"From today, your name is Nagao Kanao. Welcome to being my daughter."
A few days ago, Akira gave his surname to the nameless girl.
It was a declaration to erase her unfortunate and miserable past and accept her as the youngest in this bizarre yet warm family.
Of course, the surname Nagao was that of Kagatora, who had not yet been summoned and might someday be summoned, and was Akira's fake surname.
And now. Kanao was sitting on the living room sofa in a white dress tailored by Tamamo, blankly watching the surreal scene unfolding before her eyes.
"Kanao, your hair is a bit tangled. Shall Dad comb it for you?"
Akira approached with a comb. His hands, having never raised a daughter, were rough but cautious.
At that moment, Nagao Mitsuri came running with her cherry blossom-colored hair flowing.
"Akira-san~! I'll do it, I will!"
Mitsuri naturally hugged Akira from behind and rubbed her cheek against him.
"Kyaa~ Our husband, seeing you play the dad role is totally cool!"
"Mitsuri, I can't breathe. Ease up a bit."
"Aww~ Don't be shy. Kanao, Dad and Mom will make you pretty together~?"
Mitsuri spoke casually, exuding the overflowing aura of a newlywed couple.
But there were senior lovers who had spent nights with Akira for years and couldn't bear to watch this scene.
"Tsk, tsk. Rolling stone displaces the fixed stone, they say. Engaging in affection play in broad daylight, I'm worried about Master's dignity."
With the elegant sound of a fan, Tamamo slipped in. Her fox ears were twitching, expressing displeasure.
"Master? Of course, I acknowledge that Mitsuri-san has become the surface mistress. But… you haven't forgotten that my experience in nighttime service is much superior, have you? You said you'd only let me groom your tail."
"That's right. The legal wife is supposed to be me, you know. Right? Husband."
From the other side, Kiyohime appeared with blue flames in her eyes and tightly wrapped around Akira's arm.
"Husband. What's important about a legal piece of paper? What matters is the depth and time of love. I've been chasing Akira-sama for so long… Why are you giving Mitsuri-san special treatment?"
Kiyohime looked up at Akira with a clingy gaze.
"If you try to be happy without me… I might spit fire out of sadness? Let's burn together, us♡"
"No, wait a minute! Everyone, calm down! Mitsuri just became family, and you all are── Aah! Kiyohime, put out the fire! My clothes are burning!"
Akira screamed between the jealousy of his old lovers and the affection offensive of his new bride. This wasn't a scream of happiness, but a scream for survival.
Amidst that chaos, the other members of the household calmly passed by, doing their own things.
"Gao~! Found it, woof!"
Tamamo Cat ran on four legs and placed a giant carrot on Kanao's lap.
"Little human! You need to eat to become strong! It's Cat's specially grown carrot, woof! Chew it up with the skin on, crunch crunch!"
"I said don't make a ruckus and disturb her, woof!"
Benienma came and scolded Tamamo, Kiyohime, and Cat. Her pronunciation was slurred due to a short tongue, but her expression was strict.
"Sorry, Kanao. Here, have this. It's a yokan that's easy to digest."
And so, the three were caught and dragged away by Benienma. A little later, the servants brought tea.
Mukago watched Kanao's reaction.
"You're not scared of me, right? I'm a demon, but I'm nice. My horns aren't even sharp. So, when you grow up, don't cut me down or anything, okay? Hmm? We're friends, right?"
Mukago smiled obsequiously as she held out a castella, as if trying to get life insurance in advance from Kanao, who might become a swordsman like the Kocho sisters in the future.
Behind her stood a pale-skinned beauty, Ubume, like a shadow. She was stronger than Mukago, having fed on Akira's blood and humans, and possessed power comparable to the Upper Ranks of the Lower Moons, but.
Now, she was just a servant of this house, same as Mukago. As if she had no complaints about it, her twisted desire to even hurt her own children to receive sympathy and feel pleasure had been restrained by Akira, making her docile.
No, it seemed that such aspects had been completely erased. She wasn't emotionless, but something important had been severed, making her resemble a doll.
"…Tea. Please drink."
Ubume placed the teacup down without expression. Her empty eyes met Kanao's empty eyes.
Though no words were spoken, a strange sense of similarity flowed between the two dolls. Ubume silently straightened Kanao's disheveled collar and then quietly withdrew like a shadow.
And Tsubaki, the only human servant, watched them with a pleased smile.
"Miss Kanao, if you need anything, ring the bell anytime. I'll come running immediately."
Eventually, Akira dragged his tattered body and escaped the living room, where another catfight might break out at any moment, taking refuge in the reception room.
