Kurumi, Kurumi, and the Kurumis

"Kurumi~" Qian Huanyue called out in a coquettish voice. "Could you come with me?"

"Ah, I wouldn't mind accompanying you," Kurumi nodded, about to agree happily.

Several voices identical to her own suddenly interrupted her.

Several Kurumis emerged from the shadows.

"Ah~ 'I,' don't you think you've been monopolizing Huanyue-chan's time a little too much lately?" A Kurumi clone strolled out of the shadows, gently wagging a finger. "You've been getting far too lax recently."

"That's right~ 'I.'" Another voice came from the opposite direction. Another clone leaned against the wall, playing with a lock of hair. "Even the radicals among us can hardly stand to watch anymore."

The first clone to speak affectionately linked arms with Qian Huanyue, smiling brightly. "'I,' don't worry. With me accompanying Huanyue-chan, 'I' can go handle her own business without concern."

"Hehe—exactly, 'I.' Being too lax isn't a good habit."

"Mm," Qian Huanyue covered her face, unable to keep watching. Even her tone turned muddled. "Anything is fine, as long as it's Kurumi."

Original Kurumi's brows twitched together slightly, and a cross-shaped vein faintly bulged at her temple.

"Ah~ don't think I won't recognize 'me' just because you changed into normal clothes."

"...Ah." The Kurumi clones really were a little intimidated by the original. Seeing through their disguise, the Kurumi Four Heavenly Kings stopped pretending.

The Astral Dresses on their bodies shifted from red and black into Astral Dresses of various styles.

It was still another episode that sent the original's blood pressure soaring.

The surrounding clones swiftly put some distance between themselves, as though they had encountered something filthy.

The Kurumi Four Heavenly Kings remained fierce and unwilling to back down.

They had not appeared for seventeen chapters!

If they didn't get any screen time soon, the author might forget them forever. They would become bottom-tier side characters, and from then on, it would always be the original's spotlight.

They absolutely did not want that!

Thinking this, the Kurumis exchanged determined looks. Eyepatch Kurumi spoke first. "Let us accompany Huanyue-chan this time. Doesn't 'I' have a lot of important matters to deal with recently?"

"Exactly, exactly." Bandage Kurumi lazily leaned against Qian Huanyue's other side. "Besides, it's been a long time since we went out with Huanyue-chan."

Sweet Loli Kurumi also squeezed over and hugged Qian Huanyue around the waist. "Huanyue-chan said anything is fine too!"

Goth Kurumi wore an incredibly cool expression. Like a shadow warrior voluntarily marching to her death, she pulled Huanyue in front of her protectively. "Leave the task of accompanying Huanyue-chan to 'me.'"

First-Meeting Kurumi had just brought a sliced fruit platter into the living room when she saw this scene. Her expression shifted in surprise. "Ah, what exactly are 'we' doing—?"

Surrounded by multiple Kurumis, Qian Huanyue felt as though Kurumi might ask something like, 'Who do you choose?' at any second. A thin layer of sweat appeared on her cheeks.

Why was she running into something like this?!

This was practically a death question!

Either choose them all, or choose none.

I don't have a harem. Shouldn't questions like this have nothing to do with me?!

Qian Huanyue wailed internally, feeling that choosing any one of them would offend the other four.

...I should run away later.

A pitiful expression appeared on Qian Huanyue's face. In any case, she would pretend to be pitiful first. For now, she should not say anything.

...Grrr.

How miserable.

"Ah." First-Meeting Kurumi set the fruit platter down on the small table with a bang, her expression solemn.

"I think it would be more appropriate for me to accompany Huanyue-chan."

"..." Several different gazes fixed on her. First-Meeting Kurumi showed no fear whatsoever, folding her arms and keeping a straight face.

"'I' really have been quite lax lately."

"Ah, have 'I'?" Original Kurumi narrowed her eyes halfway. Her aura was especially imposing, like a great demon king compared to the clones.

"'I' have always been doing nothing at home lately." Having grasped the situation, First-Meeting Kurumi voiced similar criticism.

"Housework, ingredients, shopping..." First-Meeting Kurumi began listing them, then raised her eyes. "Wasn't I the one doing all of it?"

With every word First-Meeting Kurumi spoke, Original Kurumi's aura weakened another notch.

After doing so much housework while the original merely sat at home and enjoyed the fruits of her labor, First-Meeting Kurumi had no intention of indulging her anymore.

The scene fell silent. The other clones looked at one another, never expecting First-Meeting Kurumi, the one responsible for housework, to turn the tables on them.

Kurumi coughed lightly. "Now that you mention it... 'I' really have been handling all the daily affairs."

Original Kurumi was rarely left speechless, and a trace of guilt flashed through her mismatched eyes.

She truly had not personally dealt with these trivial matters in a long time.

Original Kurumi, KO.

"Ah—then 'I' shall go." The original personally gave this opportunity to First-Meeting Kurumi.

First-Meeting Kurumi paused slightly, then revealed a gentle smile. "Thank you for understanding, 'me.'"

The other clones all looked surprised. They had not expected the usually forceful original to yield on her own initiative.

"Ah?! Mm, great." Still somewhat dazed, Qian Huanyue reacted quickly.

Huanyue grabbed the other woman's hand. "[Seraph of Thousand Blades](Seraph of Thousand Blades)"

"Well then, goodbye, Kurumis~" After saying goodbye, Huanyue and First-Meeting Kurumi vanished in the blink of an eye.

Original Kurumi quietly watched this, feeling somewhat regretful.

As the original, she was relatively moderate, just like a human.

If she herself was not allowed to go, she definitely would not want to agree. But if one of those four embarrassing black-history versions went, she would rather send the slightly more innocent clone instead.

Qian Huanyue was strong enough. Aside from occasionally fighting a little foolishly and lacking vigilance, she had no problems.

Thankfully, it was not those four.

As for the Kurumi Four Heavenly Kings? No matter what, Original Kurumi would never want to yield to them.

Eyepatch Kurumi, Bandage Kurumi, Sweet Loli Kurumi, and Goth Kurumi exchanged glances, then sighed at the same time.

Watching the two leave, the remaining Kurumis looked at one another.

The Four Heavenly Kings had already accepted it. After all, they were Kurumi too. They knew the original was unlikely to let them go out, so their real goal from the beginning had actually been...

The other clones withdrew, returning to the red-packet shadows.

The remaining four—

Bandage Kurumi sprawled lazily across the sofa. "I never expected First-Meeting 'me' to be the final winner~"

Sweet Loli Kurumi skipped over in delight to grab fruit from the platter. "But having fruit to eat isn't bad either!"

Goth Kurumi sat down elegantly. "At least we don't need to fight anymore."

Eyepatch Kurumi chuckled as she stroked the white cat named Dog. "Ah, this is fine too."

Watching her clones relax so freely at home, the original let out a helpless sigh.

Forget it.

I'll let them come out and get some air, Kurumi thought.

She really had not let them out in a long time.

Kurumi Tokisaki had recently taken an interest in a human.

—Shiori Itsuka.

The woman who was very close to Huanyue and possessed the ability to seal Spirits.