Return! Jealous Rivalry?...

...)

After bidding Fei Fei farewell, the girls walked out through the gates beneath the admiring and affectionate gazes of the Deadly Forest members around them, heading toward the villa district...

Along the way, none of the girls said a word. Even Little Flandre, who usually loved to play the most, obediently held Astrea's hand without making a fuss. She seemed to know that her sisters appeared to be thinking about something...

However, after entering the villa district, Hinagiku was the first to break the silence and looked at Kotori.

"Hey, Kotori, do you think we should go or not?..."

The girls all turned their gazes toward Kotori. Clearly, they intended to let the naturally commanding Kotori make the decision. Kotori did not put on any airs either. She lowered her eyes slightly and took the Chupa Chups from her mouth.

"We have to go. Otherwise, there might be trouble sooner or later. The question is..." Kotori swept her gaze across the girls. "If we go, we should also take the opportunity to verify the information Senior Fei Fei brought us. We need to find out why the Ai Lu Empire's royal family has suddenly taken an interest in us, and why they invited us to a ball like this..." Hinagiku and Kurumi narrowed their eyes and nodded solemnly. Hinagiku even said, "I have a feeling that this ball doesn't seem to be as simple as it looks..."

At that, Kotori fell silent. As she did, the atmosphere among the girls also sank into silence. It was not until the gates of their villa appeared before them that Kotori pulled herself together and waved a hand. "No matter what, let's first think of a way to gather some intelligence. We simply know too little right now!"

"Mm!"

This time, every