After receiving the Authority, Fuyuhime was delighted and immediately wanted to try using it.
But tragically, she discovered that she could not activate it at all.
Akuto had clearly bestowed Authority upon her, yet because she lacked any aptitude for magical power, she was unable to drive it!?
The moment she realized that, Fuyuhime's eyes went utterly lifeless.
"I'm sorry, Akuto-sama. I'm useless. Even with the Authority you granted me, I still can't bring forth its power."
If the Fuyuhime who had learned she was being sent off in a political marriage had felt helpless and sorrowful, then the Fuyuhime of this moment felt only shame and desolation.
She had been given Authority and still could not use it. She really was... a person with no value at all.
...
Akuto could see exactly what Fuyuhime was thinking, and he merely smiled and shook his head.
Her reaction now was entirely within his expectations. More accurately, he had guided events so they would unfold in exactly this way.
Something like affection was not the sort of thing one could raise to the highest level all at once.
So Akuto had deliberately created a few emotional twists and turns, all for the sake of pushing Fuyuhime's feelings toward their peak as quickly as possible.
Seeing her cast into despair once more, Akuto knew the time had come. His tone grew a little more serious than before.
"Fuyuhime, in your eyes, am I really the sort of fool who would overlook something so obvious?"
"O-of course not! Akuto-sama, how could you think that?"
Fuyuhime denied it at once.
"Good. In that case, why would you think I don't know that the current you is incapable of using Authority?"
"Eh?!"
Fuyuhime jerked her head up, her golden eyes trembling without pause.
If Akuto was saying that... then that meant...!
"That's right. I have a way to make you use this power."
"It's just that you haven't yet reached that stage, so I didn't tell you for the time being."
"Bestowing Authority is one thing. Unlocking the sealed magical pathways within your body so you can truly wield that power is another."
"The reason I didn't tell you first was because I was afraid you wouldn't be able to accept it."
"But seeing how devastated you are now, I think it's better to tell you ahead of time."
Akuto fully indulged his instinct for emotional manipulation, pressing the golden-haired girl before him deeper into his rhythm.
After a pause, his tone turned even more meaningful.
"The reason I didn't say it in advance is because... if you want to awaken your magical power... you'll need to accept my infusion."
"I-infusion?"
"That's right. It requires an intimate union with me."
Akuto nodded and looked Fuyuhime's small, adorable body over from head to toe.
Under that gaze, she froze for a moment. Then her pale little face turned bright red in an instant, and even her delicate earlobes took on an enticing pink tint.
She was not an ignorant girl. Naturally, she understood the naked meaning hidden behind those words. Shame rose over her like a tide, almost making her wish she could find a crack in the ground and disappear into it.
Yet that shame lasted only a few short seconds.
She suddenly lifted her head. Though moisture and embarrassment still lingered in her eyes, what dominated them now was resolve and determination already fully formed.
Looking at Akuto's face from close range, her heart pounded wildly, but she spoke without the slightest hesitation.
"Akuto-sama, I'm willing. If it's for Akuto-sama, then no matter what it is, I'll do it."
As if to prove her resolve, or perhaps driven by sudden impulse, Fuyuhime rose onto her toes and quickly pressed a kiss, carrying a girl's faint sweet scent, to Akuto's cheek.
...
Touching the place she had kissed, Akuto laughed in complete satisfaction.
He understood that even if he asked for everything from her tonight, she would still accept him with gratitude and affection.
After Akuto's careful emotional steering, another beautiful girl stood ready to offer herself wholly into his hands.
"Good. There's no hurry with that for now. As long as you understand that I wasn't deliberately toying with you."
"How could that be? There's no way I'd suspect Akuto-sama of having such cruel intentions."
"Even if there truly were any problem, it would definitely be my problem, not Akuto-sama's."
The Fuyuhime who had been led so completely by his words was no longer the proud young lady from the original story who had dared challenge the harem king, Godou Kusanagi. She had become an absolute devotee who would no longer question any of Akuto's decisions.
"Is that so? Good, then."
Seeing her reaction, Akuto smiled in satisfaction.
"Fuyuhime, making people fear power without feeling gratitude is never enough. Only when they personally experience what it means to be conquered will they truly submit."
Akuto reached out, gently lifted Fuyuhime's pale chin, and softly stroked her smooth golden hair as he asked in a low voice,
"Fuyuhime, are you willing to become my sword and destroy every being that harbors disloyalty toward me?"
"Yes. Fuyuhime is willing."
"Akuto-sama's will is Fuyuhime's will."
Her voice had never been firmer.
Looking at the girl declaring her loyalty before him, Akuto knew that if he asked Fuyuhime to attend him in bed that very night, she would agree without hesitation.
