Shiroyasha and the Queen of Halloween were clearly a much bigger problem than the Kudou sisters.
The only one who could handle them was Su Mo.
So, Black Rabbit left the group and dashed toward Su Mo's room. In her haste, she forgot to knock and pushed the door right open.
"Lord Su Mo, please stop Lady Shiroyasha and Her Majesty the Queen! They're—"
Black Rabbit's frantic words died in her throat. She was speechless.
Staring at the scene before her, the rabbit-eared girl was first dumbstruck, then her cheeks burned crimson. Her small mouth hung open, utterly shocked.
It wasn't strange for Lady Leticia and Lady Lamia to be here, but why were Shiroyasha and the Queen of Halloween in Su Mo's room too?
Not only that, but Lady Shiroyasha was kneeling with her back to the door, her small hands cupping a massive monster. Her silver hair swayed back and forth in a steady rhythm, and she seemed to be completely lost in the moment.
"The two of them..."
Black Rabbit froze on the spot.
Th-th-this... It seemed she didn't need to warn him at all. Lord Su Mo was already in the process of subduing the two demon lords.
No, it was more like the two of them were subduing Lord Su Mo's demon.
When Black Rabbit burst in, Leticia and her sister were inside, coaching the problem child's movements.
"That's right, Lady Shiroyasha. Open your throat as wide as you can, then lift your head slightly to look at Lord Su Mo. Yes, that's the angle! And that expression... so adorable!"
The already experienced Lamia guided her while helping Shiroyasha stretch her body.
This was one of the one hundred and eight methods she had meticulously researched—techniques to make the storm rage more fiercely while making oneself look even cuter.
If Shiroyasha hadn't begged her repeatedly, she would never have taught such an ultimate technique.
Clearly, Shiroyasha was an excellent student.
Not only was she willing to cast aside her pride and learn with great diligence, but she even managed to make the Queen of Halloween, who was watching from the side, wear an expression of half-resistance, half-envy.
It felt like if this continued, Her Majesty the Queen would sooner or later cast aside her dignity in the same way.
In truth, this "study session" had been going on for nearly an hour, having started even before the Bull of Heaven crisis erupted.
However, because Shiroyasha's frame was so petite and the monster was so ferocious and massive, she hadn't been able to get the hang of it.
It was only a moment ago that Shiroyasha finally found the right technique to accommodate it.
She never expected Black Rabbit to barge in just as she was getting to the good part.
"What's wrong, Little Black Rabbit? You seem to be in such a hurry. Is something the matter?"
Lamia asked, continuing to help Shiroyasha move her head up and down. She was perfectly composed, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, as she looked at the naive rabbit before her.
"S-Something's wrong... N-No, wait, I guess it's nothing! I'll be taking my leave now!"
Black Rabbit stammered, her legs feeling weak as she tried to flee, though she couldn't help but stare in the direction of Shiroyasha's head.
Although she had stumbled upon similar scenes a few times before, this was the first time she had seen Shiroyasha like this.
Th-th-this... Is that even possible with a body that small?!
"Don't you dare move!"
Seeing the rabbit-eared girl trembling and ready to bolt at any moment, Lamia called out to her mischievously.
"Barging into the Master's chambers without knocking and then just leaving... that won't do. Come on, Little Black Rabbit, come a little closer. Tell me what you wanted to report."
"Closer?"
Hearing this, Black Rabbit gulped but didn't dare refuse.
Driven by curiosity, she shuffled forward step by step until she finally got a clear view of the monster Shiroyasha was currently handling.
Looking at the rabbit-eared girl, who was staring wide-eyed and frozen as if petrified, Lamia found it amusing and pinched her cheek.
"If you want to enjoy the Master's favor, you'll have to wait until Lady Shiroyasha is finished. For now, let's talk business."
"Huh? My turn?! It's not like I wanted to get in line!"
