Author's Note:
I'm back to writing a new chapter for this story. I hope you enjoy it; I've taken some scenes from the manga, but I've added many of my own.
XXX
Story Arc: Monster Girls welcome to the Dragon House!
Episode 1: Senpai, can we keep the Lamia? (IV)
Chapter 4: Breakfast with Guests
Plot: Mash wakes up at the Dragon House, but gets a little surprise. She later discovers two unexpected guests for breakfast.
XXX
POV Narrator
It's been a few days since Mash signed the papers, becoming the "guardian" of a certain red-haired Lamia.
The lavender-haired woman opened her eyes, finding herself in her room and in her bed.
This time Mash wasn't just wearing a white shirt "borrowed" from her Senpai; instead, she was wearing simple purple pajamas, recently purchased for some reason.
Moving his head to the left, on the nightstand next to his bed, he saw his alarm clock read 6:30.
'Senpai must have finished his morning workouts and made breakfast. He can never sit still,' thought Mash early in the morning.
Part of the lavender-haired woman is happy to be spoiled by her Senpai in a way; she wishes she could reciprocate the gesture, but that's quite difficult at the moment.
With no case to investigate or world to save, the Last Master of Chaldea devotes himself to his household chores, training, and his hobbies with such zeal and efficiency that Mash has nothing to do but pretend to be the corpse of a violent crime or be a guinea pig for her Senpai's more light-hearted experiments.
Turning her head to the left, Mash sees that half the bed is already occupied. Miia's tail is a massive coil, a smooth, cold weight that has wrapped around her hips during the night.
"It's happened again," Mash thinks. Her skin is now accustomed to that reptilian touch.
"Senpai is even more amazing than I thought. He saved the world while dealing with similar attentions from dozens of women... and Astolfo." Mash sighs, wondering how he managed not to go crazy when she struggles to even handle Miia, who is pretty "normal" by their standards.
"Miia, it's morning. Wake up," says Mash. But the snake girl doesn't react an inch, heavy and still as a stone.
"Yeah... we're both wearing military-grade earplugs," Mash mutters. They're survival tools necessary for sleeping in the Dragon House.
With a careful movement, Mash removes the earplugs from her ears and places them on the nightstand.
Then he reaches out to Miia and does the same, acting delicately: he knows well how sensitive a Lamia's ears can be to the slightest touch.
"Someone's impatient," Miia mutters. She's still half asleep, but the desire to flirt immediately lights up her eyes.
In response, his tail tightens around Mash's legs, a muscular, suffocating grip of scales.
"Miia!" Mash exclaims. He grabs her shoulder, shaking her out of her torpor.
"So instead of warming me, you'll make my blood boil," the Lamia whispers. He rubs himself against her, burying his head between the Demi-Servant's breasts, seeking warmth.
"Look, if you don't get up, we'll both be stuck here," Mash retorts, looking down at her legs, now prisoners of those constricting coils.
In theory, Mash could break free with a single blow: his superhuman strength would reduce that grip to nothing.
Miia is just a Lamia, barely stronger than a common human, while Mash is used to dealing with Heroic Spirits, Ysatnaf Witches, Superhumans, and Mutants.
His problem is precisely that: calibrating his strength. He fears that a sudden movement might break Miia's spine or detach her tail; and Mash seriously doubts that Lamias are like lizards and that the missing part will grow back.
Trying not to cause any harm, Mash puts his hands against Miia's chest and pushes her away with extreme caution.
Then, to really wake her up, he gives her a firm pinch on the cheek. In less than a minute, the snake girl is completely lucid.
And judging by her smile, she seems to have really appreciated the fact that Mash finally "got his hands on" her.
"Now that I think about it, what are you doing in my bed? Senpai hand-sewed you a giant wool sock just to keep you warm," Mash asks. She's sure Miia's cold-bloodedness problem has been solved.
"Last night I went to the kitchen for a glass of warm milk, but I had a little accident with Darling-boy's Doberman. I spilled it all over my sock. I had to take it off and throw it in the laundry, then I went to bed," Miia replies, a glint of embarrassment in her eyes.
