Even If I’m Reborn as a Cute Dragon Girl, I Will Still Make a Harem

By the time Luna returned, Tadashi had already finished the entire steak and was rubbing his stomach contentedly. It had been too long since he last felt this full.

Luna glanced at him and casually commented, “In this kind of weather, the beef you hid will spoil soon. You’d better finish it quickly.”

“H-Hid…? Who hid anything? W-We didn’t hide anything. Do not spout nonsense.”

Tadashi clutched his chest and took a few steps back, his face turning red.

“I’m not saying that you can’t hide it…” Luna sighed in exasperation.

“You’ve secretly stashed part of the meat I gave you before too, right? I don’t know where you picked up this habit of hoarding… food…”

Huh?

Suddenly, Luna froze.

That familiar feeling again… Is it my imagination?

“Hey, do you want to go to the night market with me?” she asked abruptly.

“N-Night market?” Tadashi shrank back, shaking his head. “We can go during the day, but at night, the stall owners and security guards will chase Us away.”

“What’s the point of a night market during the day? Let’s go.”

Luna extended her hand to him.

“Fine.”

After a moment of hesitation, Tadashi finally placed his hand, which he had washed before coming, into hers.

Luna grasped his hand, which was slightly greasy but cold despite the summer heat, and began leading him toward the night market.

“Um… Lady Luna…”

“What?”

“Thou art holding Our hand on thy own accord. Have thou agreed to Our proposal?”

“Proposal?”

“Wedding proposal.”

“……”

Luna turned her head to look at him. In the dim light, she couldn’t clearly see his expression.

“Wow, you blush when you ask me for food, but you have no shame saying things like that.”

“Old Shen told Us We mustn’t shy away from the girl We fancy. We can be silent at any other time, but remaining silent in this situation is tantamount to showing cowardice.”

As he said this, Tadashi raised his eyebrows high, as if dancing among the clouds.

“Even if the person you like is a world apart from you?” Luna asked.

“Hmph! We are the lord of a vast empire. People respect Us as the keeper of darkness; the guardian of-…”

“Enough, I don’t want to hear any more of that.” Luna interrupted him, then tilted her head and continued curiously, “I’m interested to hear why you are attracted to me though.”

“Because thou art beautiful, Lady Luna. Thou art the most stunning woman We’ve ever laid eyes upon. Even if thou dress like a country bumpkin, Old Shen told Us that people of Our standing should only care about the face. If We see someone with a face that We fancy, We should not hesitate and impress her with Our sincerity.”

“…I see.”

Luna suddenly stopped walking and continued, “Did that Old Shen of yours say anything else?”

“What?”

“A woman indeed cares most about her appearance, but…”

Tadashi blinked, his intuition—sharpened from countless encounters with the magic beasts (security guards) roaming his lands—told him that something bad was about to happen.

“But she would never wish for others to judge her by her appearance.”

“What?”

Before Tadashi could digest her words, the world around him spun.

“Owwww!”

He fell flat on his back.

“Go on your own; I’ll wait for you in front.”

Luna shook her hands dismissively. Ignoring Tadashi, who was now wailing while clutching his head, she suddenly changed direction and walked out of his sight.

Once out of the busy street, Luna slipped into a dark alley.

Looking up at the building in the distance, she bit her lip in annoyance.

“Seems like I have miscalculated…”

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

On the roof of a tall building in the distance, a woman in black form-fitting attire crouched silently atop the water tower. The black sniper rifle in her hands resembled a beast lurking in the shadows; with a gentle pull of the trigger, she could unleash its lethal claws on anyone.

The military-grade M82A1 sniper rifle, with a 25mm caliber, was a formidable weapon capable of penetrating tank armor from over a thousand meters away.

At that moment, it was aimed at a girl who appeared weak and unarmed.

“Target distance, 1,350 meters. Good visibility, level 2 westerly wind, 100% hit probability…”

“Target distance, 1,340 meters. Good visibility, level 2 westerly wind, 100% hit probability…”

“Target distance… 1,000. The target suddenly accelerated; she has entered a narrow area, making it more difficult to hit. Should we fire? Please advise, should we fire…?”

“Don’t act rashly for the time being.”

A mature man’s voice came through the woman’s headset.

“Goshawk is on the way there. Our order is to recruit this stray ability user, not eliminate her.”

“Yes.”

“But keep an eye on that side and be ready to support Goshawk at any moment. After all, this stray ability user has caused quite a stir in broad daylight. If her condition becomes unstable then we can only…”

“Understood.”

The woman refocused on the target.

“Target distance, 1,300 meters. Average visibility, level 2 westerly wind, 80% hit probability…”

“Target distance, 1,250 meters. I can see Goshawk; poor visibility, 65% hit probability…”

“Target distance… huh?” The woman suddenly let out a small exclamation.

“What’s wrong?” the man’s voice in the headset asked.

“The target suddenly looked at me. It seems like she has… discovered me?” The woman’s tone held a note of uncertainty.

“Impossible. At that distance, no one should be able to see through your camouflage, Jellyfish,” the man replied firmly.

He understood well how terrifying this woman’s camouflage could be at night.

“You’re right… I hope that was just my imagination.”

Jellyfish took aim once more, but an unsettling feeling gnawed at her heart.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

“Weapons that can attack from a distance and some kind of camouflage ability… huh?”

Luna glanced casually at the roof of a tall building in the distance, a faint golden light flickering in her eyes.

“Someone actually wants to kill me? Strange; I shouldn’t have caused any trouble in this world.”

She quickened her pace slightly as she walked through the alley.

The street outside was too vibrant, and in this dimly lit alley, she often saw couples doing all sorts of things. To avoid drawing attention, she tried to maintain a low profile and controlled her walking speed.

However, she needed to stay as far away from Tadashi as possible. He was already a young man burdened with misfortune, and Luna didn’t want to witness him suffer further.

“Hey, girl.”

A voice suddenly called out to her.

“It’s dangerous to be alone in this alley at night.”

Luna stopped and turned to face the man in front of her, who was built like a bear. She regarded him coolly.

“Dangerous? You should tell yourself that.”