Chapter 9 - Part 5 - Episode - Kuroka Toujou

Kuroka's Soliloquy

…

"I'm tired and full nya~," I said and jumped onto the bed I shared with Aaron and everyone else. Shirone and I ate a lot today and I felt like my stomach was going to burst open…

"We ate too much, Nee-sama," complained Shirone beside me.

"That's why I told you two not to eat too much, jeez." Suzaku was the one to reprimand us. Even though she did that, we couldn't help ourselves. We didn't eat too much the night before since we knew that we were going to have a small event.

Shirone and I plan on doing this again when Aaron and everyone else goes on their graduation trip. We'll limit the amount of food we eat the night before—no, the day before!

"We're returning home tomorrow, right?" asked Gabriel.

Everyone was slowly coming into the room; Aaron was talking to Prithvi Mata downstairs. It's been a hectic few days here but it was fun. I hadn't been with Aaron to one of his outings so I enjoyed myself, especially the food.

"This bed isn't as fluffy as Aaron's one at home…" mumbled Gabriel as she hugged a pillow.

"Well, he does try to give us the best comforts of life after all," replied Lavinia. She started to tie Gabriel's hair into braids with the angel happily allowing her.

"Sorry for the wait, let's go to sleep," said Aaron as he came back up. He immediately changed into some black and white pajama shorts. He quickly joined us and Shirone got up on top of him and everyone else got comfortable.

"Vali… is going to be harassing me starting tomorrow when we get back," he said and a few of us laughed.

"Vaa-kun is just that kind of little brother," replied Lavinia.

"He hasn't changed too much, but he's a lot more mature now," added Suzaku.

"A battle maniac will always be a battle maniac," I added. The lights then turned off making our room dark. The lights downstairs were also turned off with Prithvi going to sleep.

I also closed my eyes, I thought on how my life, as well as my sister life have changed so much since we met him—since we met all of them. Endless days of peace and fun, I always wanted it, and with him… a world like that is definitely possible. I'm glad we met him…

…

Third Person Point of View

…

Fujimai, a Nekoshou who belonged to the East Youkai Faction. She was a white haired Nekoshou with hazel-gold-colored eyes. She was like any youkai. She lived her life among her kind. She lived most of her days normally, however, as she grew older she wanted to explore the world, so before she left the faction to go exploring she asked permission from their leader, Nurarihyon.

"Nurarihyon-sama, I wish to go explore the world. I believe I will gain more knowledge that way," said Fujimai as she kneeled in front of Nurarihyon.

Nurarihyon had the appearance of an old man with a gourd-shaped head wearing a kimono. He looked at Fujimai as she smoked his pipe and laughed.

"You wish to explore the supernatural world and human world? To gain knowledge, is it?" he asked her.

"Yes, I do!" she replied with enthusiasm.

"Hmm. Very well, I will allow it. Once you are finished, come back and tell me about the things you saw. I believe every youkai needs to experience this at one point in their life," he said and gave her permission.

Fujimai was ecstatic and jumped up while thanking her leader. She quickly left the home of Nurarihyon to tell her friends in the faction. Another person was also there when Fujimai asked for permission.

"Are you sure it's fine?" asked the Nekomata Magari. Magari primarily had the appearance of a young cat but with the total number of five tails. Her fur is colored white with black spots all over her.

"Hmm? She is still young; the experience will be beneficial for her. I let you go and do that, did I not?"

"You did, but I was a lot more mature than her when I was that age. I also had a sound head on me. She looked immature and naïve," replied Magari.

"The most valuable teacher in life is challenging experiences, Magari. It's a final decision from me. If she dies then you can blame me," said Nurarihyon.

Magari closed her eyes and left the home of Nurarihyon. Hopefully, she would be able to see this young Nekoshou off.

…

As the days drew closer to her departure, Fujimai couldn't help but feel her eyes watching her. She would look around her and would see nothing. However, when the day finally came, she was approached by someone.

