Yoroizuka Mei belonged to a branch family of the Yoroizuka family. Traditionally, her family served as secretaries for the head family, also acting as lawyers and accountants, making them a crucial part of the family’s support system.

Among them, Mei was said to be the most skilled in history. A fearsome lawyer who could secure acquittals even in murder cases that happened before the very eyes of other people and notorious for crafting contracts that stripped her opponents down to the bone. Indeed, her reputation matched the reality.

Yet this extraordinary Mei was, in fact, a young girl. Mei slowly opened her eyes as her drowsy consciousness began to stir.

Her body felt stiff against the somewhat firm mattress. In front of her was a transparent glass panel, which began to slowly open with a hissing sound as the air escaped, matching her awakening.

“Fwaah~ Good morrrning.” 

She yawned, propping her tiny hands on the edge of the capsule. Climbing out with effort, she set her feet on the cold floor, shivering as the chill sent a tremor through her small frame and made her go ‘uhya!’.

She took in her surroundings while rubbing her sleepy eyes. The stark, white room was utterly barren, save for the time-stasis capsule she had been sleeping in.

Beyond a glass window set into the wall, several individuals in lab coats gawked in shock. The next moment, their expressions turned to astonishment as they hurriedly unlocked the door to the room.

The electronic sound of a beep echoed, and the door slid open as the flustered lab-coated personnel rushed inside.

“Mei-sama?! Why are you awake? This wasn’t scheduled! We’ve received no word from Run-sama!”

Their surprise was justified. Over the past 1,200 years, Mei had only awakened at critical turning points of destiny, typically for about ten days at a time. This averaged to roughly one day every century.

For some reason, however, she had awakened several times in the past six months, though the total time still didn’t exceed a month. Additionally, the timing of her awakenings was strictly dictated by her mother.

“Ahem, it’s a secret from Mother, but I sensed a destiny-altering moment-deshu.” (Mei)

“A destiny-altering moment?! Could you elaborate?”

Their faces turned grave. This must have been a turning point they hadn’t heard of from Mother.

This destiny was indeed of great importance to Mei.

Why? Because it was about a branching point of whether she could go to a sweets buffet!

“About that… Eii~!” (Mei)

[The fate where no one notices Mei woke up.]

Mei grabbed one of the countless threads of destiny hanging in the air with a swift motion. As soon as she seized it, a sound like a wind chime resonated, and the world seemed to waver.

“Oh, what were we talking about again? Ah, yes, the upcoming golf tournament.”

“I heard you broke an 80 average without a handicap. Is that true?”

The moment the lab-coated individuals heard the chime-like sound, their expressions became blank. They stumbled out of the room and resumed monitoring as if nothing had happened.

Mei watched this unfold and giggled, placing a hand over her mouth. 

(Looks like it worked-deshu.) (Mei)

“This is Mei’s little secret from Mother-deshu deshu! It’s something very important for me, after all.” (Mei)

Mei only awakened during pivotal moments of destiny, carefully selecting the right threads of fate. Her mother would praise her efforts, patting her head with affection. A joy Mei treasured.

But the military rations she was fed were another story. They lacked flavor, catering only to calories, because the currently active demons restricted their powers and, as a result, couldn’t taste. Mei, however, had no such restrictions, so she found the flavorless meals unbearable.

Thus, this was her secret mission.

“This is my secret obento-na no deshu! Now, let’s go~!” (Mei)

The young girl exhaled vigorously, changed into casual clothes, and quietly slipped out of the room. She probably confused operation with obento, but the little girl didn’t notice, so she wasn’t bothered by it.

Even the tight security couldn’t hinder Mei. No matter how complex the locks, for her, they might as well have been open doors. With a few casual taps, she “accidentally” deactivated everything.

“Gotta sneak through, gotta sneak through.” (Mei)

Peeking out from the shadows of a hallway, she saw numerous demon soldiers in twisted black armor patrolling the corridors. And so, Mei, who was in the middle of a secret obento, stealthily passed by from behind.

She crouched low and crept along, hiding herself.

“Huh? Mei-sama? Why… No, it must have been my imagination.”

She was noticed every time even though she was walking stealthily. Each time, she used threads of destiny to cover her tracks, perplexed as to why she kept being detected. She continued toward the elevator that led outside.

Just as she reached the elevator…

“Oh? Mei-sama-ssu ka! What are you doing here?”

A familiar, cheerful voice made her freeze. Turning stiffly, she saw three girls: Kuuko, Shis, and Ato. They appeared to have been training, they were dressed in rough attire.

“Beep beep-deshu deshu! Mei? Who’s that-deshu ka? I’m not Mei-deshu yo!” (Mei)

Mei tried to whistle but couldn’t, instead blowing air through her lips. She tried to play the fool to deceive them. She even twirled like a ballerina.

