A/N: (11/11) Tiny correction

After logging in, I decided to visit Elma-san who’s been alone for a while.

……What a cowardly excuse.

To regain calm and balance for my collapsing mental state, by taking advantage of Elma-san’s innocent and pure mind, I want to distract myself by playing house in this VRMMO.

「Elma-san」

「Wah! Onee-san is back! 」

Elma-san who was waiting patiently within the audience room in the old castle started flapping her little wings rapidly like a puppy waving her tail as she jumped into my bosom.

「Fufuh, were you doing good? 」

「Unn! After becoming like Onee-san, I don’t feel sleepy anymore, every day is super good! 」

Fumu, voice full of vitality and a wide smile that eases people, Elma-san must’ve been living happily after becoming a vampire.

Perhaps she gained some level and stats compared to before and she’s more energetic because of that.

In any case, after stroking her head, I decided to add something onto Elma-san’s mealtime.

「Nnn……kunn……mamaa……」

Clinging onto my chest, a lovely little vampire with an ecstatic expression.

By the way, it looks like she likes sucking blood from my breast the most.

Did it remind her of her deceased mother, or did I ranked up from a sister to a mother? Well, Elma-san is only a few days old if considering her rebirth as a vampire.

「Elma-san, remember that one time I talked about the person I like? 」

While I was pondering about anything to talk, Eriko suddenly came to mind.

「Mmmhmm, yeah. Onee-san was super flushed when she talked about it after all 」

「Actually, I’m planning to meet that person today. 」

「Hoeee!? Really!? 」

With eyes surprised to a dot, a jumping reaction that conveys Elma-san’s joy.

As if my happiness is hers, what a good girl full of empathy.

But, for some reason, her expression turned to a dark tension.

「Is it really just meeting her……? 」

Mu, she’s really sharp.

In front of Elma-san’s sharp senses, any half-assed attempts to fool her is seen through immediately.

「Sorry, I lied. I’m meeting her, and we’re having a fight, between both of us. 」

「I see……, why are you fighting if it’s someone you like……」

That question stabbed in my chest.

There’s no way to mend our relationship now. With like and dislikes, enemy and ally going all the wrong directions, there’s only a fight if I meet Eriko now.

Eriko is carrying true justice behind her, and is coming to judge the absolute evil that is me……, talking about evil, is Elma-san someone to be judged too?

「Ah, I thought of something good! We’re heading out right now but, Elma-san want to come too? 」

「Really? Even though I probably can’t do anything? 」

「No need to worry. It’s best that you just spectate without doing anything. I’m sure that person isn’t so justice hungry that she would do anything to a person that hasn’t done anything evil. 」

◆◆◆

For the time being, since I want to have everyone on the move, I headed towards Boss-san.

However, when I found him sitting at the canteen, he seemed a little strange.

「Kill you…… I won’t miss, I will definitely kill you……」

Even though my footsteps were loud, his concentration was amazing.

Wiping the dust off the barrel, and cleaning dirt from the bore of his rifle. It looks like he’s doing some maintenance work on it but, he was fully immersed, almost like a master craftsman.

「You sure are concentrated. 」

「Aah. RIO-sama, you’re back. 」

Even when I called him, he answered without turning back.

Unless he was doing something really important, Boss-san would’ve normally went into appeasing mode immediately. In other words, he must be doing something serious now.

「Is RIO-sama heading towards Dornad next? 」

Before I spoke again, he asked first.

「What is it, is there any trouble? 」

「Rather than a trouble, there was a little something that made it hard for me to go to that town. 」

Somehow, Boss-san had a melancholic expression looking like something was on his mind.

Well, no matter what reason he gives, I planned to have everyone go, so I will just take a seat and listen to what he has to say while he worked.

「A while back, when my predecessor was still around in the Dragneel Family, there was another faction 【Tiger Eye Family】 that we were warring against, their main base is in Dornad. Well, by the time when I took over, it became a truce though. 」

「Fumu, dragon and tiger……, but the names are a little different. 」

Well, well, this is some unexpected information that’s worth listening to.

I knew Boss-san who was the head of a family would have some idea about other families.

Since I was interested, I continued to listen.

「You say your predecessor was fighting them, but were they going all their way to disturb another family located in another town? 」

「No, they were originally the king in the entire Lawrence, their scale and darkness were much wider and deeper than Dragneel Family. But the adventurer’s guild……! They didn’t comply with the order of minimizing their scale and left to Dornad where the guild haven’t have influence over yet, was what they told me before they left. 」

「That’s why you were reluctant on going to Dornad, is it? 」

「Yeah. Their choice was right. I abided the guild’s orders to protect myself, if they saw this coward self, they are sure to laugh their ass off pointing fingers at the useless family head. 」

Leaving aside that he’s now following my orders, it will be an awkward situation if he reunites with the head of another organization he was hostile with.

Even if it meant it would be exciting content for the stream.

「Then let me give Boss-san who always worked hard a reward. I will remove that grudge in your place. 」

「Stop! Not that! 」

What’s the matter, why is he so resistant of my kind hearted offering.

I’m sure it isn’t just a few times he’s been shamed by that Tiger Eye Family, but to think he would disagree to my words, it’s strange.

「If we really encounter them there, please leave their boss to me. This alone I won’t yield, even if it’s RIO-sama. 」

As if pleading for his life, he begged for me to not interrupt them.

「It’s the head of an enemy family. So why are you so concerned about a direct face off……」

「No matter how bad our relationship was, with so many residents of Lawrence already gone, he’s one of the few people I know left. If RIO-sama wants him alive, then so be it, but I won’t say anything as long as I can be the one to finish him. This will be my only request for RIO-sama ever. 」

「It’s your wish to end him yourself, fumu, a human sure is an incomprehensible creature. 」

Rather than an enemy that is his nemesis, is he portraying the opponent as someone worthy to be his rival?

In this case, the closest person to a rival for me would be Jouna-san but, honestly speaking, she’s someone that I’m reluctant to fight again after winning against her one time.

Moreover, spare me from getting closer to a strange player that addresses herself as 「Boku」.

……However, there’s an unfortunate news for Boss-san.

「That family will never die off until I crush them! RIO-sama! Please let me know whenever the preparation is done! 」

「Sorry, I already took down Dornad a few days ago. 」

「Ghoooyeeeeeee!? Didn’t you go to check it out only, not destroy it!? 」

「It was already on the verge of collapse when I got there, I just made it collapsed on the way back.」

「Youuu, my resolveee. But I haven’t heard from them for a long time, I want to believe in the off chance……」

「I’ll permit you to check on them when we arrive. …… Still, thank you, what you said helped me get some of my troubles off my mind. 」

「He? 」

I realized through Boss-san.

Justice and evil, ally or enemy, it’s not like we have to be on bad terms just because we are on different factions.

Even if we’re enemies, even if we have to fight, it’s fine for me to continue loving Eriko until she responds.

Boss-san’s 「I want to believe」, the chance he believes in is what I want to believe too. Maybe, Eriko hasn’t come to hate me yet, I want to believe so.

Having said so, rather than finding her tomorrow, I should go meet her now and make up with her.

If she really can’t forgive me……, I don’t want to imagine that…….

After that, I gathered the kins in the courtyard to give them blood, train them in combat, and tried to transform them from yesteryear groaning zombies that only runs after the living to modern zombies that can even use firearms.

A/N: Setting-wise, it’s possible to have Elma-chan become an adult but, feels like I’m gonna get hit if I did that.

A/N: There’s no particular reason to do that, but I really want to (low voice)