Chapter 11 : Just kidding, even if you kneel and beg, I’ll still hit you

“Wuwuwu…”

Three young girls, their clothes tattered and torn, huddled together in the corner, trembling with fear.

The entire view before their eyes was shrouded by that pink, indescribable entity!

Their faces still flushed with lingering heat, the girls held each other tightly around the waist, doing their best to offer some comfort to their close sisters.

“T-Tentacle Master, we’ve already knelt and apologized, so why are you still bullying us… wuwuwu.”

Icethorn, who stood at the front, tried her best to steady her trembling voice.

If it was just her, it would be fine, but if her little sisters were also humiliated by this detestable little loli—how could she, as their leader, ever show her face again!!

“Hah, Icethorn-chan, has your brain rusted from emptiness after not seeing me for so long?”

“Kneeling and apologizing was a rule set by Raiden, what does that have to do with me, the Tentacle?”

“Hehe, just surrender quietly, Tentacle-chan will take good care of you all~”

“Wah, no, don’t! Help! Somebody, save us!”

“You really are idiots. Setting your base in such a remote place and still hoping someone will hear your cries for help.”

Even if someone did hear, so what? At best, the three-person party would just become a four-person, or even more people party.

In the whole of Jiangnan City, those who could defeat her could be counted on one hand.

The arrogant little devil crossed her legs, sitting high amidst a cluster of Tentacles, looking down as she admired the trembling, delicate bodies and anxious expressions of her fellow kind.

Although Icethorn was also at lv.4, she was basically just barely scraping by.

Adding to that, the two little sisters she brought were only lv.3. Facing Vita, who was half a step into level five, it was only natural they collapsed as if struck by a stroke of bad luck.

Still, as a lv.4 monster, Icethorn did have some strength. Escaping wasn’t entirely impossible, but there was no way she could take Spring Breeze and Steelthorn with her.

So this absolutely wouldn’t do!

At the very least, as their big sister, she absolutely couldn’t abandon her little sisters. She had to at least protect their chastity!!

With this resolve, Icethorn gritted her teeth, rose to her feet, clenched her fists, and stepped slowly toward Vita.

“Hah, so you actually chose not to run, but to walk toward me? Interesting.”

“Tentacle, if you’ve got a problem, come at me. No matter what you want to do, I can take it. But don’t you dare hurt my little sisters!!”

“Big sis!!” ×2

“Such spirit~”

“I thought you’d be as cowardly as before, but it seems you’ve really grown into a qualified big sister.”

“Praise me all you want, but I won’t change my resolve. Come on, Tentacle monster!!”

The ice-blue-haired girl spread her arms wide, her face set with a determination that invited any challenge!

This was truly the legendary self-sacrifice for the sake of her sisters!!

“Then as you wish~”

Under Vita’s command, the pink Tentacles shot out, and in a few swift moves, Icethorn was hoisted up and maliciously dangled in front of her two little sisters.

“Big sis, don’t—ahhhh!!”

Goodbye, everyone.

Goodbye, my dignity.

Big sis is about to lose everything before your eyes, but I will always love you both…

“Yahahaha ahahahaha!!”

“It tickles, hahaha, help me, hahaha ahhh!!”

After a round of hellish tickle torture, the ice-blue girl, exhausted to the point of fainting, was finally released by Vita and collapsed into the arms of her two little sisters.

“Wuwuwu, big sis…”

“Big sis, please wake up, without your elbow strikes how will we survive, wuwuwu…”

“She’s not dead, no need to start mourning yet.”

The little loli, supported by Tentacles, approached the two girls, but her adorable face looked as terrifying as the King of Hell before these monster girls.

“Next, I’ll ask, and you two answer honestly. Otherwise, you’ll end up like Icethorn-chan.”

The two girls immediately put on tearful faces, then sat up straight and nodded obediently, looking for all the world like model students in elementary school.

“A few days ago… did some women in black come looking for you?”

“A few days ago? Did they?”

Steelthorn, with her gray hair, looked completely bewildered, her eyes brimming with innocent stupidity.

Spring Breeze, the blonde, was momentarily dazed, but then suddenly remembered, “Women in black… I remember now! That time, big sis told us to go to the city to buy groceries! On the way, I saw a sedan driving toward the base!”

“That happened?”

“Stupid Steelthorn, you were sleeping on the back seat of the bike then, of course you didn’t see!!”

“So… neither of you knows what those strangers wanted?”

“Uh-huh, after we got back, I asked big sis, but she changed the subject…”

“Tentacle Master, may I ask… do you know them?”