"Haa… I'm exhausted. I can't handle the Servants, and with Mitsuri joining in, I have no energy left."
He blankly looked up at the ceiling. Then, a soft voice was heard along with a faint floral scent.
"You look very tired, Akira-san?"
It was Kocho Kanae. She smiled and sat next to Akira. She brought something to drink. Of course, it was blood for Akira only.
"Ah, Kanae. Thank you. You're a lifesaver."
As Akira sighed, Kanae naturally leaned over and rested her head on Akira's shoulder with a thud.
"…?"
When Akira looked at her with puzzled eyes, Kanae smiled calmly.
"I'm a bit tired. Lend me your broad shoulder for a moment, Akira-san."
"Ah, yes. Well, that's fine."
Akira gave up his shoulder without much thought. But Kanae's inner thoughts were different.
'Really... he has no clue.'
A man who, despite being a demon, is warmer than humans. Even though he's now Mitsuri's husband on the surface, Kanae couldn't let go of her feelings for him.
Just sharing warmth under the pretext of family was the best appeal she could make.
And outside the door, watching that scene, Kocho Shinobu's brow furrowed.
'What. Why are they sticking so close together? And the weather's hot too.'
Shinobu fanned her face with a fan and grumbled. Seeing her sister leaning on Akira strangely upset her stomach.
This feeling that seemed like anger, yet also seemed like disappointment.
"Hmph, slacking off, are we? Getting lost in being a dad."
Shinobu deliberately approached with a sulky expression, striding over.
"Akira-san! What are you doing here? Kanao is looking for you!"
"Huh? Kanao is? Alright, I'll go."
As Akira jumped up, Kanae seemed disappointed and licked her lips. Shinobu pushed Akira's back with pats and urged him.
"Hurry and go. Making your daughter wait is unacceptable."
"I got it, why are you getting angry?"
"I'm not angry? It's just hot, hot!"
Shinobu briefly grabbed and let go of Akira's hem, regretting his departure. It was the jealousy of a small butterfly who hadn't realized her own feelings.
And in the shade of the garden veranda, two heroic spirits were watching all this.
"Look at that, you murderer. That's exactly what a bloodbath is. Isn't our Master's future heading for a nice boat, share the ending?"
Nobu laughed while eating senbei.
"That's right, Nobu. Popular men have it tough, you know."
Okita was also in spectator mode, eating dango with an indifferent face.
"Do you think Mitsuri will go to the bedroom tonight too?"
"Wasn't it Ushiwaka-san's turn today?"
"Can you even keep track of the order now? And Benienma, that one is subtly jealous too. She looks like a kid, but she's a princess much older than us."
"Ah~ That's right, she's the adopted daughter of King Enma. I always forget. Master probably refused because of her appearance, but ended up being raped."
"Since he didn't use a Command Spell, Master is pretty messed up too. In this regard, he's quite the pervert."
Then, Nobunaga, clenching her fist, sticks her thumb between her index and middle fingers.
"Assuming Mitsuri-san joins in too. Tonight, 5p call?"
"Call."
After all, they were also women of this house. Akira, who was going to Kanao, felt an inexplicable chill.
Back in the living room. Akira sat in front of Kanao.
"Kanao, did you call?"
In fact, it was Shinobu's lie, so Kanao hadn't called. But as soon as Kanao saw Akira, she held out something she was holding. It was the yokan that Benienma had given her.
"Dad... have this."
A voice as small as a mosquito. But it was clear pronunciation. It was the first time Kanao expressed her desire to give to this warm dad who saved her, rather than eating it herself.
Akira's eyes widened. On top of choosing to give something first, being called "dad".
He, who had lived about 70 years including his past life. During that time, he had had lovers, but no children.
He had taken in the Kocho sisters when they were young, but they felt more like nieces than daughters. After all, he had known their parents.
But Kanao was different. An orphan abandoned by her parents from the start. As a foundling, Akira had taken her in, fully assuming the role of father.
He took the yokan and hugged Kanao tightly.
"Thank you, Kanao. It's really delicious. The most delicious in the world."
While hugging Kanao, Akira shed a few tears without realizing it.
The human heart he had preserved while living as a demon. To him, who desired family, meeting a child who recognized him as a father felt like receiving compensation for the past years.
In Akira's embrace, Kanao placed her hand on her left chest.
Thump, thump, thump.
Seeing Dad's smiling face made her chest tickle. Mitsuri Mom's lively hug, the jealousy-filled commotion from Tamamo and Kiyohime sisters, the consideration from Mukago, Ubume, and Tsubaki, Benienma's delicious snack.
In this noisy daily life mixed with all of that, Kanao's heart finally began to beat at its own pace.