Chapter 572: Mashiro’s Adventure

Chapter 572: Mashiro’s Adventure

After a long and extremely messy night, Himekoji woke up the next morning with an aching back and numb legs.

The room was completely messed up, and Himekoji was the last one to wake up. When he opened his eyes, he was alone on the bed.

That made sense, really. After all, he had been the hardworking one last night, working tirelessly like an old ox. Everyone could use him twice or three times, and he gave his all—doing way more than anyone else.

If it weren’t for his youth, he might have gone missing under the sun, sun, sun and never seen the next day.

Himekoji patted his sleepy, exhausted face and reached for his phone on the bedside table.

Half past ten.

That meant his timed message had already been sent.

He opened his inbox to check:

—Lady Kasumi Utako, your humble servant waits today for your call.

The reply came, cold and lazy:

—Stand by!

Himekoji chuckled and shook his head. Looks like his senpai was really holding a grudge for making her wait so long…

He willingly edited his reply:

—Understood!

While he was busy with this, his Imouto peeked into his room to see if he was alive.

“Wow, Onii-chan, you’re still alive! Awesome!” Seeing Himekoji awake, Akiko applauded exaggeratedly, almost like teasing.

Himekoji sighed. “Shouldn’t that be kind of obvious?”

“But who was screaming ‘I’m gonna die last night’?” Akiko giggled. This wasn’t their first time—after all, back when Himekoji lived with Yukinoshita, many, many… things that couldn’t be described happened at home. But it was everyone’s first time with him together.

Three versus one. They left him zero chance to fight back. Honestly, he wished he really was dead at that recollection…

He still had some dignity to protect!

“Alright, alright, Onii-chan, stop throwing a tantrum. Get up! If you don’t hurry, Mashiro will get into big trouble.”

“Hrmm,” Himekoji grunted weakly, closing his eyes stubbornly. Getting into trouble is just what Mashiro does. Minor stuff. Nothing to worry about. The real important business was catching up on sleep right now.

“Onii-chan! Get up! Get up! Mashiro woke up this morning shouting she’ll take charge of today’s shopping! We have to stop her, or she’ll head out!”

“Huh? Shopping? Her? Why?”

“Because you messed up entering the wrong spot last night and then blamed it on her, saying Mashiro always gets lost! Said it was her fault for being direction-challenged!”

Well, he supposed that had happened…

But—

“She just sat down without aiming properly! That’s literally how someone gets lost!”

His face flushed red at the embarrassing memory. Himekoji still chose to be stubborn. No way he’d admit it was his fault. Too humiliating.

“So, she wants to prove she’s not direction-challenged.”

“What a grand ambition.”

“Less sarcasm! Get moving!” And just like that, Akiko forcibly yanked Himekoji out of the sheets.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he stumbled to the living room, Himekoji found Rikka trying to talk Mashiro out of what seemed like a ridiculously bad plan.

How did he know it was Rikka and not the Lady of the Wicked Lord’s Eye? Simple: Rikka looked bright-eyed and energetic. If that lady, after their battle last night that ended only at dawn, she’d definitely be dead exhausted!

“Come on, Mashiro, give it a rest,” Himekoji cut in, stifling a huge yawn.

Hearing his voice only made Mashiro more determined. Puffing her cheeks childishly, she emphasized:

“I, alone, no problem.”

“See? You can barely speak in full sentences—so obviously not no problem! Okay, listen: just wait a little? Let me wash up, then I’ll come with you. If you go alone, you will get lost.”

But his well-meaning words accidentally included the two phrases Mashiro absolutely didn’t want to hear right now.

Get lost.

“Idiot Akito.”

Mashiro scolded him flatly, turned on her heel without hesitation, gathered her courage with a mighty breath, and immediately went full steam ahead with her shopping mission.

“Onii-chan! You totally messed things up worse!” Akiko groaned.

Rikka squinted her eyes solemnly. “Unbelievable! Mashiro’s burning with energy!” This definitely felt like real Rikka.

Himekoji hurried after Mashiro to stop her. “Hey! Mashiro, hold it! Where are you going?”

Mashiro didn’t look back. Her cool answer came: “Shopping.”

“You’re going to shop without your wallet?” Himekoji questioned her. Was she going totally empty-handed?

“Here, Mashiro.” Akiko, in what seemed like a terribly unhelpful move, handed Mashiro a shopping basket. Inside helpfully sat Himekoji’s wallet.

“Seriously? You trust her going alone?” Himekoji stared in disbelief. Hold on—wasn’t Akiko the one who dragged him out to stop this?

Why had her stance flipped completely in minutes??

“Okay. I’m off.” Mashiro took the basket, shot Akiko a grateful look, and puffed her chest out proudly, radiating confidence.

“Wait! Mashiro! Do you even know what we need to buy?” Himekoji fired his next question.

Faced with his challenge, Mashiro remained perfectly calm. “No. But no problem.”

“That answer itself is nothing but a problem!”

Clang!

“Now is my moment! Brave Mashiro, stepping onto the path of adventure! I hereby bestow upon you the sacred quest list for your forbidden goods!” Rikka formally presented just-prepared shopping list.

“Leave it to me!” A golden light flashed dramatically around Mashiro! She transformed instantly from pet girl to Brave!

She glanced over the list, a brief expression of satisfaction on her face, then powerfully clenched her little fist—almost tearing the paper in half. “Wait for my great news!”

Would good news actually come? Why did he get a really bad feeling… the kind where the Brave hero gets immediately defeated by weak little monsters the moment they step outside?

Especially if that “Brave” was Mashiro…

As Himekoji opened his mouth to say something more, Akiko gently pulled him back. Kindness gleamed in her eyes, along with an overwhelming, motherly relief.

“Her father, let her go. Our girl has grown up.” Her smile was full and bright.

“I’m off, Mama.” Mashiro chirped to Akiko.

“Mm. Do your best!”

Seeing the two put on a show warmed Himekoji’s frustration instantly. Wait. Show?

“Oi! Idiot! She’s tricking you! Don’t actually call her Mama!”

“Akito,” Mashiro turned back.

“Why call me by name? Why not ‘Papa’?”. Himekoji grumbled sulkily.

But Mashiro looked at him with complete seriousness and dropped a verbal grenade:

“Papa doesn’t get lost inside his daughter’s body.”

Himekoji nearly self-destructed! “THE ONE WHO GOT LOST WAS YOU! And… a Papa who doesn’t get lost?! What’s that supposed to mean?! Way too skilled?! That’s way, way too freaky! NO! Getting lost is freaky too! Basically! The very point! If I was the Papa, I shouldn’t be driving down that road at all!”

Too many points to counter. Critiquing burned him out.

“But I’m going.” Mashiro stated, plain and firm.

She looked Himekoji directly in his eyes. Pure clarity shone in hers, backed by rock-solid conviction.

“Akito. Believe in me.”

Right then, in that exact moment, Himekoji’s resolve wavered… and faltered.

He thought—

In some way, Mashiro really had become an adult. So… something as simple as shopping… maybe she could pull it off?

In the end, Himekoji convinced himself.

With that, Mashiro’s adventure had begun!

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