At nine o'clock in the evening, little Loli Haibara finally returned home.
The moment she stepped inside and saw the scene in the living room, a wave of irritation washed over her.
Sitting between Eri and Ran, Akashi was nestled so snugly that there was absolutely no sense of personal space.
Unbelievable!
Of course, Mr. Shota had his own reasoning.
Absorbing Yin energy was twice as effective this way—so naturally, he had to take full advantage of it!
Upon noticing Haibara's return, Akashi quickly greeted her, lowering his voice.
"Why are you back so late?"
Haibara scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
"You should be thankful that I came back at all."
Her sharp tone didn't deter him, though.
Still, she answered:
"I was giving Conan some intel about the organization. That way, he won't be completely in the dark and start connecting us to it."
She crossed her arms.
"In exchange, he agreed to cooperate with me in collecting his blood samples."
As expected, she had stuck to the original course of events—disclosing just enough information while scaring Conan half to death in the process.
Akashi had no objections.
Letting Conan take the lead while he stayed in the shadows and struck from behind?
That sounded like a solid strategy.
"He did ask about you, though," Haibara added, watching him carefully. "Wanted to know if you were part of the organization."
"And what did you say?"
"I didn't tell him anything, of course. But he's definitely hostile toward you."
She shot him a pointed look.
"Not surprising, considering you stole his childhood sweetheart and brought you into her home."
Just as she finished speaking, Haibara caught movement out of the corner of her eye.
A figure was approaching.
Ran.
"What are you two whispering about?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.
At her arrival, the conversation about Conan and the organization came to an abrupt halt.
Ran beamed at Haibara.
"Ai-chan, you have no idea how good Akashi is to you."
She pouted dramatically.
"He even spent his own money to buy you a bunch of new clothes and shoes! And guess what? There was nothing for me!"
Her voice carried a hint of jealousy.
Akashi resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
This woman is unbelievable.
Who said I didn't buy anything for her?
She's the one who refused to go to the mall! And now she's complaining?
Haibara's cool blue eyes flicked toward him.
"Really?"
Without a word, Akashi took Haibara's small hand and led her to the room.
As he opened the closet, an array of neatly arranged outfits and accessories came into view.
Haibara's eyes widened.
The irritation she had felt moments ago vanished in an instant.
Her starry gaze softened as she looked at him.
The tsundere little Loli was clearly delighted—but of course, she refused to show it.
Instead, she let out a small huff.
"Well… not bad, my boyfriend."
Ran, who had followed them inside, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ai-chan, are you still playing house?"
Haibara didn't hesitate.
She latched onto Akashi's arm and declared:
"What do you mean 'playing house'? Akashi is my real boyfriend—my actual boyfriend!"
Ran's eyes widened.
"B-But you're still so young! You can't be in a relationship this early!"
Haibara smirked.
"Why not? Hmm? Ran~"
She leaned in slightly, lowering her voice.
"Or… is it because you like my Akashi too?"
One sentence.
That was all it took to throw Ran into a flustered panic.
Her face turned bright red as she stumbled over her words.
"I-I like— No, that's not— It's not like that! I—!"
The usually confident high school girl was utterly overwhelmed.
She felt as if she were standing before the true mistress of the house.
Haibara's frown deepened.
No way! No way!
Could this woman actually have feelings for Akashi?!
But he still looks like a child right now!
Before she could probe further, Akashi took action.
With practiced ease, he activated his secret weapon.
『God's Right Hand』
[Note:『God's Right Hand』lvl 3: By using your right hand to touch a sensitive area of the opposite sex, there is a high probability of triggering a critical hit, entering God's Domain. Even touching an ordinary area has a small probability of triggering a critical hit. Unlimited critical combos may occur, leading to extreme results. A top-tier dehydration skill!]
Effortlessly, he placed his hand on Haibara's back.
A critical strike—instant activation!
"Ah~"
Haibara let out an involuntary yelp, her short legs trembling.
Her entire body weakened as she slumped to the floor.
