The door was pushed open.
It has a certain unhurried rhythm.
The door hinges creaked softly, and the corridor light streamed in through the cracks, casting a golden ribbon across the floor.
Then, a faint fragrance, like a mix of floral and fruity scents, wafted in.
Higashino Makoto looked up.
A figure stood in the doorway.
Short, light pink hair, a neat bob cut, the length just above the shoulders.
Two conspicuous tufts of hair stand upright on either side, trembling slightly under the light, adding a touch of playfulness.
The ends of her hair were styled with a slight curl, making her look a bit older than her actual age.
Her face was delicate and lovely, and her purple pupils shimmered with a mysterious light under the lamp.
A hint of cunning glint in his eyes, and a faint smile playing on his lips.
That smile was sweet, as sweet as honey, but what lay beneath that honey, no one knew.
She was wearing a white shirt.
No, to be precise, it's a "fruit shirt".
The shirt was very large, so large that the hem just covered the top of her thighs, and the collar was open, revealing a large expanse of fair skin and delicate collarbones.
Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing her slender forearms and a thin silver chain on her wrist.
Only the middle two buttons of the shirt were fastened, leaving the top and bottom buttons undone, revealing glimpses of something that shouldn't be shown.
Behind it, a long black tail swayed gently, ending in a heart shape.
It gleamed faintly under the light, like a black ribbon.
She was wearing black leather shoes, without socks, revealing a section of her fair ankles.
Standing there, she resembled a blooming flower.
Beautiful, alluring, and with a hint of dangerous temptation.
"Makoto-san~"
Her voice was clear and sweet, like a wind chime in spring.
Her purple eyes curved into crescents, and the smile at the corners of her mouth deepened.
Good evening.
Higashino Makoto looked at her, his golden eyes devoid of any emotion.
"Momo."
"I knew it, Makoto-san definitely remembers me."
"You are my guardian. Of course I know you."
Momo tilted her head, her ahoge (cowlick) trembling slightly.
"So, what does Cheng-san think of me?"
Higashino Makoto was silent for a moment.
"Cute, but problematic."
Momo's smile froze for a moment.
"Question?"
Yes, the question.
Higashino Makoto leaned back in his chair, his golden eyes fixed on her.
"You didn't follow the proper procedures. Tingyun just left, and you showed up, dressed like this. Are you here to be her secretary, or to throw yourself at her?"
Momo looked at him, her purple eyes flashing with a complex light.
Then she laughed, with a slyness and a resolute determination that seemed to have given up entirely.
"Makoto-san, you're really smart."
She stepped into the room, and the door behind her closed quietly after she entered.
Her steps were light and graceful, her tail swaying gently behind her, and the hem of her shirt fluttering slightly with each step, revealing a glimpse of her fair thigh.
She walked up to Higashino Makoto, stopped, and looked up at him.
Because she was more than a head shorter than him, she had to look up to see his eyes.
But instead of looking up, she bent down slightly, placed her hands on the armrests of the chair, and brought her face close to his.
His purple eyes were so close, his face reflected in their pupils.
"Cheng-san."
Her voice was very soft, so soft it was as if she were telling a secret.
"I'm not following the normal procedure because I want to give Cheng-san a surprise! The surprise is me—myself."
"Yes, it's really good. It's quite a pleasant surprise."
"Hehe... I'm so happy that Makoto-san likes it..."
Higashino Makoto looked at her, at the earnest, cunning glint in her purple eyes.
You haven't seen me before, have you?
"No."
So what do you think of me?
Because I think about it every day.
Momo's voice was very soft, so soft it sounded like she was talking to herself.
"Back in Novas Atier, I heard the other guardians speak of you. Some said you were gentle, some said you were dignified, some said you were aloof, some said you were passionate. Everyone said something different, but everyone's eyes lit up when they spoke of you."
She paused.
"I've been wondering, what kind of person is this lord? How could so many outstanding women be so willing to follow him, serve him, and miss him?"
"Then what?"
"And then, of course, I want to see you."
Momo straightened up and took a step back.
She reached out and unbuttoned the top button of her shirt.
Then came the second one.
The shirt slipped off her shoulders, revealing her fair skin and delicate underwear.
She stood there, her purple eyes looking at Higashino Makoto, a shy and expectant smile playing on her lips.
"Cheng-san."
Her voice was very soft.
"I don't want to be the secretary tonight."
"So what do you want to be?"
"To be your little sweetheart."
Higashino Makoto looked at her, his purple eyes sparkling under the light, his short, pink hair slightly curled.
Its black tail swayed gently behind it, the heart-shaped tip gleaming softly in the light.
He stared at it for a long time.
Then he chuckled softly.
"You're direct."
You should pursue what you like.
Momo tilted her head, her ahoge (cowlick) trembling slightly.
"Besides, Makoto-san doesn't like beating around the bush, does he?"
Higashino Makoto did not answer.
He simply reached out and grasped the black tail.
Momo's smile froze.
"Cheng--Cheng--"
"What's wrong?"
"You—you've got my tail—"
"I know."
Higashino Makoto's fingers gently stroked from the base of the tail to its tip.
Momo's body began to tremble, and tears welled up in her purple eyes.
It wasn't because of the pain, but because her tail was her weakness.
Extremely sensitive.
"Cheng-san--no--there--no--"
Why not?
"Because--because--ah--"
Higashino Makoto didn't stop.
He gently pinched the tip of the tail with his fingers, and the heart-shaped end trembled slightly between his fingers.
Momo's body went limp, and she slumped to the ground, her purple eyes filled with tears.
With a hint of pleading in his smile.
"Cheng-san--I was wrong--"
"What's wrong?"
"I shouldn't have—I shouldn't have flirted with you—"
"Anything else?"
"I shouldn't have dressed like that—I shouldn't have dressed like that—"
"Anything else?"
"It shouldn't have been done—it shouldn't have deviated from the proper procedures—"
Higashino Makoto looked at her for two seconds.
Then he let go, stood up, walked over to her, bent down, and picked her up from the ground.
Momo leaned against him, looking at him with her purple eyes, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.
"Cheng-san."
"Um."
Are you angry?
"No."
"Then why—"
"I just think you need to be taught a lesson."
Higashino Makoto placed her on the bed and looked down at her.
Her short, pink hair was scattered on the pillow, and her purple eyes shimmered in the candlelight.
Her shirt had slipped down to almost the top, revealing her fair shoulders and delicate collarbones.
Its black tail swayed gently behind it, the heart-shaped tip trembling slightly.
"Momo."
"Exist."
"You just said you didn't want to be the secretary tonight."
"Yes..."
"Then say it again, what do you want to be?"
Momo looked at him, a sly glint in her purple eyes.
"To be your little sweetheart."
Higashino Makoto chuckled softly.
"Very good."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Momo closed her eyes.
That night, Higashino Makoto gave this little devil a good beating.
From midnight to dawn, from bed to floor, from floor to windowsill.
He held Momo's tail in his hand, kneading the heart-shaped end countless times.
She cried several times, laughed several times, begged for mercy several times, and provoked several times.