"You were fine at first, but then the cold started to set in," Mash guesses, using the logic honed by being alongside a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.
"You couldn't get warm and wanted help. But Senpai keeps the door locked, while mine is always open," Mash concluded his deduction.
"So beautiful and so intelligent… you are a magnificent woman, Mash," the red-haired girl murmurs.
The Lamia turns over on the mattress in a fluid motion, lying on her stomach. She rests her chin on her hand, letting her shirt fall open just enough to attract attention.
The maneuver finally frees Mash's legs; Miia looks them over appreciatively: they're not bad at all.
Lamia feels like she's won the lottery ever since Mrs. Smith dragged her, almost by mistake, to the Dragon House. Mash isn't just kind and beautiful, she's also perceptive.
"Senpai must have superhuman self-control not to get distracted by certain landscapes," Mash thinks. He feels his cheeks heat up as, despite himself, his gaze lingers for a second too long on Miia's cleavage.
"In that case, I'll go and draw you a bath. You wait here," says Mash, sliding to the edge of the bed, ready to spring to her feet.
"I don't even think about it!" Miia reacts instinctively. With a quick flick, she wraps her tail around Mash's neck to prevent her from escaping.
The hand-sewn wool sock had been a beautiful gift, it had almost brought her to tears, but she admits that the artificial warmth had deprived her of too many opportunities to rub against Mash for warmth. She has no intention of wasting this morning.
Miia gives a sharp tug with her tail, trying to drag Mash back towards her, between the sheets. But nothing happens. Mash doesn't budge an inch, steady as a rock.
Despite that muscular grip around her throat, the Demi-Servant doesn't bat an eyelid; to her, that tail has the texture and weight of a silk scarf. She feels no discomfort, no pressure.
'I should add to the list of strengths that Mash is incredibly strong... who knew human women could be so fit?', Miia thinks, continuing to marvel at the physical stamina of the two Dragon House residents.
The Lamia has no idea that she herself is the closest thing to a "normal" human in that house, despite her reptilian lower half.
"I want you to warm me up, Darling-girl," Miia murmurs. If she can't drag Mash between the sheets, she'll come to her.
The snake girl slides forward, pressing her bare chest against Mash's back. The Demi-Servant's skin feels the smooth, insistent contact.
'It's a little annoying, but also pleasant... anyway, I've had worse with Adeline,' thinks Mash.
Compared to Adeline Jones, the Hollywood diva and Senpai's younger sister, Miia is almost shy. Adeline is a succubus capable of short-circuiting her mind.
"Ahh, it's so warm... I can feel the temperature rising," Miia sighs, rubbing herself harder. In the heat, her breasts slip out of her unbuttoned shirt.
"That's enough," Mash cuts in. He elbows her lightly, a barely visible reflex, but Miia flies backward and lands on the mattress as if she'd been hit by a train.
"I overdid it," Mash immediately scolds himself. He jumps to his feet, inspecting the Lamia's nearly naked body for a bruise or broken bone.
"Oh! Darling girl, don't be so harsh..." Miia gasps with a huge smile. That rough touch seems to have awakened a decidedly masochistic side in her.
'If you still feel like flirting, it means you're okay,' Mash thought, exhaling the breath he'd been holding in his throat, placing a hand on his heart.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Miia insists. She covers her breasts with her palms, not out of modesty, but to create tension, as she's seen in manga.
Suddenly, the bedroom window flies open with a bang. An arrow whistles through the air and lands with a sharp clang in the bed frame, just inches from Miia. Startled, the snake girl rolls off the mattress and lands flat on the floor.
"When Mash says enough, it means enough! Get a grip, Snake Girl, or I'll turn you into a porcupine. I have a bow and I'm not afraid to use it!" shouts an androgynous voice from outside.
"Sempai seems to have been putting in more time than usual on his training," Mash comments, not overly surprised; Senpai doesn't stick to a 100% schedule, sometimes finishing early or late.
The lavender-haired girl walks to the window and pulls aside the curtain to look toward the back of the house.
Over there is Bruce. He is wearing a sleeveless blue bodysuit and white boots, with his archery gear tightened around him and targets lined up.
