After Yutsuki left, Shido led Mukuro to Kotori's room and had her sit in front of the dressing mirror.
"Then Mukuro, I'm taking off your hair ribbons."
"Mhm, I leave it to Nushi-sama."
Getting Mukuro's permission, Shido walked behind her and untied her hair buns.
—Whoosh!
Like a waterfall falling from the sky, golden strands of hair cascaded to the floor. The morning sunlight shone on it, sparkling beautifully like jewels.
"So pretty."
Shido couldn't help but praise. To this, Mukuro showed a proud expression.
"Of course, this hair is Muku's proudest treasure."
"I see."
While replying with a smile, Shido secretly sighed in relief. Thank goodness he didn't suggest Mukuro cut her hair earlier, otherwise he would have definitely stepped on a landmine.
"So, what style should we go for? A ponytail is fine, and twin tails would probably suit you too. Do you have any requests, Mukuro?"
"Phew..."
Tilting her head cutely, Mukuro looked at herself in the mirror, thought for a mont, and said.
"Then, please tie Muku's hair into a three-strand braid to keep it from getting ssy."
"Got it, leave it to ."
Shido nodded. He lifted a bunch of blonde hair, picked up a comb, and started combing carefully.
(Incredibly smooth.)
Shido sighed inwardly. Even though Mukuro's hair was so long, he didn't find any tangles while combing it. It felt as smooth as running water to the touch, as if it would slip through his fingers if he wasn't careful.
Although Tohka and the others also took great care of their hair, he had to admit that Mukuro's hair was probably the most beautiful he had ever seen.
"Phew... Nushi-sama's way of combing hair is very gentle, Muku is very fond of it."
Mukuro squinted her eyes in enjoynt.
"Well, I've helped comb my little sister's hair a lot since we were young."
"I see."
Shido explained. Since being taken in by the Itsuka family, he was often asked by Kotori to help comb her hair. Although Kotori learned to comb her own hair after entering middle school, Shido still had so experience in combing a girl's hair.
He took out three strands of long hair and carefully tied them into a braid. Later, Shido tied the remaining part into the sa buns as before. How to put it, it felt like this was Mukuro's trademark.
"Alright, done."
Hearing Shido's voice, Mukuro checked her hairstyle in the mirror, then nodded in satisfaction.
"Phew, Muku is very satisfied. As expected of Nushi-sama."
"I am honored by your praise."
Shido bowed slightly and answered jokingly.
However, even though it was tied into a braid, Mukuro's hair was still long enough to drag on the floor. So Mukuro had an idea and wrapped her hair around her neck like a scarf.
At the sa ti, the music indicating an increase in affection played in the earpiece.
With the hair issue solved, the next thing was clothes. After asking for Kotori's permission through the earpiece, Shido opened the wardrobe to find suitable casual clothes for Mukuro to go out in.
However—
"Nushi-sama, these clothes do not fit. Muku's chest feels very tight."
Pointing at the buttons on the chest that couldn't be closed, Mukuro said with a troubled face.
"..."
A silent voice ca through the earpiece. Although silent and voice obviously don't go together, it was very fitting for the current situation. Shido could feel his sister suppressing so unspeakable emotion.
"Ahem—I'm not asking you to put them on directly. You can just use Spirit power to recreate the style you see."
Hearing Shido's words, Mukuro clapped her hands in realization.
"Oh, Muku understands."
Then, Mukuro took off Kotori's clothes, putting them aside, and used her Spirit power to create clothes with the sa style as Kotori's—but in a size that fit Mukuro's body perfectly.
By the way, while changing clothes, Mukuro canceled her Astral Dress and didn't care at all about showing her naked body to Shido. Her freed breasts jiggled like two full water balloons, making Kotori, who was the sa age, watch with deep envy.
However, out of courtesy and common sense, when Mukuro was changing, Shido consciously turned around to face away from her. The images shown on the Fraxinus EX were also censored with holy light and dark shadows by Maria and Marina, causing a wave of complaints from the male crew mbers on the bridge.
[Hmph—n.]
Hearing Kotori's quiet complaint, Shido couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
"Let's get going then, my lady."
When Mukuro finished changing, Shido politely took Mukuro's hand like a butler.
"Mhm."
Mukuro nodded very happily.
——————————
About six hours passed since then.
It had to be said, this was probably the smoothest date Shido had ever had with the goal of conquering a Spirit.
The route of the date was also very classic. First, they strolled through the shopping district, going into any shop that caught their eye. They had lunch at a restaurant at noon, and in the afternoon, they went to a museum Mukuro was interested in. Mukuro's mood was very high the whole way.
At the sa ti, Shido also got a clear idea of Hoshimiya Mukuro's likes. She preferred quiet places to noisy ones, Japanese food to Western food, and liked accessories with a traditional style.
So, before leaving the museum, Shido bought a folding fan with gold drawings at a souvenir shop and gave it to Mukuro.
"Thank you, Nushi-sama. Muku will cherish it."
Playing with the folding fan in her hand, Mukuro showed a happy smile.
[Her affection went up again. Good job, Shido! You've finally beco a qualified playboy.]
(...I can't feel happy about that at all.)
Hearing Kotori's teasing in the earpiece, Shido thought helplessly.
Honestly, always being in exaggerated situations where not increasing a Spirit's affection would lead to the world's destruction, no matter how dense Shido was, he would still learn so tricks to make the other person happy on a date.
(Well, in a way, it's also a kind of growth.)
