「 We’re ready, Danna-sama! 」
Misuzu’s back.
「 It’s perfect! Onii-sama! 」
Ruriko too.
The two sits down on the sofa.
They’re sticking to me tightly.
「 The two of them are very beautiful! 」
Agnes also comes back trotting.
She sits down on the floor near my feet.
She leans her weight on me.
「 Mana-san, come this way 」
Ruriko calls Mana.
「 Ah, right 」
Mana sits next to Ruriko.
She seems to be holding back a bit because she was alone with me earlier.
「 Now then, Ladies and Gentlemen, and, Fathers and Mothers! Our ‘fashion showdown’ is about to begin 」
Katsuko-nee appears from the kitchen with a microphone, acting as a moderator.
「 Now then, our first contestant, Michi-chan’s coming in! 」
The door opens and shows the embarrassed Michi.
「 W-What do you think, Master? 」
Michi’s wearing a dress yet she’s standing with a daunting pose.
「 Ah, yeah 」
It’s a cute party dress, sleeveless with lots of frills and ribbons.
It’s based on white, and a thin pastel blue colored fabric is used.
Her skirt is above the knee, it’s short that it’s barely called miniskirt.
You can see Michi’s slender legs.
She’s wearing white shoes on her feet.
「 I-It’s my first time wearing such a dress in my life 」
She tells me while blushing.
「 Yes, that’s very cute. That hairstyle suits you too 」
Michi’s hair is beautifully tied up in her back.
Oh, there’s a different impression when her forehead’s showing.
The choker has the same color as her dress, but it has a lovely accent, complementing Michi’s beautiful face.
「 Michi’s face is gorgeous 」
Letting her grow for a few more years and she’ll become a surprising beauty.
「 T-That’s not true 」
Michi’s being humble.
「 Danna-sama seems to like it 」
Misuzu smiles at Michi.
「 Look, it was the right choice to go for that dress 」
Then, she faces me.
「 Michi-pon was searching for only plain black dresses in the shop 」
Black?
「 Huh, you want Goth Tiny? 」
Michi, do you have that hobby?
「 No. If it were gothic tinyta, then it would’ve been better. Michi-pon came brought uninteresting and straightforward designs as if she was going to a funeral 」
Michi.
「 Since we’re going to buy her a dress, I thought of clothes that can be used for ceremonial occasions 」
No, well.
Michi’s always wearing her uniform no matter what.
「 I can’t wear dresses that would stand out more than Misuzu-oneesama and Ruriruri 」
「 You don’t have to worry about that Michi-pon. In the end, look, you’re wearing a different line of dress from ours, so it’s okay 」
Misuzu said.
Different line? What does that mean?
「 Ruriko and I persuaded her that “such plain dress won’t attract Danna-sama’s attention” so she ultimately decided on this dress 」
「 Yes, uhm, would you like to do me while I wear this dress, Master? 」
Michi’s sending me an upturned glance.
「 Yeah, of course, later though. Michi’s really beautiful and cute so get more stylish. I’d be glad if you do 」
「 Y-Yes! Certainly! 」
Mana stares at Michi.
「 Hmm, Michi-oneechan, I feel like that resemble some sort of costume 」
Huh?
It looks like a cute party dress for a middle school girl to me though.
「 Ah, I get it! 」
Mana knocks her palm.
「 It’s PreC*re! 」
PreC*re?
「 What’s that? 」
Ruriko asks Mana.
「 No, that’s an anime for ten years old below girls where heroines transform and fight 」
「 What? 」
Ruriko asks in puzzlement.
Oh, Jii-chan didn’t allow Ruriko to watch those anime.
「 Err, what was it again? 」
Mana’s baffled.
「 No, I watched it only during kindergarten, so I don’t remember it that much 」
「 Onii-sama, do you know it? 」
Ruriko asks me.
「 I know the name and some illustrations, and I’ve seen a toy at a friend’s house who has a little sister. Also, I’ve seen pictures of them in bags of sweets in supermarkets. I haven’t watched them on TV however 」
Even if I hear it on TV, it’s just troublesome.
「 Then, so what is the similarity in appearance with me? 」
Michi asks Mana.
「 Err, for some reason, it feels similar 」
I look at it once again.
Hmm. Indeed, it has the air of a struggling heroine.
「 But, we bought a typical dress. It’s not that we chose a dress that resembles from an anime 」
Misuzu also speaks wondering.
Well, yeah.
Misuzu and the gang won’t be going to a cosplay shop.
「 The stance is not good 」
Everyone turns to Katsuko-nee.