But the scene is anything but normal: next to him is Mrs. Smith, handcuffed to a chair, her hands pinned, and a strip of tape over her mouth. Nearby, a kobold woman lies unconscious on the floor, motionless.
"Senpai can't help but attract trouble and weird people," Mash thinks. She doesn't even feel surprised anymore; it's a dull awareness, a fact of life she's resigned herself to.
Once calmed down, Miia straightens her shirt to make herself presentable again and slides in next to Mash, leaning over the windowsill.
"Morning, Darling-boy!" Miia exclaims, waving her hand with a radiant smile.
"Morning, Snake Girl," Bruce replies. His voice is flat, stoic, as he mechanically notches a new arrow.
Miia's good mood, however, evaporates instantly when she notices the kobold woman lying on the lawn. Her territory has been invaded.
"Darling-boy, who is that woman!" shouts the snake girl, pointing her index finger at the unconscious figure.
'Good question,' thinks Mash.
While she isn't as possessive or jealous as the Lamia, she still feels that old protectiveness reawakening towards her Senpai.
Ignoring the screams, Bruce twists his torso and aims the arrow straight at the window. Miia, instinctively, ducks behind Mash's back.
The Demi-Servant shakes her head: she finds this fear absurd. Her Senpai can bark all he wants, but he rarely bites people like Miia.
"Get dressed and go to the kitchen to get the trays. We're eating out today," Bruce orders imperiously.
"Mash, in addition to my usual drink, make a pitcher of lemonade with lots of ice. And add a two-liter bottle of protein water," says Bruce, addressing his Kohai in a gentler tone.
Before the two girls can even respond, Bruce shoots the arrow; it hits the window frame and causes it to close, lowering the shutters with a bang.
"Darling-boy always knows how to have the last word," Miia murmurs in the darkness, crossing her arms under her breasts.
"Senpai knows how to command respect," Mash retorts. She knows full well that the Last Master of Chaldea isn't the type to let anyone walk all over him.
XXX
Mash moved with a speed Miia could only dream of. Within minutes, four trays loaded with breakfast were already set out on the terrace tables.
In one fluid motion, Mash drags Mrs. Smith's chair to the table, placing it in front of a tray overflowing with food.
"Don't worry," Mash says, giving the officer a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"I'll talk to Senpai for a moment and then I'll free you so you can eat and explain why you came to visit us," Mash says reassuringly before walking away.
Mrs. Smith stares at her plate with wide eyes. It's torture: the aroma of the food is heavenly, but with her hands cuffed and her mouth sealed, she can't help but suffer the aroma. She knows that if she tries to force her grip, her wrists will come apart.
Once the table is set, Mash approaches Bruce. He's just shot his last arrow.
She hands him her special drink, a homemade concoction that would burn a rhino's stomach, and the bottle of protein water.
Bruce finishes his special drink in one gulp, without wasting a second or a drop.
"Senpai, can you tell me who this werewolf woman is? Is she okay?" Mash asks, with a mixture of curiosity and genuine concern, as she picks up her empty glass.
"She's Polt, a Kobold with a passion for sports," Bruce replies, shouldering his bow with the ease of a predator.
"I don't care what breed she is, but is she okay?" Mash asks, concerned about the dog girl.
"Yes, she's fine, just exhausted. She needs fluids and protein," the Last Master of Chaldea explains calmly.
'Good, I don't have to call an ambulance or use healing magic,' Mash thinks, happy that there's nothing serious to fix.
Without batting an eyelid, Bruce bends down, grabs Polt by the back of her jacket, and lifts her off the ground with disarming ease. He holds her suspended as if she weighs nothing.
"Wake up. Break's over. You need to load up on carbs and protein. Get moving," Bruce orders, shaking her vigorously.
Polt blinks and opens his eyes again, abruptly returning to reality.
The Kobold woman is 158 cm tall, weighs 51 kg and her three dimensions are: B86(D)-W60-H88.
Plot, like all female kobolds, appears as an almost human woman with a wolf-like nose, tail, and ears, and is covered in fur. Her body, befitting her profession, is very athletic: muscular arms and legs, and a slim abdomen. Her breasts, while quite large and ample, are more "normal" in size than those of other Liminal women.
