The Damn Family Is Back Again

398. CHAPTER 6. ■■■■(7)

At Harnier’s sudden first words, Claire’s mind became momentarily muddled.

Fix her up real good?

Suddenly? At this moment?

And why of all people, *me*?

All sorts of thoughts tumbled around inside her head.

Still, they wouldn’t align into any comprehensible order.

Left with no other choice, Claire decided her ears must be playing tricks on her, and she asked Harnier again.

“Um, when you say ‘fix you up real good’, what exactly do you mean by─”

“Exactly that. I’m asking you to fix me up *real* good. Enough to completely ensnare a man.”

Claire, who had been wearing a smile, assuming she had misheard, froze solid, that same smile still etched on her face.

‘N-no, my ears aren’t playing tricks on me, are they?’

This just became undeniably real.

The request to be styled to the nines wasn’t some idle chatter, and hearing it’s to ensnare a man makes it sound all the more serious.

Furthermore.

“Sister, sister!”

My youngest sibling, who I wasn’t expecting to see here, is nodding emphatically from right behind, urging me to do it.

It’s truly flustering.

‘Huh, haha… Were their relations always this… cordial?’

Cordial, my foot. Flora used to practically growl at Harnié, ready to devour her.

She used to glare at Harnié something fierce.

She used to complain, saying Harnié would take Calsein away!

She even outright declared him family for that very reason…

‘…Even if it was a childish outburst, after voicing such things, now she…?’

They’ve suddenly gotten *this* close?

Ha. Hahaha…

Utterly bewildered. Massively so.

Claire clutched her head.

“O-okay, I understand why you’ve come, Miss. You want to be styled. Fine. I get that… Eeeuh.”

Styled. Yes. That much is simple.

It’s not difficult, it’s what I do.

But there’s a snag.

“T-to be frank… Even if you ask me to style you, I honestly don’t know *how* to.”

“Why is that?”

“Hmm. It’s a complicated explanation… Shine Tear Boutique is fundamentally based on glamour. It’s the direction of beauty I pursue, so to speak…”

Claire’s gaze swept from Harnié’s head to her toes.

“You see, Miss, glamour, s*x appeal, provocative elements, fashions that emphasize curves… those are all far removed from your essence. You call for a starkly opposite approach, one that highlights simplicity and innocence. That’s why I’m not confident in bringing out your beauty.”

Indeed. Our concepts of beauty were too divergent.

Not glamour, but simplicity.

Not s*x appeal, but innocence.

Harnié’s beauty, an antithesis to everything Claire pursued, was something Claire found nearly impossible to enhance.

Not only Shine Tear Boutique, but also dressmaking, salons. And in all areas, from grooming accessories to clothing, Claire could offer no help whatsoever.

“Well… for that reason, wouldn’t it be better to find someone else…? It’s not just that I’m not necessary, but rather that I’d only get in the way… Ha, haha… There are more than enough people who could embellish a beauty like you, young lady! If you want, I could even introduce you to someone…”

“No.”

Harnier cut Claire off sharply.

“It’s alright. If that’s the reason. No. I had to come here.”

“Pardon?”

“On the contrary, that’s what I came here hoping for. As I said before, I came to meet the owner of Shine Tear Boutique, didn’t I?”

Watching Harnier emphasize the words “owner of Shine Tear Boutique,” Claire sensed something was amiss.

“I don’t want my existing image. What I want is…”

Harnier approached, smiling so beautifully.

A truly beautiful smile that no man could help but fall for.

But, strangely enough, that smile felt menacing.

‘Strange… I can feel the heat…’

A woman’s intuition was speaking.

This was a very fierce flame.

The hottest flame a woman could ignite.

‘Ha. So that’s why Flora followed me here. That’s what it was?’

Today, Flora had been causing trouble among the young ladies, strangely enough.

-Someone like you can never do! Sheesh.

-I won’t allow it! I absolutely won’t allow it!