「 Ah, I meant that the posture is too good. Michi-chan’s usually taking a stance where she’s ready to fight 」
Ah.
I see. Michi’s stance is strong.
「 Oh, I see now 」
Misuzu agrees.
「 Michi-pon, could you stand a bit more ladylike? 」
「 Ladylike? 」
Michi looks troubled.
「 Uhm, is it that strange? 」
「 It’s not, you look stiff, it’s kind of fresh, a bit cool 」
Katsuko-nee said.
「 Yes, you behave like in PreC*re. 」
It’s all as Mana said.
If it’s the usual uniform, Misuzu’s school uniform has a strong tradition in the look, so Michi’s gallant behavior isn’t strange, but;
If she wears a flashy dress, she looks like a “Transformed Fighting Heroine.”
「 B-B-B-B-But, I. I! 」
「 Calm down, Michi! 」
I said.
「These kinds of things need mending bit by bit so prepare yourself 」
「 But, when I go to Misuzu-sama in the party, there might be rumors 」
「 There’s nobody who minds that in our family 」
I say it clearly.
「 That’s right, Ruri-tan, Danna-sama or I don’t mind 」
Me?
「 Danna-sama will escort us so stay composed 」
Huh?
I intend to go with Misuzu to the party but.
「 I’m attending the party too? 」
I plan on waiting in the car though.
「 Yes, Shou-oneesama has prepared an invitation letter for Dannas-aam 」
Misuzu says.
「 I’ve prepared your suit already 」
Katsuko-nee?
My suit? Is it the one I wore during the hotel fight that Katsuko-nee fixed, and was from Minaho-neesan’s Grandfather?
「 I’m steadily tailoring the dress for your to wear 」
Katsuko-nee smiles gently.
「 Therefore, wear that and go 」
Is that how it is?
《 Hey! 》
Edie’s voice comes from behind the door.
Ah, no good. We took too much time for Michi.
Ruriko and Misuzu explain to Edie right away.
They must be saying “Sorry to make you wait.”
「 Okay, then, Edie-chan’s coming in too! 《 Come IN 》 」
Katsuko-nee said. Edie enters.
Edie’s…
She’s wearing a white summer dress and a broad hat.
Edie’s tensed thighs are completely visible.
Her feet’s wearing a leather sandal.
Edie’s legs are beautiful.
《 darling！ 》
She smiles at me.
Her hand has a golden bracelet. Her legs have a gold chain anklet.
Gold accessories suit Edie’s tanned skin very well.
There’s also a golden necklace on her head.
That necklace strongly emphasizes Edie’s cleavage.
Her plump lip is shining with lip balm.
Oh, she’s.
She’s so sexy.
Furthermore, her sex appeal is like the sun in the early summer.
「 You’re beautiful, Edie 」
「 What? 」
Err.
《 beautiful！ 》
Only those words came out.
Edie laughs.
She thinks I’m joking.
《 You Are Beautiful！ 》
I say it once again to Edie while showing a serious look.
Misuzu tells Edie something in English.
「 Onii-chan never lies, she said 」
Mana translates.
Then, Ruriko speaks English too.
「 No matter what Edie-chan thinks, Onii-chan sees Edie as beautiful. So you can accept it honestly. If Edie-chan’s beautiful for Onii-chan then that’s all good 」
Edie shouts WOO! And looks at me.
Then, she points at Michi and said something.
「 Then, who’s much more beautiful, her or Michi-oneechan? She asked 」
Oh right, this was a fashion showdown.
「 Mana, please translate 」
Err.
「 First, Michi’s pretty and cute-beautiful 」
Pre- was the shortened for pretty but I don’t know what cure is.
「 Then, Edie looks sexy-beautiful for me 」
Umu.
「 Both of them have different factors of beauty so I’d like to make a distinction. Both of you are my precious, beloved women 」
Edie’s listening to what I say, translated by Mana.
《 OK 》
Is she convinced with that?
She’s saying something.
「 She’s a fighter, so she’s far from stylish. She thinks of Michi as similar as her 」
Mana translates.
「 Therefore, she feels that the fashion showdown between the two of them was just a show to laugh at them 」
Edie.
「 But, as you confessed my love to her, she thought that it’s okay to accept the plan to laugh at her. She thought that it might be a necessary event on becoming a member of the family to be laughed at 」
Huh?
「 Why? 」
I don’t get it
「 Oh, it’s common in America. Look, when you enter in the baseball team major league, they hide you in a locker of the changing room or let you go home dressed as a female. They do pranks and laugh at you, it’s a custom where they have to laugh at you before everyone recognizes you 」
Katsuko-nee explains.