She wears a black, midriff-baring T-shirt with the name of her sports club printed on it, an unbuttoned tracksuit jacket; cropped denim shorts; thigh bands and wristbands; a dog collar; and sneakers.
Bruce lifts the bottle and pours the entire protein contents directly into Polt's mouth, without ceremony.
Then he opens his hand and lets it fall: she ends up on her knees, taking the blow.
Anyone else would have reacted with anger to such brutal treatment, but Polt gasps gratefully: "Thank you so much, Sensei... I really needed that."
Mash watches the scene, speechless.
"Senpai, could you explain to me exactly who Polt is and what kind of relationship he has with you?" His voice betrays the fear that the Master's charisma has claimed another victim, after Miia.
"I am Polt, Sensei's student!" exclaims the Kobold woman, struggling to get back on her feet on legs that tremble like leaves.
Before she can collapse again, Bruce grabs her by the back of her jacket, lifting her two inches off the floor as effortlessly as one might move a piece of furniture.
"You need rest. Now sit down and eat," Bruce declared, then easily dragged the dog woman toward the terrace.
He sits her down next to Mrs. Smith, who watches the scene with wide eyes above the duct tape.
Mash takes a seat across from the Kobold woman, while Bruce stands at the side of the table, near Polt and Mash.
"Thank you, Sensei, I'll give you some discount coupons for my gym!" the Kobold woman exclaimed, starting to eat the offered breakfast.
After one bite, the Kobold woman's eyes light up and she seems almost ready to howl with happiness.
"Forget coupons, I'll give you a free ticket to a treatment at any Kobold Industries facility!" Polt exclaimed, before going back to eating.
Mash turns to her Senpai wanting an answer.
"As you know, at five in the morning I go out and do exercises for a full hour, then I go back to the Dragon House to do my weapons and fighting training," Bruce said, unable to stay still for too long.
Mash nods knowing her Senpai's routine very well these days.
"During my workouts, I met the dog girl; she's more into training than I am. However, after several meetings, she started following me on my runs and asking questions about my exercise program," Bruce offered a brief account of his relationship with Polt.
"Sensei is the strongest, most dedicated man I've ever met in my entire life! I can barely keep up with him or complete a session of his training program," Polt said, having only praise for Bruce, who she believes will be the next great Olympic champion.
Clearly, she has no idea that Bruce isn't after Olympic gold, but rather keeping his skills sharp so when the vacation is over [not anytime soon, there's a lot to do] he can get back to fighting Vampires, Demons, Heretic Magus and Super-Villains as usual.
'Even when he tries to hold back, Senpai is beyond the reach of the common man,' Mash thought, knowing that she and he are without peer in this peaceful world... by their standards.
"Normally, the dog girl would have fallen dead tired on a park bench, but her fitness improved so much, she could follow me home and fall dead tired on my property," Bruce said, seeming to pay some kind of compliment.
"Thanks to Sensei's advice, I'm breaking all my personal bests," Polt said, pouring himself some lemonade with a shaking hand.
"Senpai, have you made a… almost jogging friend?" Mash asked, using her Master's unique language, smiling happily.
Mash loves her Senpai, she loves him so, so much; she only wants the best for him. So, if her Senpai is forming an innocent friendship with Polt, she won't stop him; on the contrary, she'll encourage him.
"Those are strong words; I'm a warrior giving advice to a young female athlete. It's more of a guru-disciple relationship, if you want to make it official," Bruce said, preferring not to use the word "almost friends."
"If she wants, she could come visit every now and then; I wouldn't mind having more people at the table, and Miia would appreciate having another girl to talk to, especially a 'Liminal,'" Mash said, looking favorably on the Kobold woman's presence.
"I don't want to abuse your hospitality," Polt said, wanting to be unobtrusive. However, she is interested in learning more and getting to know her Sensei better.
"I like dogs and things are too quiet for my taste," said Bruce, being accustomed to constant chaos and more people.
The Kobold woman smiles at these words.