"You are Fujimai, are you not?" asked Magari.

"Y-yes? W-who are you?" Fujimai asked, a little confused.

"You have sensed my presence multiple times, have you not?"

"You're the one spying on me! Why?" she asked a bit annoyed.

"As a fellow Nekomata, and you are a rare variant—the Nekoshou, I couldn't help but notice you. I will ask you this: Are you sure about this journey? I will say now that I would recommend to you that you wait until you become wiser, otherwise you will face very difficult things on this journey," said Magari.

"Time waits for no one! I wish to experience many things before I find a man and settle down and give birth to the next generation! Also, I'm already 42 years old!" replied Fujimai.

Magari shook her head. She thought that this young Nekoshou was still quite naïve and gestured at the gate. "I tried to warn you, young Nekoshou. If you come back with tears, I will only scold you," she told her.

"I will come back with tears of joy! Um…"

"Magari. Call me Magari."

"I will come back with tears of joy, Magari-san!" repeated Fujimai. She then ran out of the gate, then turned back briefly and waved to Magari, still full of spirit. However, unknown to both of them, this journey of Fujimai would take hundreds of years as she explored the world to its fullest.

…

Her first real stop was Kyoto as she heard many things about it from her faction. Fujimai's next stop was the human country of the USA, she had heard many things about the place and wished to explore it. She had fun there and met many humans. However, her next stop was the supernatural side of things, and that's when unexpected things started to happen.

"Oh? Who would have thought a youkai would be here?" said a man's voice.

Fujimai turned around and saw a middle-aged man with gelled hair, which was a mixture of red and blue. He had heterochromia; his left eye was blue, while the right was red. Her senses became alerted as she knew what kind of being this was.

'A devil!' she thought and jumped away.

"Fufu, no need to be on guard little youkai. I am Mephisto Pheles. You've surely heard of that name, have you not?" asked Mephisto.

"M-Mephisto? The chairman of the magician's organization, Grauzauberer?" she asked as she calmed down.

"Correct, now come. It will be my pleasure to show you this part of the USA, as well as the supernatural side. I believe it will be a worthwhile experience for you," he said and Fujimai went with him.

She was a bit too trusting, but in the end, it worked out for her as she learned a bit of English, and even learned some magic from the devil. Fujimai stayed with him for at least five years before she parted ways with him.

To her, those five years were valuable, but she had to move on. Her next stops were Canada and South America. Those places had many challenges and trials for her, but with Mephisto's help, Fujimai managed to come out of them all unscathed.

…

"Hiii?!" Fujimai screamed in horror as a vampire tried to attack her. She was currently in the country of Ireland as she heard there were some kind of festival called 'Halloween' happening. However, her luck was not favorable that day as she was attacked by some Irish vampires, but—

She looked back up as the attack she was bracing for had not come. When she opened her eyes, she saw a lone male figure. On his shoulder was a jet-black puppy with glowing red eyes.

At this age, and in this generation—it was a human male who had attained one of the 13 Longinus, [Canis Lykaon]. The male briefly looked at Fujimai and asked, "Youkai… what are you doing in our country?"

Fujimai was confused, and used a smell on herself to understand the language the man spoke. "Um, sorry can you repeat that?"

"Why are you in this country?" asked the male again as he petted the dog on his shoulder.

"Oh um… I heard a celebration was happening called Halloween? So I came here to experience it… I-I'm from Japan," she explained herself.

"You're here to visit for Halloween? Well, it is getting more famous around the world—very well, come with me. I work for a person called Maeve, she's also called 'Queen Halloween'," said the young man.

'Queen Halloween!' exclaimed Fujimai in her mind.

After that, she was brought back to Queen Halloween's realm and experienced her first even 'Halloween/spooky season' and she enjoyed it very much.

…

After that, Fujimai explored the world. During that time, a world war happened in the human world, so she had to hide herself for quite some time, but after that she continued her journey, but… when she thought of exploring the Underworld, a civil war also occurred which made her change her plans. Instead, she continued her journey in the human world.