Spring Breeze asked timidly, afraid the terrifying loli before her would lose her temper again.

“Of course—”

“I don’t know them.”

Vita reached out her little hand and pinched Icethorn’s cheek, “Get up, or I’ll ravage both your little sisters!”

“Don’t ravage my little sisters!!”

That move was surprisingly effective. Icethorn, who had been fainted in her sisters’ fragrant embrace, instantly sprang to her feet, fully revived.

Who would’ve thought she’d actually care so much about her sidekicks now, so different from her old turncoat self.

“Explain it to me, Icethorn-chan.”

Vita raised an eyebrow, waiting quietly for her answer.

The revived girl only sighed softly, then reached out to gently ruffle her sisters’ heads.

“Can we talk somewhere else? Just the two of us.”

“Fine.”

…

This factory was especially remote.

Though there were still some buildings outside, they’d been abandoned for years, with walls marked by the cracks of time.

It was several kilometers to the nearest residential area.

As a hideout for a few monsters, as long as they kept quiet and paid attention, it was overall quite hidden.

“How long have you been hiding here?”

“Uh… almost a year, I think.”

“I couldn’t move right away since I had to take care of these two newcomers.”

“Besides, this place is a feng shui treasure, hardly anyone ever comes to bother us. If we could stay here long-term, it wouldn’t be bad.”

The two of them, one big and one small, squatted outside, facing the direction of the city center.

The towering buildings were like barriers, blocking out all the warmth of human life, leaving only shadowy gloom for this place.

Still, the sun above was willing to offer a bit of warmth to these rats in the gutter.

“Did those women in black say anything to you?”

“Not really, just asked if I wanted to be taken in by some lousy company. I refused and kicked them out.”

“…So rough? Aren’t you afraid of retaliation, still daring to stay here?”

“Of course I’m scared, but after all these days, haven’t I been living just fine?”

With her hands braced behind her, the girl looked up at the endless blue sky. “As for moving… I’d like to know where else I could even run.”

“It’s been three years, always hiding and running… So many sisters are gone, and I’m so tired, Tentacle-chan.”

Most monsters didn’t have that much power, sometimes unable even to restrain their own violent instincts… In that state, they simply couldn’t blend into society, so to survive, they could only run and hide from the authorities’ hunts and wanted lists.

“It’s fine if they come. Whatever happens, happens. I can’t keep going anyway… I’ve already taught them everything I could, and I’ve saved up enough money—one hundred thousand, enough for my little sisters to start a new life in another city.”

“I was going to have them leave tonight, but I didn’t expect you to show up.”

“I’m so envious of you—you can even be with your family.”

“……”

The usually nasty pink-haired loli was, for once, silent.

“Hehe, is Tentacle Master feeling sorry for me?”

“As if. I’m just thinking about what those people are really up to.”

“What else could it be, the same old stuff—human experiments, weapons testing, biological dissection.”

Icethorn shrugged, completely used to this sort of thing by now, but Vita’s next words still managed to perk her up a bit.

“No, this time it’s different… The frequency of monster appearances is rising fast.”

“Eh, I heard about that… This week alone there have been three monster incidents, which was unthinkable before!”

“Actually, it’s not three, it’s four. I secretly took care of one at around one or two in the morning today, before the authorities or magical girls noticed.”

“Huh?”

Before the other could react, the little loli patted her pretty dress and jumped up.

“Those women in black only said that much to you?”

“Yeah, that’s all.”

“Then I’m heading back. Good luck.”

“W-wait…”

Seeing Vita about to leave, Icethorn suddenly grabbed her skirt and dropped to her knees before her.

“Tentacle… can I ask you for a favor?”

“…Spit it out.”

“Can you, can you help me make sure Spring Breeze and Steelthorn leave safely?”

“Please.”

Pressing her lips together, Vita could hear the deeper meaning in her words.

If it were before… she would’ve refused outright, probably even taunting her to protect her own sidekicks.

Then, in private, she would have helped them out anyway, just like Sister Yi—saying one thing and doing another, but always so cool.

But now, things had changed… Vita couldn’t bring herself to say those words anymore.

“…I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you.”

She turned to leave, but was stopped again by the voice behind her.

“Raiden, is she… still doing well?”

“…Wouldn’t you lot know best how she’s doing? Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?”

Some lines just couldn’t be crossed.

Watching the loli’s retreating figure, the ice-blue-haired girl could only sigh helplessly in the end.

“I’m sorry…”

Even though she—and all the monsters once protected by that person—had no right to apologize to her.