'Tomorrow or the day after tomorrow I will summon one of my Servants; the false documents I have prepared for them and the others are ready,' thought the Last Master of Chaldea, eager to see Altera, Nero, Tamamo-no-Mae, Astolfo, and the others again.
"I'll give you a call a day's notice," the dog girl said with a small smile, enjoying the idea of making new friends outside the gym.
Mrs. Smith begins to shake in her chair, making a rhythmic sound of wood against the floor.
She can't stand being silent any longer while the food loses heat before her eyes.
From his choked throat he makes excited sounds, as if to say: "You two aren't forgetting about me, are you?"
"Brilliant idea. You should take a leaf out of her book, you incompetent government woman," Bruce said coolly, casting a cold gaze at the unwelcome guest.
Bruce moves. He reaches the woman with heavy steps and, with a sharp, unhesitating gesture, rips the tape from her mouth. Mrs. Smith flinches, letting out a groan of pain at the tear.
"Hello, Mrs. Smith, what are you doing here?" Mash asked, appearing kind and courteous, something her Senpai won't be doing anytime soon.
"Can I have some breakfast?" the black-haired woman asks first. The fact that these are her first words perfectly describes her priorities.
"Did you come to eat? Did your refrigerator break down or did someone steal from you?" Mash asked, searching for an explanation for this unusual behavior.
"The truth is, Mrs. Smith is a good-for-nothing, incompetent woman who can't take care of herself and has to beg to keep from starving," Bruce said, having a low opinion of the officer.
"That's not true… I can take care of myself," she retorts, trying to regain a shred of dignity.
"I just have so much work to do, I'm not good at cooking, and your food smells so good," added Mrs. Smith, looking at her plate with her mouth watering.
"This is my breakfast," Bruce said. With a sharp movement, he clawed at the tray and snatched it away from Mrs. Smith, out of her reach.
"Senpai!" Mash exclaimed loudly. The harshness of the gesture triggered a disapproval reflex.
"I've prepared food for myself, you, Miia, and Polt. She's a welcome guest," Bruce says, indicating the dog girl; then he shifts his cold gaze to Smith.
"This one isn't," Bruce added, almost tempted to drop the food and break the plates, but he doesn't because it would be a waste of good food and fine dishes.
"Senpai, please, she's hungry and you've been roughing her up a bit. Give her your breakfast, you can easily make another," Mash said, taking pity on Mrs. Smith.
"You are a saint, my dear," said Mrs. Smith, her eyes shining with gratitude.
"For once I agree with you; Mash is a saintly woman," Bruce said, considering Mash one of the kindest and most benevolent people in the entire world, or several worlds.
"I'm no saint," said the Demi-Servant girl, trying to dodge that title.
She didn't want to be considered some kind of saint, despite having died and resurrected against Goetia and then been reborn as a female paladin after emerging from Metatron's womb... yes, Mash's life is strange and she might actually receive the title of Holy Woman posthumously from the Anglican Church of Earth-2126.
"But you're also stupid and naive: we gave her a cup of tea, now she wants breakfast, later she'll ask for lunch and dinner, maybe to stay the night under our roof," Bruce said, painting Mrs. Smith as some kind of parasite.
"If that ever happens, I'll take care of her; you put the tray down and take the handcuffs off her," Mash said insistently, crossing her arms.
"Don't tell me I didn't warn you," Bruce said. Then he slammed the tray down in front of the officer, slipped a key from the edge of his white boot, and released the woman's wrists with a metallic click.
"Officially, I'm here to make sure you two aren't doing anything illegal with Miia," Mrs. Smith said in a professional voice. She grabbed her cutlery and knife with a swiftness that bordered on ancestral hunger.
"I can assure you that we..." Mash paused for a moment to look at her Senpai, who occasionally made threats and scared Miia for a few seconds with his unusual ways.
"I assure you that I never did anything to seriously hurt her; perhaps I struggled too much, at times, to get out of her grasp," Mash said, admitting to herself that she had occasionally had to use her superior strength to gain some space for herself.
"If anything, it's the other way around," Bruce interjected calmly.
"It's more the Snake Girl who causes harm with her careless moments or by exaggerating her displays of love. A normal man and woman would be in the hospital with a few broken bones," Bruce explained stoically and with a hint of scientific and sociological interest.