And just like that, hundreds of years passed. During her journey, Fujimai changed as a person. She became more mature, but at the same time she was still quite naïve. One thing did interest her though.

The topic of love. Everywhere she went, she could always find it. She also met many types of couples, straight, some with the same gender, and even some with large age differences. However, since she was part of the supernatural, some of that didn't matter. But she was always interested in it as it brought many people joy as she had seen over the years.

But one day, it happened to her. To Fujimai, it was love, true genuine love for that person. It happened in the country of Japan of all places! It was one of the last places she wanted to visit. However, she decided on a whim to visit it a bit earlier and just explore a small part of it. But she never would have thought of finding her love here.

It was a human, but he wasn't ordinary. He was a smart scientist and had already made a pact with a devil. It was a devil from one of the Extra Clan branch family's, Naberius. They were a branch family of the Nebiros clan.

To Fujimai it was love, to this man—Daisuke, it was lust. He was just like any other person, he had urges, and after one night… she became pregnant. Fujimai was overjoyed, but Daisuke was… indifferent to it. Of course, Fujimai was in denial and thought he felt the same way about her because he would sometimes reciprocate her actions.

Time slowly passed and eventually, a black-haired and hazel-gold-eyed Nekoshou was born, and she was named Kuroka. But not too long after that, another was born, and she was named Shirone. Fujimai was happy to have two daughters, however… the father, Daisuke who worked for the Naberius branch family did not care. He only cared about his research and helping the clan.

However, this is where events diverge. Perhaps it was because of a higher entity playing with this world, or it was just how the world was meant to work, but…

The events that would soon transpire meant that Fujimai would never meet Magari again, nor would they have that reunion in the East Youkai Faction.

…

Kuroka's Soliloquy

…

From a young age, I knew that my father never loved me or my little sister Shirone. I wasn't as gifted academically as he was, but I knew enough to understand certain things. I also noticed my own mother, Fujimai… she was unstable. She only had eyes for our father. She HAD to gain his love. She tried everything, even forcing us to him, but…

He would always look at us with such dead and cold eyes, as if he was looking at us like we were some kind of thing, or object… how did mom even fall in love with a guy like that? At the very least, when we were at our home in the Underworld, she would treat us normally—like a normal mother.

She would become that way only if she was near Daisuke. It's like she becomes blind when she was around him. He rarely came home, but when he did, he was usually in the living room reading through his documents and notes, and he would sometimes pet us like we were little kittens. It felt insulting… but mom would always mistake it for affection and encourage it. She was a very sick woman.

One day, that all changed. Daisuke worked on something for some devil family, we never knew what, but he had been very kind to us lately, and even asked for both Shirone and I to be sent to his lab in the Underworld. He would sometimes do experiments on us, and he would say that it would make us stronger, like Lucifer.

Mom was delusional as always when dealing with him, so when he did this, it wouldn't even register to him that what he was subjecting us to was torture. But I was still quite weak, even though I secretly train my own powers, I wouldn't be comparable to anything. Then one day…

"Kuroka-chan, why don't you become his man's [Bishop]? It'll give you a big boost in power." Is what Daisuke told me. At the time I was shocked, but at the same time my own survival and my own little sisters mattered the most, so I accepted.

If I couldn't rely on my mother who was blinded by love, and my supposed 'father' was useless, then I would do it myself.

…A happy childhood. I only got very brief moments of them over the years. Most of it came from my own little sister who is the most precious person to me in this messed up world. In the end, I said yes to his suggestion. By being a [Bishop] I would get increased magical power.

I managed to learn magic by myself, by reading books that I found from Daisuke, and my own Youjutsu and Senjutsu would improve a lot.

One day, he started to experiment on Shirone. It took me a long time to figure that out, but once I did, I begged him to stop with a promise that I would be the main one he could use, and he happily accepted since I said he could do anything to me.

