HP: Spirit Talker

He wasn't born in the clan and his blood isn't Hoshino, so after the collapse of the clan, he returned his family name because he has no right to be called 'Hoshino'. I blinked involuntarily at this loyal, even fanatical man. Hovering in the emotional background was the crystal clear light of hope and confidence, no doubt. Hell, it was the first time I'd ever met a man with such pure emotion. I guess that's how samurai should feel.

— MINE-san, I'd like to hear you elaborate on 'they will become a worthy part of the clan', what do you mean by that? — I'm not even going to say why he thought I would revive the clan, because it's obvious that the man is taking this question as an axiom: The clan has been destroyed, but there are still splinters who will restore the clan to its former glory and power.

— As women, of course. — Genosuke's surprise was not fake, he did not doubt it. — You three are blood-bearers of the elder branch, but your kinship is not close enough to cause problems. Your union will yield the purest and strongest legacy, your children together will receive all the power and heritage of the Hoshino, with which it will not be difficult to plant strong roots for a new tree. — The expression on the man's face was one of surprise at my lack of understanding, as if he had to say something obvious and well known.

In fact, I understood him perfectly, and he was right about everything. Marika and Manami carry the genes of the eldest branch, in case of our union, the Hoshino family can already be considered reborn in our children, and it will be possible to lay the younger branches, with pure, without extraneous impurities of blood, which is only in plus the future strength of the family and clan. The drawback? Twins are not my ideal, they are somewhere on the level of "not bad, but could be better". And it's not about beauty, it's about character, facial expressions, I don't like headstrong bitchy bitches with unreasonably inflated egos.

If they take the leading position in the family, it will be impossible to live in such a house, and every day to beat the spouse ... I'm a man, and a man does not beat his wife, unless she asks him to, somewhere behind closed doors, alone. Yes, a dilemma: the twins are ideal candidates to restore the family, but an unpleasant option for me personally, and for the clan as well.

Even Daphne is not so bad, she can be subdued, the example of conversations at Greengrasses, and the fact that she is a lesbian, so cleanse from the curses that press on her brain, energy and biochemistry will come to normal, and it will turn out bisexual, with a bias "on girls".

 But she will no longer be a disgrace to the union or a "wooden doll" on her wedding night. Moreover, she already has a permanent partner from the Davis family of vassals, so there will be no publicity. So the situation is solvable, not a dead end, and it doesn't take much nerve. But the Minhe sisters are another matter. If their behavior isn't a mask, there will be a lot of trouble.

But I can't help but restore the Hoshino family-it's my responsibility, it's my debt to pay for my current life. The ideal option for me in this situation is to marry the twins, they carry pure Hoshino blood and magic.

No, if I were some kind of perverted Mrax or Barrow, I'd take Junko as my wife, because she's a better option and she's still young enough to give birth more than once. But where are those Mraxes, with their tendency not to dilute the "great heritage" and make intra-family unions? They're extinct due to the degradation of close kinship! And it is immoral to engage in incest.

Of course, it is possible, after the creation of the family altar, to accept girls into the kin and then choose husbands for them who will enter the kin. In this way, I will save a lot of nerves and strength, because the younger branches will be forced to obey (with reservations). On the other hand, the blood of both the main branch and the side branches will be diluted, and the power of the family will reach its full strength after my death, in three or four generations.

That is, I won't pay my debt, and my soul will be stuck either as a ghost, a spirit, or in the altar until (if) the conditions are fulfilled. Do I need this? No. In fact, when the girls each have their first child with me, the debt will be paid. It is one of the main parts, but the rest is easier to deal with, especially since the choices are much wider.

However, I tried some of the Lan sisters for this role, they are also a good option, you could say they are only one step lower than the Minhe sisters. Besides, I liked them better: the girls' education is ironclad, they know how to behave, their self-control is not bad, they are not too insolent.

And then they'll grow up, get wiser, and everything will be fine. But I don't know how Yusheng sees the situation. Maybe the lady thinks the opposite, but that's probably it. It's good that she's open to dialogue, otherwise it would be a mess.

— All right, well. — I'm finally breaking the long silence. — I'm willing to give it my full consideration. You live in a non-magical part of London, don't you? I am. — I close my eyes and remember what's urgent and what can be moved. — I'll let you know the date of our next meeting in a few days. We'll discuss all the terms and check your daughters' innocence... ....

— I raised them in the best traditions! — the man couldn't help but interrupt me. — They understand and know their duty and their destiny! — he finished fervently.

— I understand you, Mine-san, so I'll ignore your tone. — A slight blink. — But you must also realize that this is not something to be trifled with, not in a situation like this. The rituals must be followed down to the last character, so I will order the goblins to borrow the appropriate artifacts. When these procedures are completed, we'll perform the Yuino ritual and the girls will move into my house. — I pause briefly. — Is there anything else you'd like to add, MINE-san?

— Yes, — the man nods. — I don't have any proper ritual tantos, would it be an insult to you if Marika and Manami dueled with European blades?

— I don't mind. — It's really no problem, right? — If that's all, I think this meeting is over.

This is the end. I still have three or four hours before Gabrielle leaves, so I have time to see Lizzie and Kiriko, who should be in the workshops. And I need to have a serious talk with the girl, because I have a lot of hard and long work to do, and Kiriko will be a great help to me. With these thoughts I went to my house in London.