And unlike the original version of her, who had only been driven by self-abandonment, this Fuyuhime would now hold the highest possible degree of loyalty and affection toward him.
At the thought that one day he might be able to have both Fuyuhime and Sakura together, Akuto felt his mood brighten considerably.
...
"Hm..."
[Akuto-kun, your skill at steering a girl's heart really is... immaculate. It's almost breathtaking.]
Given Sayanomiya Kaoru's intelligence and refined political instincts, she naturally saw through the fact that Akuto was manipulating Fuyuhime emotionally.
In just a few minutes, Fuyuhime had been completely led around by him, to the point where she looked ready to devote herself and offer up everything for Akuto's sake.
Still, Kaoru had to admit that watching it happen felt strangely satisfying too.
On the one hand, she felt that a state like Fuyuhime's was for the best. Falling for Akuto was better than leaving her to wallow in self-pity alone, wasn't it? Being willing to work for him was better than becoming a burden or obstacle, wasn't it?
On the other hand, Kaoru had confirmed one more thing through Fuyuhime.
If Akuto was preparing to make a move on Fuyuhime, then he was most likely planning to make a move on her as well.
At that moment, Kaoru was more grateful than ever that she had already made preparations on every front, just in case Akuto ever did turn his attention toward her and left her no time to get ready.
She was dressed today in a tailored dark gray women's suit with a matching skirt, paired with a simple white silk blouse and a slim black tie at the collar, making her look neat and capable. The fabric of the suit outlined the long, straight lines of her legs perfectly. Most eye-catching of all was the glimpse at her ankles beneath the hem, where one could faintly see an extremely thin layer of black sheer fabric with a skin-toned translucence.
That half-hidden sense of wrapping, paired with her crisp and heroic bearing, added a trace of indescribable sensuality and restrained temptation.
Kaoru was certain Akuto had noticed it too, because just moments ago she had caught him deliberately glancing at her more than once.
At that, she could not help but think that Japanese indoor footwear truly was a civilized invention. It allowed her to display her small private calculations before Akuto quite openly.
...
Meanwhile, on Fuyuhime's side...
Only after kissing Akuto did Fuyuhime realize what she had just done. She lowered her head at once in embarrassment, clutching the hem of her kimono tightly with both hands, almost wishing she could curl herself into a tiny ball.
Kaoru withdrew the teasing look on her face and became serious. She cleared her throat, then spoke in a formal tone.
"...All right, Akuto-kun. You can keep busy on your side while listening to my report. What I need to report is official business, but I trust that whether it's public matters or private ones, you'll handle both perfectly well."
After Akuto had quietly made his stance clear and the two of them had returned to the forms of address they used before, Kaoru had obviously already adjusted the place she assigned herself, even subtly advancing her own closeness with him.
She was, after all, quite satisfied with Akuto. Had he not become a Godslayer, she might even once have considered taking him in as a husband for the family.
Now, of course, that was no longer possible. But she could still accept becoming one member of Akuto's harem.
After all, this was a Godslayer.
Even as only one of the women in Akuto's circle, she could still continue fulfilling her responsibility as the future head of the Sayanomiya family just as she always had.
And if Kaoru were forced to choose, she could not think of a single person she knew who was more outstanding than Akuto.
Even setting aside the fact that he was now a Godslayer.
In short, after sorting through her own feelings, Kaoru was already able to look at Akuto with the eyes of someone regarding a future husband.
So if she felt a little jealous for the sake of that "future husband," that was only natural.
...
But what Akuto intended to do was plainly more excessive than Kaoru had imagined.
Right in front of her, Akuto bent down and lifted Fuyuhime by the waist. When he sat back on the sofa, he simply settled Fuyuhime directly onto his lap.
"All right, Kaoru, go ahead. You're right. I am the sort who can handle public and private matters at the same time."
As he spoke, one arm circled Fuyuhime's small body, while his other hand rested on her elegant white-socked foot, idly toying with it.
Though Fuyuhime was ashamed, she made no move to resist. On the contrary, she adjusted her posture so Akuto could hold her in the easiest and most comfortable way possible.
[He's doing it on purpose. Akuto-kun is definitely doing it on purpose.]
Once she realized that, Kaoru first felt a flare of irritation. Then, as though she had suddenly understood something, she regained her usual composure.
Clearly, Kaoru had already realized that Akuto was doing this specifically to make her jealous.
Then... why did he want her jealous?
Once she grasped that Akuto intended to win her over, and that he was even willing to use flirtation with other women as part of it, Kaoru's mood became unexpectedly bright. Bright enough that she could not help letting out a soft hum.
(End of Chapter)
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