After finishing their meal, Haruno hurriedly dragged Shizuka away.
She couldn't take it anymore!
Haruno had barely eaten anything during the entire meal.
Her mouth had been stuffed full of dog food instead.
Shizuka reluctantly waved goodbye to Haruto.
Haruto returned the gesture and secretly made a hand sign indicating that they would meet again soon.
Once the two women had left, Haruto noticed that Beatrice seemed somewhat upset.
"Haruto, isn't your luck with women a little too good?"
Beatrice complained with dissatisfaction.
Hearing this, Haruto scratched his cheek awkwardly and chuckled.
"Betty, those women are different from you. You're a contracted spirit, you're one of a kind."
Upon hearing this, Beatrice's sour mood immediately brightened.
That's right—she was a contracted spirit, a unique existence.
Seeing her expression shift from gloom to satisfaction, Haruto knew that his words had struck the right chord.
As expected, all tsunderes were the same.
Taking Betty's hand, the two of them prepared to return to their apartment.
However, as they passed by the end of a street, they came to a sudden stop near the entrance of a small alley.
Shifting their gaze, they looked toward the alleyway.
Someone was curled up in the darkness, sitting on the ground with her head buried between her knees.
Noticing the presence of others nearby, the person cautiously lifted her head, her fingers instinctively reaching for a long, strap-secured bag at her side.
The moment their eyes met, even someone like Betty—a grand spirit—was momentarily stunned.
Logically speaking, spirits were creations of nature, the most flawless beings in existence.
Yet, Beatrice was astonished by the sheer beauty and presence of the girl before her.
Because she was simply too perfect.
The girl stood up, her golden hair cascading down like scattered rays of light.
Her smooth, neatly tied-up hair was adorned with a deep red ribbon, and she wore a pure white dress with ribbon embellishments. The silk hem of her dress swayed rhythmically with her movements, and a gleaming emerald brooch was fastened at her chest.
On her feet were cocoa-brown knee-high leather boots, their color darkened from long-term wear.
This ensemble made her look like a noble lady straight out of an illustrated storybook—no, even an artist would struggle to capture her perfection.
As the girl took two steps forward, an autumn breeze suddenly swept through.
Red, yellow, and brown leaves twirled and danced around her like a waltzing spectacle.
Withered red leaves fell like a curtain, momentarily disrupting the view.
The girl clutched the brooch at her chest tightly.
She murmured something under her breath, her voice softer than the rustling leaves—melting into the air without a trace.
Haruto had always thought that the so-called perfect heroines in certain Mary Sue novels were exaggerated to the point of being unrealistic.
But now, he realized that such a girl truly existed—beyond the limits of imagination.
She exuded an ethereal beauty and silence, much like a delicate porcelain doll. Her sapphire-blue eyes, veiled by golden lashes, shimmered like deep-sea radiance. Her pale, porcelain skin was tinged with a soft pink hue on her cheeks, and her lips were painted a striking, tempting red.
A flawless girl, pure and radiant like a full moon.
"Excuse me, do you know of the Kingdom of Leidenschaftlich?"
The girl spoke, uttering a place name Haruto had never heard before.
Haruto shook his head.
Seeing his response, the girl lowered her gaze, looking somewhat lost.
Haruto thought for a moment, then casually retrieved a world map from his divine space.
"I have a map here. Perhaps looking at it might help you."
He spread the map out before the girl.
She immediately turned her attention to it.
Before long, she pointed toward a location corresponding Continent. Evidently, that region was where the kingdom she spoke of should be.
Then, she pointed to another location.
"I need to go here. My orders were to travel to this place and participate in a battle."
Haruto followed her finger and looked at the map.
At that moment, he more or less understood her situation. She had likely accidentally crossed over into this world.
And in her original world—a parallel version of Earth—the battle she spoke of…
Was most likely a war that took place in Europe during World War I.
"I believe… the war has already ended."
Haruto said softly.
Upon hearing this, the girl's eyes filled with immense confusion and helplessness. She lowered her head in a daze.
The war had ended.
So where was she supposed to go? What was she supposed to do?
Her demeanor was like that of a finely crafted doll whose strings had been cut.
Beatrice tugged at Haruto's sleeve.
With her keen perception, Beatrice could sense the emptiness within the girl's heart.
She was too kind to simply ignore someone like this.
Haruto, feeling the pull on his sleeve, understood Betty's thoughts immediately. Moreover, it wouldn't be right to leave a traveler from another world unattended.
So, he turned to the girl and said,
"If you have nowhere else to go, you can stay with me for now."
The girl lifted her head, her eyes pure yet filled with uncertainty.
She looked incredibly easy to deceive.
Seeing no objection from her, Haruto gestured for her to follow.
"Come on, it's already late. Let's head back first. You probably haven't eaten yet either, right?"
With that, Haruto started walking toward the apartment.
The girl quickly followed, her steps precise and measured—evidence of rigorous training.
Yet, no matter how he looked at her, she didn't seem like a soldier at all.
"Oh, right. What's your name?"
Haruto asked casually.
"Reporting. My name is Violet Evergarden."
Violet responded, her way of speaking somewhat odd.
And just like that, Haruto had somehow brought home yet another doll-like perfect girl.
Along the way, he asked her a few more questions.
From their conversation, he learned about Violet's background.
She was an orphan of war, discovered by a high-ranking officer from the Country's military.
Recognizing her exceptional talent in combat, the Country had trained her into a living weapon.
Her story was surprisingly simple, so simple that it was hard to believe it was someone's real life.
As a child, she had struggled to survive in the midst of war. Then, she was molded into a war machine, knowing nothing but training and battle.
That was all.
So when she heard that the war had ended, she fell into deep confusion.
Because outside of fighting on the battlefield, she had nothing else.
Just as Beatrice had sensed—her soul was hollow, as if she were merely a weapon given human form.
(In this story's setting, there is no Major Gilbert. Instead, Violet was discovered as a child by Colonel Dietfried and raised as a special soldier.)
(Violet's time of transmigration is shortly before the battle where she lost her hands, so she has not yet been fitted with mechanical prosthetics.)
Not long after, the three of them arrived at the apartment.
Haruto opened the door and stepped into the entryway.
It wasn't until he had finished changing his shoes that he noticed Violet was still standing outside the doorway.
She seemed to be waiting for Haruto's command, as if she couldn't enter the apartment without his permission.
Haruto didn't say anything. He simply stepped out, placed his hand on Violet's back, and gently pushed her inside.
Violet seemed a little lost as she stood still inside the apartment.
Clearly, Haruto's actions contradicted the training she had received in the past.
No superior officer would ever push her into a room so gently.
Normally, she would receive a strict order instead.
"You don't need to wait for commands for everything. Everyone here is equal, including you. Just do what you want to do or what you think you should do. Alright, here are some indoor shoes for you. If you keep standing there like that, I'll personally put them on for you."
Haruto said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Violet quickly squatted down to untie the laces of her tall leather boots.
It wasn't that she would feel embarrassed if Haruto put her shoes on for her—rather, she simply felt that it wasn't something he should do.
In the short time they had spent together, Haruto had already become like a superior officer or benefactor in Violet's eyes.
After all, outside the military, there were almost no people willing to take her in, let alone provide food and shelter.
After changing her shoes, Violet still stood stiffly near the entrance.
Haruto sighed. He knew that her behavior wouldn't change overnight. So instead, he simply grabbed her hand and pulled her further inside.
The three little ones in the house had already heard the commotion.
However, when they rushed out and saw Haruto leading a girl inside while holding her hand, each of them had a different reaction.