The Last Master of Chaldea was only mildly interested in how normal people might cope with a Liminal with superhuman strength. Masochists wouldn't have a problem, but not all humans are.
"Hurt can mean a lot of things, you know?" Mrs. Smith retorts, chewing smugly in an attempt to sound authoritative.
"If you don't give clear answers I'll knock you out," Bruce interrupts, cracking his knuckles.
"I'll wrap you in enough duct tape and bandages to pass for a mummy, lock you in a sarcophagus, and ship you off to a natural history museum in New York City," Bruce said in a serious voice.
"And where do you get a sarcophagus?" asks Polt, intervening in the discussion after clearing his plate and emptying half a pitcher of lemonade.
"Senpai has a little bit of everything in the basement and attic," Mash said, scratching her cheek in strange embarrassment.
At those words, Mrs. Smith picks up the pace. She devours it all like a wild animal, almost choking, then washes it down with a swig of lemonade.
If things go south, she wants to be ready to run away with a full stomach.
"I have an obligation to tell you," the agent continued, wiping a crumb from her chin, "that Miia, as a representative of her species, would cause a diplomatic incident if she lost her innocence with a human," Mrs. Smith said, trying to sound serious and professional.
"A stupid law that will last less than a few years; with the existence of Liminal races composed entirely of women, it won't work. In fact, probably only a minority respects it: namely those too good, too cowardly, or not interested in Liminals in that way," Bruce said, finding the whole thing ridiculous.
"Personally, I agree with you; this law is a temporary measure to stabilize the waters in these changing times," admits Mrs. Smith. For a moment, her freeloader mask falls away, revealing an unexpected seriousness.
Someone film this, because it won't happen again anytime soon.
"You're more capable than you look!" Polt exclaims, giving both thumbs up with a dazzling smile. Mash, to reinforce the point, accompanies the comment with a small round of applause.
The female officer, however, immediately returns to character, becoming melodramatic: "Anyway, if one of you were to happen to cross the line, whoever did it would be arrested immediately.
Meanwhile, Miia would be deported to her home country. All her efforts to learn Japanese would be wasted. It's sad, but the law is the law."
Bruce doesn't bat an eyelid at this warning, especially the last part: the law is the law.
"I have two things to tell you. One, if you ever want to come after me, bring an army and prepare nuclear weapons. It will be much cleaner for you," Bruce said in a serious voice, showing no fear of the theoretical possibility of arrest.
"Two, my adoptive mother's ex-husband had a favorite phrase:
'Everything's legal when there's no cops around,'" Bruce said proudly; it was perhaps one of the greatest lessons he'd ever received from a father figure, or well, the closest he'd ever had.
Mrs. Smith stops halfway with her glass.
"No comment," said Mrs. Smith, taking another sip of her lemonade. She didn't want to think about what Bruce had hidden in the shed and whether he was willing to use it against the cops.
"So? Did you or Mash do it?" Mrs. Smith asked. She threw away any remaining professionalism, leaning forward with a mischievous expression.
"Absolutely not!" Mash declares. He says it too quickly.
Her cheeks flush bright red, a clear sign: she's a terrible liar, and her mind has already wandered to forbidden scenarios. Usually between her and her Senpai, or her, her Senpai, and Miia.
"Why would I have sex with the snake girl? We barely know each other," Bruce asked, finding the idea strange, almost alien.
"Really? Neither of you even thought about that?" Mrs. Smith asked, surprised. Many good people who end up interacting with Liminals start to think that way.
"Sure, he's half snake," added Mrs. Smith, believing that was the problem.
"It's her best quality; without those scales she'd lose a lot of charisma points," Bruce declared, as if a human Miia wasn't worth his time.
"I don't have a preference for Senpai's scales, but I'm not bothered at all by Miia's snake tail; in fact, I wonder if we could invent some safe nail polish or paint to paint it with," Mash said, letting out a thought that had been swirling around in her head.
"That's a great idea, I'll take care of creating it; it'll be interesting to paint something on a Lamia's tail. I should also make her a dress to match the painting," Bruce said, showing artistic enthusiasm at the idea.