Shido convinced himself this way. After all, if he could smoothly seal a Spirit while ensuring his own safety, everyone wouldn't have to carry extra psychological pressure worrying about him.
It was 7 PM. The winter sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the night sky hung above.
After visiting all sorts of interesting places, Mukuro let out a breath of satisfaction. She went to a park with Shido, found a clean bench, and sat down to rest her feet.
[Shido, her affection has reached the level where sealing is possible. Find the right mont and ask Mukuro about sealing her Spirit power.]
"Mhm... got it..."
Nodding gently, Shido turned his gaze to Mukuro, who was happily humming a song.
But honestly, Shido still had a little bit of hesitation in his heart.
Through their interactions today, Mukuro gave Shido a very good impression. She was well-behaved and sensible, and very cute when she acted spoiled. Even among the Spirits, Mukuro was a little angel on the sa level as Yoshino.
But precisely because of this, Shido felt confused. What exactly happened? What would make such a sensible girl use an Angel to lock away her emotions and exile herself to that lonely universe?
(Should I ask Mukuro about this?)
Shido pressed his lips tightly together. He had a feeling that if he asked this question, all his efforts today would be ruined.
"Phew, what is wrong, Nushi-sama?"
Noticing Shido's expression, Mukuro asked curiously.
"Mukuro, I have sothing to tell you. Do you rember what I said about sealing your Spirit power when we first t...?"
Letting out a slow breath, Shido finally decided to follow Kotori's orders and ask Mukuro to seal her Spirit power. As for the reason she sealed her emotions, it wouldn't be too late to figure it out after everything was settled.
"Nushi-sama? Do you like Muku?"
After patiently listening to Shido's request, Mukuro asked in a serious tone.
"Yeah, I like you, Mukuro. I want to protect you."
Shido nodded and answered. Mukuro was clearly very satisfied with this answer. She opened the folding fan to cover her smile and kicked her little feet happily.
Leaning slightly, Mukuro stared at Shido's face and confessed softly.
"Muku also likes Nushi-sama. Muku has fallen for you, Shido."
Seeing this, Shido couldn't help but hold his breath. Even though she was so petite, her face was unexpectedly enchanting.
"Mhm... although Muku is slightly uneasy about losing her Spirit power, if Nushi-sama is willing to protect Muku, then it is not impossible."
"Really?!"
Seeing Mukuro nod, Shido couldn't help but show a pleasantly surprised expression, and the tense string in his heart relaxed slightly.
However, right at that mont, Mukuro suddenly changed the subject.
"—However, Nushi-sama must swear that after making a contract with Muku, you will not see those many won from yesterday ever again."
"Yeah, I kno—eh?"
He almost nodded in agreent following the mood, but suddenly noticing the concerning part in Mukuro's words, Shido let out a confused sound.
"Wh-why make this vow?"
"What is so strange about it?" Seeing Shido's reaction, Mukuro tilted her head in confusion and said, "Nushi-sama likes Muku, and Muku also likes Nushi-sama. Then it is fine for Nushi-sama to do whatever he wants to Muku. But if other won step between us, wouldn't that be weird?"
"..."
The reasoning was too correct, leaving Shido speechless for a mont.
Mukuro wasn't wrong at all. At least from her point of view, Shido had indeed expressed "love" and similar feelings to her. So, it was perfectly normal to want the person she was dating to keep a distance from other won.
But for Shido, this was impossible.
[Wait, Shido, why are you being convinced?]
"S-Sorry... I felt my conscience being condemned..."
Shido answered ashadly. Even if it was an unavoidable action to save the Spirits, it was still an undeniable fact that he maintained ambiguous relationships with multiple won. Although he already knew this, being pointed out so bluntly still gave Shido quite a shock.
[We can talk about that later. —Anyway, you can't make this promise. Even if you lie and successfully seal her Spirit power, things will probably be much worse when you are exposed later... Explain to her properly the difference between sealing and marriage, try to persuade her.]
"Mhm... I understand..."
In the end, fighting through his guilt, Shido rejected Mukuro's demand and began to explain his thoughts to her.
He wanted to save the Spirits.
He couldn't ignore Spirits in danger, so he couldn't swear to Mukuro.
At the sa ti, he hoped Mukuro could get along well with everyone.
By the way, when Mukuro roasted him with a completely innocent tone, asking, "Is Nushi-sama a playboy?", Shido almost sank right there.
"Phew... Nushi-sama's intentions, Muku fully understands."
After listening to Shido's explanation, Mukuro nodded in understanding.
"Eh?"
Because he didn't know what exactly Mukuro understood, Shido showed a confused expression. But Mukuro nodded as if she knew what to do and gave Shido a reassuring smile.
"Muku's Nushi-sama is truly a gentle person. Nushi-sama can relax, leave everything to Muku."
With that, Mukuro gently closed the folding fan and stood up from the bench.
"—Then, we shall part ways for tonight. Until we et again, Nushi-sama."
Leaving these words behind, Mukuro turned and walked towards the dark path.
"Wait, wait a minute, Mukuro!?"
He hurriedly tried to chase after Mukuro, but she obviously used Michael, and Shido quickly lost sight of her.
"What exactly... does that an?"
Shido muttered blankly. He didn't think Mukuro had accepted his thoughts. On the contrary, the slight hesitation lingering in his heart earlier was gradually turning into unease.
[But Shido, have you ever thought about what kind of person Mukuro would be after unlocking her heart?]
Yutsuki's question from before echoed in his mind. For so reason, Shido pressed his lips tightly together in bitterness.
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