Chapter 256: Miku vs. The Queen
'I don't want to crossdress...' Eric felt a few black lines appear on his forehead as he remembered how Itsuka *Touka, in order to conquer the fairies, not only learned how to crossdress but also mastered one of the four great forbidden arts of Japan, makeup techniques. The scariest part was that she looked quite convincing, so much so that many anime fans even said she could pass as one...
"Ugh..." A chill ran up his spine, and goosebumps appeared all over his body. He unconsciously placed his left hand over his backside and quickly shook his head to remove those thoughts from his mind.
'I was planning to blackmail the future "Fire Fist" Ace and "King" Luffy with their crossdressing photos, but if my own crossdressing photos get out, my whole reputation would be...'
'But how should I approach Miku without making her dislike me...?'
Even if he defeated Miku with force, her affection would not increase, and the next summoning time would be indefinitely delayed. Eric thought carefully; this problem couldn't just be solved by crossdressing. When Miku found out that Shido was a man, she turned hostile and attacked him. And then...
He recalled how Shido managed to open Miku's heart and win her over...
...
"Stop whining, all men are the same—!" Miku thought back to her past and cursed, "Lustful, ugly! Trying to use power to make me submit? Dream on! Even if I have to kill myself, I won't do as he wishes!"
"And those ignorant male fans' endless insults, I never want to think about those disgusting creatures again!"
A flood of curses came from the mouth of a beautiful girl, making it clear how much she despised men.
Affected by her emotions, Akame and Kurome seemed to sense the injustice Miku had suffered and sheathed their swords.
"Ah, little girl, do you understand that you've already died once?" Kurumi, standing by, helped Miku recall her memories.
"—Mm." Miku nodded as she recalled, "I remember receiving the fairy crystal, and the fairy power suddenly went out of control, and then..."
"And then you didn't remember anything?" Kurumi added, "The person you blew away earlier is the one who summoned you to this world—he's your savior."
"...!" Miku hugged her shoulders, turned slightly, and didn't say anything.
"Ah, you attacked your savior, but now you can't even say anything?" Kurumi teased, "Are you a wolf in sheep's clothing?"
'First time we met, you made a hole in my stomach. You don't have the right to criticize others.' Eric thought silently, but didn't dare to say it aloud—being scolded by your wife is quite normal, right?
"Shut up!" Miku yelled in frustration, "That guy must be after my beauty and body, just like those others!"
"Well..." Kurumi shrugged, taking a closer look at the girl before her. With her figure, her face, her beautiful hair, she was definitely the older sister type. When thinking about the different attributes of the women on the ship, none of them seemed to match her.
'You could help me deny that!' Kurumi heard Eric 's vigorous complaints in her earpiece.
"Yes, yes." Miku nodded repeatedly. "Girls are so much better, lesbians are true love, while heterosexuals should all burn!"
"You're very beautiful, can I..."
"Stop!" Kurumi stopped Miku from continuing, "I already have a partner to spend my life with."
"...!" Miku didn't react much, but Wendy beside her blushed, 'Is it Kurumi-nee and Eric -nii? Ah, that's so romantic...'
"Tch." Miku clicked her tongue in annoyance.
Through the earpiece, Eric was briefing the others about Miku's past and experiences, and their expressions changed slightly, but—
"Even so, that doesn't change your attempt to control me earlier." Esdeath spoke coldly, "I can consider that as an attack on me."
"Huh? Huh?" Wendy seemed flustered. Was Esdeath really going to attack the new member?
Esdeath asked, "Your name."
"Huh?"
"What's your name?"
"…Izayoi Miku." Forced by Esdeath's tone, Miku reluctantly spoke her name.
Esdeath pointed her sword at Miku. "Since you attacked me, be prepared to be killed. Are you ready?"
Miku screamed, "Huh?!"
Akame and Kurome frowned. Even though Esdeath held a higher position in the Empire than them, they knew there were no titles here. They were determined to stop Esdeath from acting impulsively.
Kurumi sensed something and glanced at Esdeath, then exchanged a look with Akame and Kurome. The two sisters decided to trust Kurumi since it was well-known that she and Esdeath didn't get along.
"Huh? Huh?" Wendy, still confused, looked at the situation with some worry.
"Don't worry, Wendy." Kurumi placed her hand on Wendy's shoulder. "It's fine, nothing will happen."
"Is it, really?" Wendy still felt anxious, seeing internal conflict within the team, even if the newly summoned member hadn't fully joined yet.
'But Esdeath and Kurumi seem to always fight, right?' Wendy thought, 'Then it's fine.'
The four backed away, deciding to leave the matter to Esdeath.
'Esdeath, wait, what are you going to do? Stop!' Eric 's orders filled Esdeath's earpiece, but she ignored them and continued:
"On that beautiful body of yours, I'll create bloody holes, pierce you with ice spikes, and hear your sweet scream—"
"—It should excite and satisfy me!"
"!!" Miku felt Esdeath's killing intent, which seemed almost tangible, and took several steps back. "What's wrong with this person?! Can someone tell me what's going on?!"
"Hehe..." Esdeath's laugh sounded like that of a devil, or a low, mocking laugh of a demon. She stepped forward, her long legs, wrapped in white knee-high boots, moving step by step toward Miku.
"Hmph!" Miku angrily shouted, "Don't treat me like an ordinary human!"
"I'm no longer the powerless me I used to be—!"
Miku raised her lowered face and glared at Esdeath, then spread her hands downward:
"—Gabriel (Broken Army Songstress)!"
The moment Miku let out a loud scream, ripples began to spread from beneath her feet. It was as if responding to Miku's call, a massive yellow metallic object slowly emerged from the ground, appearing behind her.
This metallic object was connected by many steel pipes, resembling a giant pipe organ. Miku was using her own angel for the first time!
"Hoh? This feels different from Kurumi's!" Esdeath said casually. "But I wonder, can you fight as well as that little black cat?"
"March (Marching Band)!" Miku struck the light keyboard that appeared before her, and beautiful music filled the air. The invisible sound surrounded Miku's body.
"Mm?" Esdeath stopped in her tracks, sensing something. "Are you increasing your strength? However—this is useless, even if an ant's power increases a hundredfold, it's still an ant!"
"Hmph!" Miku angrily snorted at Esdeath's words. "Don't underestimate me!"
"Rondo (Rondo)!"
She rapidly struck the light keyboard with both fingers, and the Broken Army Songstress unleashed a powerful, invisible soundwave, sending it crashing toward Esdeath!
(END CHAPTER)
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