Only three days remained until the new Radiant Ten Stars selection tournament...
The seaside of Sicily City still basked in brilliant sunshine, the sea breeze gentle and warm.
What had changed was the lack of spirit in the girls of all kinds who usually gathered here.
"Alpha, it’s been almost a week since we last saw Ryosuke… Is he really alright?" Alice sat on the sand with her legs stretched out. Beside her, a lovely black-haired loli sat quietly, chin resting on her palm as she watched the tide rise and fall.
"It’s fine. Because… I can still sense Master’s scent nearby." Alpha turned her head and smiled softly.
"Are you sure it’s okay not to look for him?" Alice’s face remained clouded with worry.
Alpha shook her head gently and lifted her gaze toward the distant shore. "Master must be handling something important. We just need to wait."
A tender smile curved Alpha’s lips—a smile so radiant it dimmed the seamless horizon where sea met sky.
"But… the Radiant Ten Stars selection is so close! Will Ryosuke-nii-san be ready?" Bell stood behind Alpha, blinking her large eyes. Behind her, an orange-haired girl with short hair wrapped her arms around Bell’s small frame.
—Neruru.
"Don’t worry, Bell. Lord Ryosuke will be fine. We should just follow Alpha’s lead and wait," Neruru soothed the little loli in her arms, though concern still flickered in her own eyes.
"Stop overthinking it. He might not even enter the Radiant Ten Stars selection…" Xier murmured, head bowed, her expression unreadable.
"Speaking of which, where’s Miss Kozi? I haven’t seen her all day." Xier pouted slightly, still keeping her gaze lowered.
"Yeah! I didn’t even notice Kozi-nee wasn’t here until Xier-nee mentioned it…" Bell whined.
Neruru couldn’t help but stroke Bell’s silky hair, teasing gently, "Well, our Bell only has eyes for a certain someone. Of course she didn’t notice Kozi-nee!"
"Nee-san! You’re saying that when you’re the same!" Bell shot back instantly, making Neruru’s face flush crimson.
"Don’t say such silly things…" Neruru lowered her head, falling silent.
The other girls exchanged bitter smiles in their hearts.
Why did everyone orbit around him? As if he were the center of the universe.
Without him, life felt incomplete.
"Anyway, I’ll head back first." Saori rose gracefully from the rocks, her elegant figure fully revealed.
Questioning glances turned toward her.
"As last year’s Radiant Ten Star and Enlightenment Class homeroom teacher, I’ve been absent too long. I need to help prepare for this year’s selection." Saori smiled, leaping down from the rock.
"Miss, I’ll go with you…" Xier hurried to her feet. Saori nodded.
In the distance, a noblewoman had already prepared a carriage, waving toward the girls.
"Neruru, Bell, time to go home!" Saori called up to the woman with a bright smile.
"Madam Corulu, would this humble girl have the honor of sharing your carriage?"
The woman called Corulu returned a kind smile.
"The honor is mine."
Though Bell wailed and protested, Neruru finally carried her off and tucked her into the carriage.
"Now now, Bell must be good!" Madam Corulu patted Bell’s hair gently. Bell huffed and buried her face without another word.
After Saori and Xier boarded, Madam Corulu called out to the two remaining girls:
"When little Ryosuke returns, tell him to visit us in the Imperial Capital! The Kempfa family’s doors will always welcome him!"
Then, to the rhythmic calls of the coachman, the carriage slowly vanished from Alpha and Alice’s sight.
No one had invited the golden-haired and black-haired lolis to join. They all knew…
Anyone might leave. But these two?
They would never leave.
Because…
It was a promise made from the very beginning.
No matter what—absolutely, positively—
They would bring back that final trace of silver.
The Kempfa "Troublesome Trio Salad"
Would be incomplete without any one of its colors.
Sicily City’s secluded cove, shielded by jagged rocks, now held only two intertwined silhouettes.
"It’s just us now, Alpha…" Alice clasped Alpha’s hand tightly. Their small palms overlapped, eyes mirroring the same quiet smile.
They waited still.
For the return of the "Troublesome Silver Demon King"…
High on the cliff overlooking the sea, figures began to emerge from the Forest of Corridors.
Had Saori’s group seen them, they would have gasped in shock.
For Kozi stood among them.
"Second Prince, the moment is ripe." A man in gray robes bowed respectfully to a handsome young man standing nearby, hands clasped behind his back.
"Hmph. Seems my third sister occasionally does something useful." The young man’s lips curled slightly as he raised his hand to give the order.
A petite girl suddenly grabbed his wrist.
—The "Serpent," Luo Hua October Fragrance, third-ranked among the Radiant Ten Stars.
The young man turned to Kozi, flashing a charming smile. "Luo Hua? What is it?"
Hearing his gentle voice, Kozi shuddered. She slowly released his wrist, head dipping low, ears flushed crimson.
"P-please… don’t hurt them… or…"
The young man shook his head with a bitter smile, his thumb stroking Kozi’s cheek.
"Or what?"
Kozi trembled as if recalling a deep terror.
"O-or… he won’t forgive us!"
The young man pulled Kozi gently into his embrace. She didn’t resist, resting obediently against his warm chest.
"Relax. No one can harm us. And he might never even know it was us… right?"
Kozi kept her head down, whispering faintly,
"I hope so…"
A flicker of contempt flashed in the young man’s eyes before his warm smile returned.
"I’m sorry, Luo Hua. Forcing you to endure that filthy old man all these years… it must have been hard."
"N-no! It wasn’t like that! Second Prince, please don’t worry—I chose this willingly…"
"Luo Hua…" The young man held her tighter, his tenderness enough to melt any maiden’s heart.
At that moment, his right hand snapped down. Ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. Dozens of shadows leapt from the cliff’s edge.
"Dear brother… look forward to the gift from your most devoted younger brother…"
The young man murmured to himself, his breathtakingly handsome face breaking into another smile.
A smile—
Warm as the newborn sun…