「 Edie-chan thinks of this as a rite of passage 」
Edie begins talking again.
「 But, when I started changing clothes, there were advises for Michi and her on how to dress up beautifully. I don’t know about myself, but as far as I can see, Michi wears beautiful attire. She said. Therefore, I noticed that this wasn’t a laughingstock event 」
「 Obviously, there’s no one here thinking of that 」
I tell Edie.
「 We’re a family. We help and improve each other, honing with the desire to become better and better 」
Edie nods.
「 Edie’s beautiful. That’s what I think. That’s why I want you to become even more beautiful from now on! 」
Edie.
「 Okay, I’ll do it for you, she said. 」
For me?
「 I don’t care about dressing up for myself, so if you like my looks that much then I’ll do my best, I think. She said 」
Edie.
「 This bra is a bit tight though. 」
Saying that; Edie lifts her chest from above her clothes.
「 It seems that she’s never worn anything but a sports-bra-like bra. 」
Katsuko-nee smiles wryly.
「 Those were the only thing issued for the female fighters in the cult 」
I see.
「 It’s my first time wearing a skirt but Michi’s right, this is good 」
Oh, she understands the merits of a skirt?
「 The ease of hiding and taking out weapons is quite amazing 」
Saying that; Edie suddenly lifts her skirt
「 Hey, Edie! 」
I can see your panty!
The white inverted triangle.
Then.
On her thighs, just right below her panty, there’s a case of black leather on the base of her right leg.
「 I gave her my reserve 」
Michi also lifts her skirt.
Oh, in Michi’s case, there’s black leather weapon case clamped on both legs.
On her right is the red whip.
On her left are small throwing weapons.
「 This case is convenient that you can pull out four shurikens in one action 」
Michi demonstrates.
《 OH! 》
Edie tries it as well. She pulls out a shuriken to her hand.
「 This shuriken uses unique ceramic, so it’s not caught in metal detectors 」
Michi explains the same thing to Edie but in English.
Edie nods while looking at the shuriken.
Both of their panties are exposed.
「 We’re not doing a metal detector, you idiots!! 」
I shouted.
「 Didn’t we say that this is a fashion showdown?!! 」
The two of them look at me blankly.
Their panties are still visible.
◇ ◇ ◇
「 I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! 」
Michi desperately bows her head to me.
Edie’s clinging to my back laughing.
「 Err, you girls explained why I’m angry to Edie, right? 」
I ask Misuzu.
「 Yes, I explained it. Edie-san has no delicacy, so Danna-sama got angry made her helplessly happy 」
Happy?
「 Is it because I look at her as a girl? 」
《 darling！ 》
Edie kisses the back of my ears.
「 Besides, it seems that she’s never been scolded seriously ever since her Grandmother passed away 」
Ruriko said
「 Onii-chan’s thinking of his family seriously so she knows why you got angry 」
Mana also smiles.
「 I’m very sorry, I’m very sorry, I’m very sorry 」
「 It’s okay now Michi 」
I tell Michi.
「 Before being a bodyguard, be a good girl. You’re also beautiful and cute 」
「 Yes. Kudou Michi will polish her femininity for Master. I’ll improve myself 」
No, don’t do it for me.
Then, Minaho-neesan and Rei-chan come in.
「 Oh, you two look cute 」
Minaho-neesan says as she looks at the two dressed up girls.
Rei-chan looks lacking in energy.
「 Misuzu-san needs to prepare to move 」
Oh, Misuzu’s going to the party.
「 Misuzu and Ruriko, have you two bought your dresses? 」
I ask.
「 No, we can change our clothes in the hotel party venue 」
They replied laughing.
「 Huh, why? 」
I thought that they’d change clothes in the mansion and go to the hotel.
「 The genuine high-class people do that. They prepare a room at the hotel where the party will commence and use it as their dressing room. If you do that, you can leave your seat while in the middle of the party 」
Katsuko-nee explained.
「 You can do secret discussions with the other guests that come to the party in that dressing room 」
I see.
「 I asked Shou-oneesan to book two rooms. It’s natural for Kouzuki house to reserve one each for Misuzu-san and Ruriko-san 」
Minaho-neesan said.
「 Although, I had the rooms connected inside. Therefore, once you enter the room, you can go back and forth between both rooms 」
That’s helpful.
「 After all, everyone’s going. It’s troublesome if the room isn’t big. We need an alibi 」
Katsuko-nee looks at Minaho-neesan.
