"Welcome back, Takumi-nii~~"
"Welcome back, onichan~~"
To the sweet voices of Maria and Mio, Takumi walked in carrying Kobayashi and leading Tohru behind him.
Asia, who came over in a dress, immediately let out a startled cry.
"Is this lady okay?!"
"She's fine. Just drunk."
As soon as Takumi said that, two sharp gazes shot his way.
Mio and Yuki Suou stared straight at him.
"Big bro, going out once and bringing two women back is a bit much, don't you think~"
"Kobayashi's someone I rescued on the way. As for Tohru... I rescued her too."
"Mhm~ You lowly, foolish humans had better recognize your place. I'm a dragon, Tohru!"
"Don't talk like that right off the bat. They're all on our side. Try treating them as equals."
Hearing Tohru's haughty tone, Takumi hurriedly stepped in.
Tohru looked indignant. In her eyes, the fact that these lowly humans were even allowed to stand near her was already mercy enough.
And now he wanted her to treat them as equals? As if.
One look at Tohru's face told Takumi this was going to be a long-term project.
Oddly enough, instead of getting upset at Tohru's arrogant attitude, Yuki looked fascinated.
"Brother, you really do keep coming up with new surprises. How did you end up bringing home a dragon? And Miss Tohru, those on your head... are those dragon horns?"
Looking at the unusual horns on Tohru's head, Yuuki stepped closer and asked.
"Of course they are. These are my noble dragon horns. Don't get too close, human. The only one allowed this close to me is Takumi."
Tohru bared her teeth in a threatening pose.
Unfortunately, with that cute face of hers, it looked less threatening and more like adorable posturing.
Especially since, now that she knew these girls belonged to Takumi too, Tohru didn't actually have any killing intent toward them.
Which only made Yuuki find her even cuter.
"Ugh, you're so adorable. And you're wearing a maid outfit too. Are you a maid?"
"Mm-hm! Starting now, I'm Takumi's maid!"
The second that came up, Tohru proudly planted her hands on her hips, as if she'd just announced some incredibly prestigious title.
Well, according to Kobayashi, being a maid was an extremely, extremely noble role.
"Tricking a dragon into becoming your maid... Takumi, you're way too... bold."
Maria could absolutely feel the suffocating dragon's pressure radiating off Tohru.
Her strength was terrifying enough that just standing there made Maria's instincts scream in warning.
And yet this monster of a woman was proudly declaring herself Takumi's maid.
Honestly, Maria felt like dropping to her knees and worshipping Takumi on the spot.
The man she'd attached herself to was just too absurdly powerful.
"No big deal. Maria, teach Tohru some of the finer points of being a maid."
After saying that, he looked over at Tohru, who was already being surrounded.
Clearly, the thing she'd just said about not letting them get close hadn't mattered at all.
Mio reached out and poked one of Tohru's horns, letting out a little gasp.
"They're cool to the touch... and really hard!"
"Hmph. My horns are indestructible."
"Do you use them to ram things?"
"Of course not. I usually use magic."
...
Watching Tohru chatting animatedly with the others, Takumi found himself speechless.
She had just said she didn't want them coming near her.
Figures. Twin-tail types really did tend to have a tsundere streak.
Takumi quietly carried Kobayashi upstairs and laid her down on a bed.
"Hehe~~ such a comfy bed."
Mumbling that in her sleep, Kobayashi immediately passed out again.
Takumi had no intention of taking advantage of her. He'd already gotten all the advantage he needed.
After coming back downstairs, he found that Tohru had already blended into the group.
Yuki and Mio were now explaining things like the television and electric lights to her.
Tohru, like a curious child, kept asking what everything was for and trying them out one by one.
And really, getting to teach a dragon girl how to live in modern society had to be a pretty novel experience for them too.
Meanwhile, Asia was busy asking about "gods."
After hearing that Tohru had been injured by one, she was especially curious about what kind of god it had been.
"You all seem to be getting along well."
Takumi looked at the girls with a smile, and for once Tohru didn't argue.
Yuki and the others had been warm and friendly, which left Tohru with a good impression of them.
After all, in her own world, humans either screamed in terror the moment they saw her or tried to slay her on sight.
There had only been a tiny handful who hadn't treated her with hostility.
This world was different. The humans were friendlier, and Takumi was here too.
Maybe... she really did like this world.
Tohru's eyes flickered, and the wariness in her heart gradually began to fade.
Compared to the world she came from, Takumi's world was far more appealing.
"Haah... alright, you guys keep learning. I'm going to get some sleep."
After yawning, Takumi didn't call anyone in to warm his bed tonight.
He still needed to find time later to properly "water" the new hypothetical curse he'd just acquired.
After entering his room, Takumi locked the door and immediately summoned the Record of a Hundred Demons.
As the pages flipped, it stopped on Hachishakusama's page.
The Slit-Mouthed Woman, who had been fighting her before, was already gone.
Now Hachishakusama sat there alone, looking unbearably lonely.
Takumi stepped bodily into the Record of a Hundred Demons and met her again.
"...Takumi~~"
The moment she saw him, tears glimmered in Hachishakusama's eyes, and she reached out both arms as if she wanted to throw herself into his embrace.
This time, Takumi didn't refuse.
He accepted her hug.
"Hachishakusama, just like I said before, I won't reject your love. But everything will be on my terms."
Takumi stroked her mature, seductive body and her beautiful face, his expression completely serious.
Hachishakusama pressed her lips together and looked at him with tears spilling down her cheeks.
By instinct, as a curse, she wanted to possess Takumi completely.
But the reality of the situation had made the now self-aware Hachishakusama realize that her way would never succeed.
Still, she wanted to be stubborn one last time. She parted her lips and said, "I'd give you perfect happiness, so why do you keep refusing me~"
Before Takumi could answer, she sealed his lips with a kiss.
After that deep, hungry kiss, the aura around her body turned intensely maternal, and with both hands she lifted Takumi straight up.
For once, Takumi found himself completely on the passive side, and he chose not to immediately turn things around.
Faced with the sincere words spilling from Hachishakusama's heart, he couldn't bring himself to reject her.
Her face turned even more alluring as she clung to him tightly, pressing him deep into her embrace.
At that moment, Takumi felt like he'd sunk into the bottom of the sea, swallowed by a violently spinning whirlpool.
But Takumi was already battle-hardened.
He handled the whirlpool with ease and, with fierce, unstoppable force, began taking on the sea itself head-on.
Since Hachishakusama was this tall, there was no need for him to hold back.
His sword was by no means dull.
...
For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.