a while now — too bad if I'd pushed back myself, she probably would've called my guardian in..."

Ellen sighed, then broke into another smile.

"Thank me for what? If she's going to talk about my Ellen like that, then of course I had to come down like thunder on her. My Ellen's this adorable — how could she possibly be as worthless as that teacher made her sound?" Musachi said with a grin.

Beside him, Ellen glanced over at Musachi, her face full of smiles.

She suddenly realized — her pervert of a shopkeeper looked really handsome. She'd never found him this handsome before.

"Let's go, we're done for the day. I'll call a cab and we'll head back," Musachi said, glancing at her.

Morning conference done, the rest of the day was off — no classes in the afternoon.

"No need. Rina said she'd come pick us up. Let's just wait here at the gate," Ellen said with a smile.

"Ruby, Mom realizes Mom was wrong before. That classmate's brother made a pretty good point. I shouldn't have hit you over your grades." Walking down the road, Ruby's mother, a woman with the same striking blonde hair, sighed as she spoke to her daughter beside her.

"Mom, as long as you know that, it's fine. Grades don't mean everything. Please don't be so worked up over my grades — every time you hit me, it hurts you more than it hurts me," Ruby said, eyes lighting up as she quickly chimed in.

Ruby's mother nodded seriously.

"That's true. My hand really did hurt after I hit you."

Beside her, Ruby lit up with joy, thinking she'd managed to talk her way out of a beating.

"But I already bought the feather duster, and it'd be such a waste not to use it, wouldn't it?"

In an instant, the smile froze on Ruby's face.

Meanwhile, the flashy father-son pair were also walking down the road.

"Dad, we were totally stealing the show, weren't we? Did you see how the homeroom teacher's eyes changed when you finished talking? And then that guy had to go and mess up the whole plan..." Lin Hao sighed.

"Come to think of it, if I'd been the one to say that line, wouldn't it have made me look even cooler? Damn it, that's what I was about to say... That guy stole my whole moment!" Lin Hao's father said, gritting his teeth.

The past two days handling all sorts of business at TOPS had left him nearly reduced to a groveling wreck. He'd finally figured he'd come show off a little at the parent-teacher conference to lift his spirits, only to run into someone showing off even harder than him.

Damn, what rotten luck!

"It's fine, Dad. So what if he stole the spotlight? He's still not as rich as us, is he? You're with TOPS. A nobody like him could never afford a car like ours in his whole life!" Haohao chimed in.

Hearing this, Lin Hao's father's expression finally cracked into a smile.

But a moment later, the smile froze right back on his face.

Because just up ahead, right next to his own car —

He saw with his own eyes a luxury sedan pull up right behind it.

Then, out of it stepped a woman of stunning beauty and dignified bearing, dressed as a maid. She got out, opened the door for Musachi with respectful poise, and smiled politely.

"Is that all for show? He even rented a car and a maid?" Haohao watched the scene, sounding somewhat skeptical.

"Rent, my ass. That's the head maid of Victoria Housekeeping Co.," his father said, staring at the scene, momentarily stunned.

He knew who Rina was. The legendary reputation of Victoria Housekeeping Co. was well known to him too.

Just yesterday, he'd personally witnessed his own boss turn into a groveling wreck in front of Rina.

And the moment Rina had left the room, his boss had immediately turned around and started acting like a groveling wreck toward him instead.

To have the head maid of Victoria Housekeeping Co. come personally to drive him around and greet him like this?

The man could hardly begin to imagine just how terrifying Musachi's true identity might actually be...

Could he possibly be some mysterious, unrecognized Void Hunter?

...

Inside the extended luxury sedan, Rina drove up front, with Ellen and Musachi seated in the back.

"Thank you for going through all that trouble, sir. Ellen must have caused you a lot of hassle," Rina said, a note of apology in her voice.

"No hassle at all. Ellen works for me, after all — this was nothing. Turns out I didn't have anything else going on this morning anyway," Musachi said with a smile, waving a hand dismissively.

Rina glanced at Ellen through the rearview mirror, a little puzzled.

She had no idea what exactly had happened at the school, but Ellen was clearly acting far more affectionate toward Musachi than usual.

Then again, he had just gone and handled her parent-teacher conference for her — maybe it made sense for her to warm up to him a bit.

Once they arrived back at the shop, Musachi and Ellen got out of the car.

"Please, sir, do come by tonight without fail. I'll cook you dinner myself to thank you properly. I'm sorry, I originally meant to have it ready by lunch, but I simply didn't have enough time to prepare."

"No worries at all. I'll be there tonight," Musachi nodded.

He hadn't originally planned on going, but with Rina extending such a heartfelt invitation, he really couldn't say no.

Musachi headed back into the shop afterward.

Remielle already had lunch ready, so Musachi and Ellen could dig in the moment they got back.

By the afternoon, though, Remielle had left the shop. With Ellen around to mind the place, Remielle went off to find Trigger and the others, and to thank Cecilia for the clothes while she was at it.

After all, they'd only gotten such a good deal on the outfits thanks to Cecilia's help.

Once Remielle had left, Musachi glanced across at Ellen, seated opposite him, and an idea struck him.

"Ellen."

"What is it, Master?" Ellen answered offhandedly.

"Come here. Sit next to me," Musachi said with a grin.

Ellen's face flushed red.

She knew what this meant — it was time to make good on her promise.

She shuffled over reluctantly, sitting down beside Musachi, a thick, plump tail swaying uneasily behind her.

But before long, she felt a pair of warm, large hands slowly climbing up over the surface of her tail, stroking it slowly.

"Mm..." A strange sensation shot straight up into her brain.

Ellen didn't quite understand — why was it that having her tail touched by everyone else felt normal, but Musachi's touch left her feeling... so strange?

As for Musachi, stroking Ellen's slightly rough-textured tail, an unconscious smile crossed his face.

Finally, his wish had come true.

Ellen's tail wasn't smooth skin — it had a rough texture to it. If you looked closely, you could see the tail was covered in scales.

Tiny little scutes, each one delicate.

Watching Ellen's whole body tremble under his touch, Musachi couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.

It was just a tail-touch, wasn't it? Why was her whole body trembling?

Wasn't this tail normally used for combat? It shouldn't be this sensitive, should it?

"Had enough touching?" Ellen said softly, feeling the sensation still lingering on her tail.

"Never enough, never enough. Could never get enough of this in a lifetime," Musachi said, looking utterly content. This texture, this feeling — so good. The slight roughness gave it a unique, wonderful sensation, so pleasant to touch.

But a moment later, looking at Ellen's eyes, now misted over with a hazy sheen, he froze.

"Such a pervert of a shopkeeper... taking advantage of me like this." Her breathing had turned faintly ragged as she spoke, voice quiet.

"You agreed to this yourself," Musachi said with a wicked grin, eyes locked on Ellen's, the distance between them slowly closing.

Just as Ellen felt those warm, large hands finally lift away from her tail—

Just as she was finally about to let out a sigh of relief—

She found that Musachi, pushing his luck, had gone and placed his hand on her leg instead, the one sheathed in black stockings.

"What's wrong?" Musachi asked, feigning confusion as he looked at Ellen.

"Nothing... You pervert shopkeeper. Pervert master. In any case... you're a huge pervert."

Well, whatever — he had made her happy today, after all. Making him happy in return was only fair, wasn't it?

She bit her lip gently, thinking quietly to herself.