-Eek! Your hair isn’t pretty at all! It doesn’t suit you!

…Claire wondered why, but it was all because of Carsein. Already, she’d seen Flora’s attitude towards Harnier several times, gaining experience.

And Flora was now trailing after Harnier, tagging along.

If this overwhelming sense of crisis led her here…

‘Mm-hmm. That makes sense, then.’

So, to protect her man, shouldn’t she hone her weapons as a woman?

That smile, so beautiful it’s almost murderous, is the same as being prepared to captivate her man.

No. Maybe even more than that.

Her eyes already betray her intentions.

The stance of openly seducing her man.

“Heh heh heh. So, that’s how it is, is it?”

This kind of thing? This is *exactly* my specialty!

Clare felt a smile bloom on her lips.

“If that’s the reason, I’m more than happy to help! Come on in, come on in.”

“Thank you.”

“Alright, alright. Let’s get your measurements first. Can you lift your arm?”

Those females, lurking around? I’ll doll him up so much they wouldn’t even *dare* to touch him.

*

“This is the last one, huh.”

▶EPISODE II. A Valentine’s Day, Already Passed, is in Progress.◀

▶Eat all the Chocolates Made by Harnier.◀

[ Chocolates Eaten: 24/25 ]

Both inside the actual box…

And the number the status window displayed…

Either way you looked at it, this chocolate was the last.

But, it felt a bit… belated, didn’t it?

I should have eaten them a long time ago, originally. This box should have been emptied ages ago, and the chocolate I was holding right now should have been devoured without a trace.

In a way, you could say I was only just now picking up the last chocolate.

From some point, the speed at which I was eating them started to slow.

The chocolates Harnier gave me were certainly delicious.

It wasn’t that I was sick of them, or that I couldn’t finish them, or that—even with my improved appetite—I thought sweet things were still too sweet and wanted to toss them aside. Never.

And yet, little by little, the speed at which I picked up the chocolates slowed.

The reason was… I was looking back at myself, at who I am right now.

“…Romantic relationship. Okay. Stopping the fake dating is great. Starting a real relationship, too. But what has changed, really?”

Nothing had changed.

Harnier had always been looking at me.

She had always tried to take care of me, and she had come to me early on, conveying her sincerity.

She had been holding onto and supporting this idiot of a human being called me.

The romance had already begun. From her perspective, at least.

“But on the other hand, *I*…”

It was the chocolate, even just that.

Harnier had made these chocolates with such care, and what had I ever done for Harnier in return?

Only accepted them. Praised their flavor. Beyond that, nothing at all.

…That, suddenly, was why. Why the chocolates remained, until now.

“…This won’t do.”

I finished the last chocolate and changed my plans.

Now was not the time to reveal us as lovers.

What she truly needed… was something different entirely.

I had to take a step further.

Advance a stage beyond.

Staying as we are now was simply stagnation.

“Therefore… it must be.”

There was only one way.

“Isn’t Harnier back yet?”

Lost in thought as I popped the chocolates one by one, I realized how much time had passed.

She should have been back long ago. It was only a drink, after all. Even carrying two glasses, it shouldn’t have taken this long.

“No. Enough. I need to prepare now.”

For whatever reason, there was said to be no more danger.

If that were the case, then I too must be prepared.

I should start by informing the Imperial Palace that I would be taking some time away.

And as I opened the door –

– *Click.*

“Oh my. Duke Carsein!”

“So, you were here?”

Strange women began to swarm around me.

*

“Oh, I heard the stories? About bringing the Westerners to save the Empire, and their unmatched bravery…!”

“I didn’t just hear; I saw it myself! The way you ride a horse and sever the heads of the monsters was truly impressive.”

“Brave deeds aside, oh my… I heard from my second elder brother that building muscles like that requires tremendous training? Would it be alright if I came to visit sometime?”

