Chapter 24 – Ice Queen’s Punishment

The next morning, my phone started buzzing like crazy, dragging me out of a deep sleep. "Ugh, those girls, waking up so early?" I groaned, fumbling for the phone on my nightstand. The screen lit up, blinding me with a wall of messages from the "Hakuto's Harem" group chat. Dark Ruby ????: @everyone GET UP GET UP GET UP! IT'S KARAOKE DAY! ???????????? WHAT'S THE PLAN?! I'VE BEEN WORKING ON MY DEATH METAL SCREAM! Dark Heart Princess ????: Akane-chan, it's barely 7 AM! ???? But I'm so excited! Should we coordinate our outfits? We should look like a real group! ✨ Lewd Chiyoko: Good morning, everyone. Akane-chan, please try not to be so loud. You'll wake the whole building. Aoi-san and I found a lovely place. Please be ready to go. Aoi Tanaka: I booked us a place called "Karaoke Palace" in Imaizumi. I got the Royal Suite for three hours, starting at 1 PM. It's a high-end place, so no "death metal screams," please. The reservation is under my name. Don't be late! Homura: Got it. 1 PM. Dark Ruby ????: HIGH-END?! NICE! Fine, I guess I'll sing ballads then ????. @Hakuto MASTER, YOU AWAKE?! DON'T YOU DARE BE LATE! Dark Heart Princess ????: He's probably sleeping in! He had a rough couple of nights! ???? Let the man rest! Looks like they planned the whole thing without me. All I had to do was roll out of bed and show up. As I was scrolling through the chat, a private message from Aoi popped up. Aoi Tanaka (Private): Master, I've got some info on the Aegis of Light. I can give you the details whenever you have a minute. Maybe before the karaoke. I decided to meet Aoi a bit early, getting to Karaoke Palace at twenty to one. The lobby was as fancy as she'd said, all velvet ropes and shiny marble floors. A guy in a full-on tuxedo even bowed when I walked in. Aoi was already there, perched on a velvet couch. Dressed in a dark blue turtleneck and black pants, she looked more like a young CEO than an idol-in-training. The second she saw me, she shot to her feet. "Hey, you're early, Aoi," I said, walking over. "So, what's this report you've got?" "Master. You are early. Excellent. This way." She turned and led me down a quiet, carpeted hall to a door marked "Royal Suite." She unlocked it and pushed it open. The room inside was huge. It had its own stage, giant TV screens everywhere, and even a private bar stocked with juice and snacks. She pointed to a big, U-shaped leather sofa. I sat down, but she stayed standing, like a soldier about to brief her commander. Aoi pulled out a tablet. "My intel is still new and incomplete," she started, "but the Aegis of Light has five members." She tapped the screen, showing me a list of pictures and profiles. Leader: Magical Valkyrie. Real name, unknown. A combat genius who leads her team with cold precision and ruthless efficiency.Heavy Hitter: Magical Golem. Real name, unknown. Insanely strong with immense physical strength.Assassin: Magical Sylph. Real name, unknown. Wind-user. Super fast and nimble.Strategist/Support: Magical Oracle. Real name, unknown. She's a strategist like me; her title comes from her ability to predict the future.Healer: Magical Pixie. Real name, unknown. A lower-level healer and disabler, but can perform rapid combat triage. "Their real identities are top secret," Aoi finished, her face grim. "They're professionals. Valkrye is an S-rank magical girl, even stronger than Homura before her corruption." "Attacking them head-on would be suicide. The Oracle's future-sight is also our biggest problem right now." She looked at me, her report done. She was waiting for my next orders. "That's... a lot, Aoi. Good work," I said, reaching out to pat her head. "But... I remembered I told you to rest, enjoy yourself, and prepare for your debut, not this." My voice turns sternly, "What am I going to do with you? Maybe I should make an example out of you, for all the other girls who don't listen." I grinned, then grabbed her and pulled her right onto my lap, laying her stomach down across my legs. Her pants were yanked down as I gave her ass a playful slap. "And we're going to do this until everyone else gets here." Aoi went completely stiff, her cool composure shattering. "M, Master! I was just, you know, trying to be useful! A threat assessment is part of my strategic planning!" A little yelp escaped her as my hand landed again. "Eep!" Smack! "Master, please!" she protested, her voice weak. "This isn't... I'm your strategist!" Smack! "...If this is what I get for being diligent," she groaned, finally giving up, "then I accept it." A deep blush crept up her neck and colored the tips of her ears. The brilliant, powerful strategist of The Fallen Stars was getting spanked like a naughty kid. I was just getting into a nice rhythm when I heard happy chatter from down the hall. "Master! They're here!" Aoi whispered, panicked. "Fine, fine. You can keep your image as the ice-cold leader," I chuckled, letting her up and pulling her pants back into place. "Just don't work so hard next time." I moved to the other end of the couch, trying to act like I'd just gotten there myself. Aoi scrambled to the far side of the room and grabbed a songbook, pretending to be completely absorbed in it just as the door flew open. "Whoa! This place is MASSIVE!" Akane shouted, bursting in first. "Right! It's so beautiful! So classy!" Miki followed, her eyes wide and sparkling. Chiyoko and Homura came in last. Chiyoko looked pleased, while Homura just seemed a little overwhelmed by it all. "Oh, you're both here already!" Miki said. "Are we late?" "No," Aoi answered. Her voice was surprisingly steady, but just a little tight. "You're right on time. The Master and I were just... talking about the acoustics. The sound in here is great." No one seemed to see the faint pink that still dusted Aoi's cheeks. My little secret was safe. The ice queen's image was intact, at least for now. Akane instantly grabbed a mic and the songbook. "Alright, who's first?! If nobody steps up, I'm kicking things off with a banger!" "Miki, I'm trusting you and Aoi to make sure this doesn't turn into Akane's Solo Show," I laughed and waved Homura over. "Come sit on my lap, Homu-chan. You too, Chiyoko. Just... not on my lap. I don't think I could handle your weight." Miki gave me a playful salute. "You can count on us, Master! This is a team effort!" She grabbed a microphone for herself. Homura looked startled, but she shyly came over. With a little nudge from me, she settled awkwardly onto my lap. She was stiff at first, but slowly started to relax against my chest. It was a huge step for her. Chiyoko just smiled warmly and sat down gracefully beside me. "It's nice to see her opening up, must be last night..." she murmured. The music suddenly blasted from the speakers. Akane had picked a high-energy anime theme song named Zankoku na Tenshi or something. She jumped onto the stage and started screaming the lyrics with way more passion than skill. Miki immediately jumped in on the chorus, her sweet voice creating a weirdly good harmony with Akane's shouting. Aoi, looking slightly pained, picked up a tambourine and started tapping it with perfect, robotic rhythm. Chiyoko just laughed and clapped along. The karaoke party had officially started. And Homura, tucked safely in my lap, watched her new family, a small, shy smile finally appearing on her face.