"If you need funding, I'm willing to invest; liminal fashion is a growing industry," the Kobold woman exclaimed, raising her fist in the air, wanting to participate in such an initiative.
'Mash and Bruce are perhaps the strangest and most welcoming couple towards a Liminal I've ever met in my entire career,' thought Mrs. Smith, remaining silent for a moment as she observed them, struck by their almost absurd naturalness.
"Well, a nice tail and scales, a nice body, ample breasts… well, pretty in every way," said Mrs. Smith, confident that Miia would have plenty of admirers of both sexes.
"Yes, Miia is certainly a beautiful girl, inside and out," said Mash, appreciating the Lamia in every way.
"She's aesthetically pleasing, she'll make a great model once I'm done with her, but 'beautiful' is a bit much. There's a difference between a pretty girl and a beautiful woman," Bruce said, crossing his arms, having high standards for everything: food, training, aesthetics, etc.
Mrs. Smith, feeling like a prank, stood up and walked over to Bruce, momentarily forgetting who had already pinned her down twice.
"So, am I a pretty girl or a beautiful woman?" asked the black-haired woman, trying to look like a sexy secret agent.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Miia exclaimed loudly, finally emerging from the Dragon House, properly dressed.
"Keep your hands off my Darling-boy! He's mine and Mash's!" Miia shouted. Acting on impulse, she swung her tail in an attack. Her aim was to hit Mrs. Smith, but she misjudged the distance and ended up heading straight for Bruce.
Mash made a move to intercept the blow, but stopped immediately. It was no use.
With a catlike reflex, Bruce leaps backward. He lands lightly on the other side of the table with the precision of a ninja, despite his European origins (not to mention the more foreign origins on his father's side).
'I don't understand how Sensei isn't a world-class Olympic legend yet,' Polt thinks, his eyes shining with pure admiration at this display of agility.
"Did you hear me!?" Miia asked, ignoring Bruce's stunt to point her finger at Mrs. Smith.
"Relax, I was just kidding," Mrs. Smith repeated, raising her hands in surrender.
Bruce, meanwhile, has grabbed a knife from the table. Mrs. Smith doesn't want to know how he intends to use it; she's not willing to risk it.
"I have to go now, so Lord Belmont, Mash, continue as you are and take care of Miia. Send me some photographs when the art and fashion project for Lamia is finished," Mrs. Smith exclaimed, rushing off.
"Mrs. Smith is good at running too," commented the Kobold woman, feeling very comfortable in their company.
"The body may function, but there are many problems in the head," Bruce commented.
He used the knife with surgical precision, but only to peel an apple just the way Miia likes it.
"Miia, take a seat, I have to introduce you to Polt. I'm sure we'll all become great friends," Mash said, patting the chair next to her.
Miia can't disobey: Mash's smile is a mind-control weapon she can't resist. She crouches at the table, still a little sulky.
"Hello, Miia! Sensei told me about you!" Polt exclaims, greeting the Lamia with radiant enthusiasm.
Bruce cuts the apple into four neat quarters and offers one to each, keeping the last one for himself.
"I'm going to make myself breakfast. You girls can do girly things, but no crazy jealousies, Miia," Bruce ordered calmly.
Before returning to the kitchen, he ran a hand through her hair in a rough caress.
Miia closed her eyes, smiling as if she were in heaven. Under his touch, every trace of hostility toward the Kobold woman instantly vanished, melted away by her Darling-boy's gesture.
XXX
In the distance, Mrs. Smith continues her escape, but her mind is torn between two fixed thoughts:
"One: I found a great place to scrounge breakfast. I just have to avoid Belmont and stay close to Mash so I don't end up tied up. Although, for that kind of food, it would be a small price to pay," she thinks, her mouth drooling at the memory of the heavenly aftertaste.
"Two: I think I've found the perfect place to send the most problematic 'Liminal' girls," he concludes to himself. It's a perfect plan: it would do the girls good and get a little sweet revenge against Belmont.
Mrs. Smith would have done a great job, but she would have gained a lot of weight and a lot of bruises.
Continues...