“Your handkerchief seems to be stained! This one is personally embroidered by myself. Please, accept it.”

“Karsein, esteemed young master? Might you perhaps have a moment to spare today?”

“Surely our station is preferable to that of mere nobility…”

Something about a daughter of a certain house, the nth child of a particular family, how deeply moved they were by something I did, the origins of some ingredient or other…

A cacophony of meaningless drivel, so faint it’s almost unheard, assaults my ears.

…Shit.

Shit. Shit!

What is all this?

Why is it like this the moment I step out onto the terrace?

Did something significant happen?

Or, did some kind of disaster occur while I was gone?

My gaze drifted instinctively towards the status window.

And there, I encountered the answer to my bewilderment.

▶Episode II. Valentine’s Day, Already Past, Continues.◀

▶Consume All of Harnia’s Chocolates.◀

[ Chocolates Eaten: 25/25 ]

‘…What is this?’

Whether I look at the box or the status window,

The chocolate count is clearly fulfilled.

‘But then why isn’t the quest cleared and why does it keep lingering?’

Even as the question continued to plague me.

– *Shwack!*

“Hck…”

“That person is…”

A peculiar sound heralded the snap of a fan unfurling, drawing the attention of the assembled women, their gazes widening before they began to retreat, one step at a time.

…No. More accurately.

“Out of my way!”

“Ugh!”

“Daring to forget your place.”

“…Eek!”

She was forcing her way through with brute strength.

Amidst an atmosphere thick with unease.

Having carved a path with strenuous effort, the woman approached me.

“Pleased to meet you, Prince Calsien. Ah, though I suppose I should use a different title now. In any case.”

She rattled off her name, but I paid it no mind. But then…

– *Swish.*

The woman, having snapped her fan shut, offered me her hand, as if expecting an escort.

“Won’t you be my partner for today?”

…What is this now?

No. Forget it. No need to give her attention.

‘Looks like an arrogant one at first glance.’

With those noble ladies trailing around her like handmaidens, and the way she flaunts her faction… She’s the type who struts around like she fears nothing in the world.

Somehow, it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, perhaps because I’d seen similar, low-class squabbles between girls back in reality, forming their own little cliques and engaging in petty power struggles.

Ignoring them is the only way to deal with girls like that.

The path was already clear anyway, so I brushed past her without so much as a nod.

“H-Hey! Wait a moment! Where are you going?”

“What is it?”

“I requested it, didn’t I? That you be my partner for today.”

“So?”

“Pardon? I… Hah, I’m floored! Don’t you know who I am? I’m─”

She went on to declare who and where she was from, to which I responded by miming picking wax from my ear with my finger.

I was a scoundrel, after all.

Hm. Perhaps I should have been acting like this from the start.

I’ll probably get an earful, right?

Let them slander me all they want.

“Are you letting your newfound fame as the Empire’s hero go to your head?! There’s no woman here more suitable for you than me! You don’t have anyone else anyway, so think carefully! If you turn away now, you’ll regret it─”

– *Click. Clack.*

“What? Which girl is walking in front of me… H-Huh…?”

It all happened in an instant.

Before she could even recognize who it was, two arms wrapped around her neck.

Balancing on tiptoes, the approaching face held something in its mouth.

And in mine… a sweetness, that lingering chocolate taste.

“Wh-What is th-that…!”

The woman, shouting at the top of her lungs, looked as if her eyes might pop.

…Though, I suppose the same could be said for me.

“Why? It’s just a girlfriend kissing her boyfriend. Is something wrong?”

Harneier, shamelessly pressing her lips to mine… was impossibly lovely.

For a fleeting moment, a wicked thought crossed my mind.

-Ding!

▶Episode II. Cleared the belated Valentine’s Day.◀

▶Consumed all the chocolate made by Harneier.◀

[ Number of Chocolates Eaten: 26/25 ]

▶Additional event triggered; Chocolate Kiss Event activated.◀