“Oh, Mei-sama is always so adorable-ssu ne!” (Kuuko)

“Absolutely! I should’ve brought my camera! Or no, I’ll record this! Wait for a bit. Aah, I should have prepared the best camera!” (Shis)

Kuuko and Shis gazed at her with sparkling eyes. Embarrassed but pleased, Mei spun more for them. The two of them clapped after seeing this, but Ato coughed and stopped the little girl dance that felt unending. 

“What’s the matter, Mei-sama? Run-sama gave no instructions about today. This isn’t one of your designated awakening days, is it?” (Ato)

Mei flinched at Ato’s serious tone. Unlike others, these three were her retainers, so they were immune to the threads of destiny.

And so, she swallowed hard, and made a serious face, her watery eyes pleading. The pleading of a little girl that would cry if rejected.

“Actually… I’m on my way to a sweets buffet-na no deshu! It’s a dream-like party-na no deshu yo!” (Mei)

The three girls exchanged glances, hesitating briefly at her honest answer.

“A sweets buffet, huh? Mei’s at that age, I guess. I like sweets too.” 

“Parties are always nice.” 

“Considering her usual lifestyle, it shouldn’t be an issue.”

Hearing their positive responses, Mei’s face lit up with a dazzling smile. The brilliance softened their expressions, leaving them utterly charmed.

“Yay! Then I’m off-deshu~!” (Mei)

Mei, overjoyed, hopped up but was promptly grabbed by the collar. She turned to see Ato smiling wryly.

“We’ll accompany you, Mei-sama.”

“Oh, thank you~!” (Mei)

“Leave it to us!”

“We’ll protect you no matter what……”

She was super happy about how she could now unexpectedly go with those 3. Mei hummed a cheerful tune as they entered the elevator and ascended.

“Sweets buffets apparently have things like cake-deshu yo! I’ll have to be careful not to let my cheeks fall off!” (Mei)

“Oh, that sounds serious-ssu ne! In that case, you should hold your cheeks while you eat the cake-ssu yo.”

“Fumu fumu, that’s good advice-deshu! That way, I can eat as much as I want!” (Mei)

Mei nodded enthusiastically and thought she’d better jot down Kuuko’s advice.

“But where is this sweets buffet? At a Yoroizuka family hotel, perhaps?” 

“Ah, now that you mention it, that’s true. Since Mei-sama is going out to eat, we must choose a delicious sweets buffet. Mei-sama, which buffet are you planning to visit?”

“About that~ Ufufu, what should I do~? Should I tell you or not~?” (Mei)

Mei giggled mischievously, swaying her body side to side. She was at an age where keeping secrets was especially fun.

“Eeh, come on, tell us~.”

As the elevator chimed and came to a stop, they stepped out, continuing their cheerful chatter, when…

“Oh my, isn’t this Mei-sama?”

Mei turned in surprise at the sound of a mysterious adult woman’s voice. 

Three women with voluptuous figures and elegant yet alluring appearances were walking toward them from the front. Mei recognized them all.

Each wore a lavish dress as if attending a grand party, adorned with glittering jewels.

“Beep-beep, I’m not Mei-deshu yo. I have no idea what you’re talking about-deshu.” (Mei)

The three women were Mother’s subordinates, so Mei’s threads of fate didn’t work on them either. That meant she had no choice but to bluff her way out.

However, the women brought their hands elegantly to their cheeks, casting icy glares in her direction.

“Judging by your demeanor, you woke up on your own, didn’t you? Oh dear, that’s not allowed, Mei-sama. You’re only permitted to wake when Run-sama commands it. You must remain asleep at all other times. Now, let us escort you back to your bed.”

“S-Sweets buffet…” (Mei)

Their stern words intimidated her. Mei fiddled nervously with her fingers, shyly pleading in a small voice, but…

“No. Once the demon’s world comes, you’ll have all the freedom you desire. Until then, you must obey Mother’s instructions.”

Their tone made it clear they wouldn’t budge. Mei drooped, dejected. She was just a frail little girl against those not connected by fate.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she resigned herself to the day being a failure. But then, the trio who accompanied Mei stepped forward to shield her.

“Hey now, isn’t it fine to let her go out once in a while-ssu ka ne?”

“Everyone needs a break sometimes.”

“Exactly. And what gives you the right to intimidate Mei-sama? Such disrespect!” 

Kuuko and the others cracked their knuckles, flashing bold, challenging grins. The three women crossed their arms, and glared back in response.

“Oh my, do you mean to test the difference in our strength here?”

“It can’t be helped. Let’s see how they look when crying and groveling.”

“Fufufu, I’ll tear off their limbs.”

Both sides exchanged hostile smirks as waves of mana began filling the corridor, causing the air to crackle and tremble.

“Alright, we’ll take care of these three for you, so go on ahead-ssu!”

“Enjoy the sweets buffet!”

“Now, quickly!”

Mei nodded firmly, encouraged by their smiles.

“Got it! I’m off-deshu!” (Mei)

With the cheers of her companions behind her, Mei dashed off with tiny steps, aiming for her destination —the sweets buffet!

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