VOLUME 1
Season 3, Episode 5
Episode 5:
Mikoto was seething, practically glowing red with anger.
Her entire demeanor screamed at Shun to get rid of the magazines.
"You should try selling them. Or maybe throw them away."
Good G.o.d. Even Rosalie was chiding him for this.
And thus, Shun found himself before the door. Paper bag in hand, the hard-earned fruits of many years of labour tucked securely inside, he was ready to leave for the farthest rubbish dump and covertly part ways with his bag of p.o.r.nographic magazines there.
Wouldn"t be good to accidentally b.u.mp into someone he knew, right?
Honestly, these magazines were such a pain.
A fine tremor to his movements, Shun opened the front door and gingerly stepped out.
Please let no one see me -
"Oh, what a surprise!"
Reizeiin Nadeshiko"s familiar features greeted him at the door.
–
Nadeshiko looked a mix of surprise and guilt, like a kid who had been caught while playing hide-and- seek.
Either way, she wasn"t the only one caught off guard.
Shun too was wrong-footed at seeing her outside his doorstep. In fact, he"d probably say that his situation was the worse of the two, given that he was also carrying a stack of extremely combustible materials in his arms.
"I-It"s just a coincidence, do you hear me? A coincidence. I simply happened to be pa.s.sing by this area. It has nothing to do with the fact that you live here. Literally none at all."
Well, he didn"t ask.
But it sure seemed like she had spent a great deal of time mulling over this.
"I-I see."
Not wanting to provoke her any further, Shun decided to flee.
"Bye."
Almost there, just two more steps -
"Wait!"
Nadeshiko caught hold of his sleeve, and gave it a firm tug.
Crea -
The sound of a paper bag tearing.
–
Shun was sweating from head to toe.
"What is that?"
Nadeshiko glanced down at the magazines spread out on the ground.
Her face flared red.
The cover girl smiled up at them, hugging her girls, with the words "G-cup sensation!" written in bright blazing font, front and center.
Nadeshiko"s eyebrows shot up and glaring daggers at Shun. She started trembling from head to toe.
"Eep!"
Shun felt like a mouse backed into a corner.
Deadly vibes were pouring out of her every pore, her twin tails swishing back and forth in her rage.
What was so bad about a few p.o.r.nographic magazines?
He clearly didn"t understand why she even felt the need to be so angry.
Glancing down at her lack-l.u.s.ter rack, Nadeshiko lifted her right leg in a fight stance.
"W-Wait! You can"t be serious - "
"You pervert!!!"
Nadeshiko"s signature attack - Dance of the White Crane - came crashing down on Shun.
As he was sent spinning, Shun could vaguely hear Nadeshiko cursing him.
"You"re the worst!"
And with that, she grabbed her bike and pedaled away.
On the ground, Shun let out a groan.
Why?
What did he even do to deserve this?
–
Indoors, Mikoto was presented with her best chance yet of pulverizing Rosalie.
"… I"m hopeless, aren"t I?"
Rosalie, seemingly down and depressed, muttered. She was clearly put off by the fact that up till now she had been unable to do even a single thing right.
This was her chance. If Mikoto could just utter the words, "You"re exactly right", and follow up with a stinging comment about how she could never entrust Shun to such a dunderhead of a girl, she was sure that Rosalie would break down and give up.
Sure, she felt sorry for her, but this was all for the ultimate plan of taking care of Shun. As his older sister it was her duty to be cold and heartless towards those that threatened her beloved Shun.
"I want to make Shun happy."
Her voice soft, Rosalie looked the picture of naivety.
Mikoto stuttered.
"I couldn"t even complete the training. If only I could do things as well as Mikoto could, I bet Shun would be happy. But I can"t seem to be able to do it at all."
Choking back her tears, Rosalie let out a small sob.
"Why is that, I wonder?"
Pressing a hand on to her chest, Rosalie looked both small and vulnerable.
Gone was that domineering strength and presence she had had earlier.
"For some reason, I really want to make Shun happy."
A stillness filled the house as Mikoto"s heartbeat pounded in her ears.
Eyes bright with unshed tears, Rosalie was staring in the distance.
Even the most distrustful person could tell that Rosalie meant every word she said. Her intentions were fair, and they were true.
That was the beauty of the warrior princess, Rosalie.
"I have no right to be Shun"s bride."
This was it.
This was the perfect time to ruin her, bring her to her knees -
"What are you saying? You can do this!"
What?!
What was she saying?
"You can"t give up like this!"
Stop!
"Mikoto…"
"S-So, how long do you intend to keep on holding that bed up for? Next is the cooking. I"m going to be working you hard!"
"Cooking."
Rosalie"s expression suddenly brightened.
"I"m good at cooking. I"ve made Shun"s bento before. He said it was strong."