The once domineering little Loli had been reduced to a helpless, soft-legged shrimp.
"!!?"
Ran suddenly looked anxious.
"Ai-chan, what's wrong with you?"
Before Haibara could respond, Akashi stepped in smoothly.
"Sister Ran, Ai-chan is fine," he reassured her. "You should head out first—I need to talk to her."
Without waiting for a response, he gently pushed Ran out and closed the door behind her.
Inside, Haibara, who had slumped to the floor, crawled backward instinctively.
Her usually sharp blue eyes were now filled with panic.
Gone was the composed, queen-like demeanor from earlier.
"You—there's something wrong with you!" she snapped.
With her keen intelligence, she immediately sensed something was off.
She had experienced something similar once before—when she had accidentally fallen and been kissed. Back then, she had chalked it up to coincidence.
But now?
This was absurd!
How could a single touch from him make her react like this?
Meanwhile, Akashi, ever perceptive, sensed that Ran hadn't actually walked away from the door.
A sly smile crept across his face as he spoke in a deliberately calm tone.
"Ai-chan, you can't behave like this."
"We're staying at Auntie Eri's house. We should respect our host and not say rude things like earlier."
As he spoke, he stepped closer.
Little Shota reached out, intending to grab Little Loli.
But Haibara wasn't about to let that happen.
She turned sharply and scrambled onto the bed.
Yet just as she climbed up, a small but firm hand wrapped around her ankle.
Akashi's strength was no match for an adult's.
But for Haibara?
It was just right.
Haibara's face flushed red as she gripped the sheets tightly, her small fingers digging in, leaving faint imprints on the fabric.
Despite her best efforts, her petite body was still dragged backward.
In an instant, she found herself pinned down across his lap—completely at his mercy.
Akashi smirked mischievously, blowing into his right hand as if warming it up.
Then—
A light smack landed.
The effect was immediate.
Critical hit!
"Whap!"
"Ah!"
Outside the door, Ran's expression changed the moment she heard the soft sounds from inside.
Her worry deepened.
"Akashi! You can't do this! You can't just hit people!"
The second Ran's voice rang out, Haibara stiffened.
She bit her lip, swallowing back any further sounds.
The proud little Loli, unwilling to show weakness, immediately pulled the quilt over her face and bit into it.
No way.
She couldn't let Ran hear her like this!
Meanwhile, Akashi hadn't stopped.
Though his movements had become gentler, he wasn't about to let her off the hook so easily.
Of course, he made sure there were no more sounds that could be overheard from outside.
Outside the room, Ran, mistakenly believing that her words had worked, relaxed slightly.
Just then, Eri approached, curious about the commotion.
"What's going on?" she asked.
Ran hesitated before explaining.
After listening, Eri chuckled.
"It's nothing," she said casually. "Just kids playing around. No need to worry."
She smiled knowingly.
"Besides, those two have depended on each other since their orphanage days. Akashi has always been very responsible."
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
It was the delivery—dresses that Akashi had asked Ran to order earlier.
Ran and Eri's attention quickly shifted to the beautiful garments, completely forgetting about the situation inside the room.
With the footsteps fading away, Haibara finally loosened her grip on the quilt.
She turned her head slightly, short brown hair damp with sweat, sticking to her forehead and cheeks.
Her blue eyes were misty, brimming with unshed tears, while her fair face was flushed red.
"Y-You're such a bully!" she stammered, her voice shaky with lingering embarrassment. "I'm going to tell my sister about you!"
Despite her usual strong-willed nature, she was utterly defenseless at this moment.
After enduring multiple critical hits, she felt as fragile as a child.
Her voice carried a soft, nasally tone—one that would evoke sympathy from anyone who heard it.
Akashi simply chuckled.
"Go ahead and tell her," he said lazily, smirking down at her. "But just so you know, I am going to bully you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Not just now—but in the future. For the rest of our lives."
He looked every bit like a mischievous rogue.
Haibara whimpered softly.
She didn't agree.
But she didn't exactly refuse either.