Black Rabbit shuddered. She wanted to say she was still too young, but Shiroyasha was clearly no older than her. While she could have refused for other reasons, after a moment of hesitation, she found the idea of waiting her turn wasn't entirely unappealing.
Flustered and unable to explain herself, she decided to get to the point.
"I came here about Asuka and Saichou..."
As she said this, Black Rabbit felt a pang of regret.
If she had known these two were already being kept in check by Lord Su Mo, she wouldn't have needed to come and report.
It was a shame she would have missed such a stimulating scene, but if that were the case, Shiroyasha and the Queen of Halloween probably wouldn't have had the mood or the energy to argue over the Kudou sisters until the battle was over.
The crisis would have been averted just like that.
But now, when she could have avoided the crisis by doing nothing, her report would only give the two of them a heads-up.
She felt like she had just made things worse.
But she couldn't lie in front of Su Mo.
As Black Rabbit watched with an uneasy expression, Shiroyasha made a muffled, whimpering sound and spoke indistinctly.
"Sho... I shee why you finally agreed to let me shtudy with you today. It wash to shtop thoshe two from fighting... Hmph, am I sho petty that I'd get angry over a mere match between disciplesh? ...You underestimate me, Shu Mo. Let me practice two more times, and then I'll forgive you!"
Clearly, Black Rabbit's worries were unnecessary.
Under Su Mo's allure, Shiroyasha was far more concerned with getting her fill than with the outcome of her so-called disciple's match.
So she had no intention of arguing about the Kudou sisters' fight. All she wanted was to bury her head and work hard.
"Shameless hussy!"
Hearing Shiroyasha's blatant demand, the Queen of Halloween snorted in displeasure.
"Letting you have one turn was already my limit, and now you want two more? Impossible! Not unless that foolish disciple of yours can defeat the one Scáthach and I have trained!"
"What do you mean, 'the one you and Scáthach trained'? Scáthach did all the work! You did nothing!"
Shiroyasha rolled her eyes at the Queen of Halloween before lowering her head again.
"But if you want to bet on the outcome of this match, I accept! The loser is banned from tonight's party. They'll have to watch everyone else's study results and even help out from the sidelines!"
The Queen of Halloween nodded magnanimously.
"It's a deal!"
"..."
Hearing their bet, Black Rabbit was left speechless.
Their confrontation was still unavoidable, but instead of a physical clash, it had turned into some kind of bizarre competition.
It was a good thing there was no risk of them coming to blows, but to think that the thing she'd been worrying about all this time would be settled by a bet like this...
For a moment, Black Rabbit didn't know what to say.
Before she could even sigh, Lamia suddenly pulled Shiroyasha away, taking the silver-haired loli's place. Then, she pulled Black Rabbit down to kneel beside her.
"Eh?"
Feeling the rising heat, Black Rabbit was momentarily bewildered.
Wait, what's happening?
"Since there's a bet, Lady Shiroyasha naturally cannot participate in the party until a winner is decided."
Lamia said with a serious expression.
"But you, Little Black Rabbit, are a different story. You can participate!"
"Ah... Should I say thank you?"
Black Rabbit froze for a second before it dawned on her. She immediately covered her eyes with her fingers.
"No, it's still too early for me!"
"It's never too early to start learning!"
Without forcing her, Lamia let go of Black Rabbit and began her demonstration right in front of her.
"...I feel like Lady Lamia is twisting the meaning of 'learning',"
Black Rabbit muttered, speechless. Mumbling to herself, "I'm never going to get married now," she secretly widened the gaps between her fingers, excitedly absorbing the adults' knowledge.
The conflict between the two problem children was skillfully suppressed before it could even begin.
Unaware of the situation unfolding here, Pest and Kasukabe Yō served as referees as the fated duel between the Kudou sisters quickly began.
Since both sides had been preparing for years, they shared a mutual understanding to save time.
Before Lamia, acting as the drill instructor, could even successfully get her fill, the match between the Kudou sisters was already decided.