I have been thinking the mangaka adapting the novel refused to draw little kids naked for fanservice, instead drawing Clarice as clearly a teenager in the first fanservice scene, despite her age being 7. Then later the artist went even further, making her look like late teenage/young adult. I guess that's one sort of morality, even if it makes the text and images look totally disjointed. It would have certainly been better not to have any fanservice whatsoever until they are much older also in the text. Maybe the novel author and manga editor demanded fanservice.