「 We have to prove that we’re not involved with Kyouko-san’s action in the Green Mountain Studio 」
「 Yes, that is why Kyouko-san purposely goes around as the enemy of Kouzuki security service 」
Could this mean?
「 When she’s done with her action tonight, she’ll leave to America with Miss Cordelia. There’s a man in Los Angeles they need to kill 」
Oh, It’s the man who gave Miss Cordelia false information so she’d antagonize Kyouko-san.
「 They’d stay outside the country until things cool down. It seems that she has various plans with Miss Cordelia 」
Minaho-neesan said.
「 If they know that Kyouko-san left Japan, the police outside the mansion can relax 」
I see now.
「 Therefore, Kuromori won’t be participating the action tonight. We won’t show in the party, but we’ll be in Misuzu-san’s waiting room in the hotel 」
「 Our positions will be some escort and attendants, clerk or make-up staff 」
Katsuko-nee smiles.
「 I called Nagisa too. She’ll come with Mao-chan 」
Yeah, Nagisa is doing business, so it’s better if she has an alibi.
「 Therefore, could you bring Megumi? 」
Minaho-neesan tells me.
「 Megumi’s supposed to leave the practice early. Katsuko called earlier. We called Megumi and captain Takeshiba to the school staff, and they gave their consent directly 」
Oh, they called as Megu’s relative?
「 The members of the track and field club knows that Shirasaka Sousuke died suddenly, so it’s’ okay 」
Everyone knows that Megu is a distant relative of Shirasaka house.
Because of Shirasaka Sousuke’s sudden death, it won’t be strange if she leaves early.
「 Actually, since this is the end of the holiday, the girls planned to go for karaoke together, but 」
「 Minaho-neesan, isn’t that good enough for Megu’s alibi? 」
If captain Takeshiba testify that they were with Megu then;
「 Geez, think of Megumi’s feelings 」
Minaho-neesan scolds me.
「 She can’t enjoy karaoke because she’s worried about you 」
Oh.
「 She’s convinced that you’ll go with Misuzu-san and Ruriko-san as their escort. As a member of the family, she’d like you to do it while she’s watching 」
Megu’s like that.
「 Yes, we’d like to do it fair-and-square. I’d like Megumi-san to watch 」
Misuzu said, Ruriko nods.
「 That’s how it is, so go pick up Megumi from school. Then, join up with Nagisa and come to the hotel 」
Oh, Nagisa, Margo-san, Nei, and Mao-chan’s coming to pick us up.
They’ll pick us up and go to the hotel.
「 We’ll head to the hotel directly from here 」
Wait.
「 So what about Edie and Agnes? 」
The two of them are secret existences.
Agnes has no family register because she was confined in the basement.
Edie’s brought by Miss Cordelia here with a fake passport.
Furthermore, she didn’t bring the passport she used back then.
「 Ojou-sama, should I stay in the mansion? 」
Katsuko-nee asks.
「 No, you’re a central member of Kuromori. If you don’t show up, they’d think that you’re supporting Kyouko-san 」
Minaho-neesan replied.
「 But we can’t leave Edie and Agnes in the mansion alone 」
Especially, Agnes, I don’t want her to be confined again.
「 What about Morimoto-san? 」
I mention the old man Morimoto’s name who was the clerk of Kuromori, and he lived near the mansion.
「 Morimoto-san and his wife went to see Kabuki. I bought them tickets to have an alibi. We’ve been giving him unreasonable requests lately 」
Morimoto-san’s absent too.
「 I’ll stay 」
Mana said.
「 I’ll stay with the two and watch over the house 」
I.
「 Minaho-neesan, let’s bring everyone 」
I made up my mind.
「 I’m sure that Minaho-neesan’s right about Megu, we can’t leave them. Mana, Edie, and Agnes would like to come and see too. Let’s be fair and square with all 」
I smile at the three.
「 That’s right, Ojou-sama. Think about it carefully, the police already knows these children 」
Katsuko-nee?
「 Just the other day, Agnes went to Ikeda-sensei’s office and ate parfait at the family restaurant after. They were surely watching that 」
Oh, at that time, Edie and Mana were with her too.
「 The police must be tilting their head asking “who was that?” but, as long as there is a connection to the Kouzuki house, they can’t forcibly investigate 」
I-I see.
「 Yeah, in that case then let’s take the two of them too! 」
I said.
「 Or should I say, thinking about it once again 」
Katsuko-nee looks at me.
「 You’re the most unknown to the police, I think! 」
「 Huh? 」
「 Who you are and why you’re with us 」
Oh right!
I.
I’m the only man among this group of women.
「 To the police, you are the biggest mystery, I think 」