However, this only lasted for a short time, because I found out what he was trying to do to me, and Shirone, and I couldn't take it. So one day…

"Daisuke, where's Shirone?" I asked him but he didn't respond like usual. He was hunched over a table in his lab writing down on a notepad. "Daisuke!" I shouted to get his attention.

"…Huh? Oh, Kuroka-chan, did you need something?" he asked sounding apathetic.

"Where's my little sister, Shirone? Your daughter with white hair!" I shouted at him, trying to get an answer.

"…Shiro…Shiro, oh that white cat? Uh… I think I used her for an experiment. Hold on a sec—"

Before he could finish, I ran away and through a few doorways. I had a vague idea where he did those experiments since he always took me to that spot, so I ran towards it. I eventually found it and my little sister was hung on the wall like Jesus Christ!

"Ow…!" I clutched my head; I sometimes forget that I'm a reincarnated devil now. "Shirone!" I shouted and started to take her off the thing she was hooked up to.

"Stop! What are you doing?! My experiment to create artificial super devils is nearly complete! If I succeed in this, then we can make her—no, I can make both of you into super devils like Sirzechs Lucifer and Ajuka Beelzebub!" he shouted at me.

"I don't care! We never cared about any of that!! Why can't you just love us like a normal parent?!" I shouted back and kept pulling on the device, and I finally succeeded and broke it.

"Noo!! You dumb whore!" he screamed and slapped me causing me to be knocked away.

"Ack!" I groaned, but I quickly got up and shoved him away then grabbed Shirone. "Let's leave…" I mumbled and started to walk away with my little sister on my back.

"No, no, no, no… this isn't happening. I was so close…" he started talking to himself when—

"Ah, yes… I had this, didn't I? Hehe, let's use it then…" he said to himself. I was already halfway up the stairs when—

"Kuroka? Kuroka? Where are you going?" My mother suddenly appeared and touched my face. She then fiddled with Shirone's hair before she walked past me and into the lab where Daisuke was.

I heard some talking, before my mother started to talk louder, and—

The next second, everything in front of me was white, and I couldn't feel my body. I was so confused…

"W-what…? What happened…? Shirone? Shirone?!" I tried to move, but noticed something heavy was stopping me from moving, so when I looked behind me, a large piece of the ceiling covered me.

'What the heck…? No, di-did that psycho…?! No, I don't care. Where's Shirone?!' I shouted in my head before throwing the rubble off me. I frantically looked around and finally saw my little sister buried under some rubble, so I quickly removed it from her, carried her again and ran.

I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to be away from this place. When I left the area, I heard some shouting behind me, but I kept moving. I didn't know what would happen to us if we stopped. Would they brand me as a stray? Daisuke wasn't my [King], it was some random devil in the clan of Naberius.

'I don't care! I need to leave, so we can start over. I can't live without my little sister! She's the only thing I have left in this world I can call family!'

…

However, I couldn't keep going. Protecting someone… was a lot harder than you would expect. I collapsed near a large castle-like home. I didn't even know which devil family it was, but they were surely rich, right…?

"You are…" said a voice and I looked up. I knew who it was and I winced back but couldn't get up and run because Shirone was sleeping.

I had to take a gamble… he… if he did it, she would be safe, right…?

"Kuroka, classified as an SS-class stray devil," said Sirzechs Lucifer. "Why don't—"

"Please…! I don't care if I become a stray, please take my sister, I don't' want her to be a criminal!" I shouted at him. He looked taken aback as he looked at Shirone who I held in my arms.

I started to ramble on about my situation, and the eyes he looked at me with were both pity and sympathy, but I doubt he would trust the words of a stray devil.

"Please… she's innocent…!" I pleaded again.

He finally crouched down and looked me straight in the eyes. "Go. This is your only chance. Maybe one day when I have time, I will look into it, but for now…"

I didn't let him finish as I nodded, turned around and ran away.

"Lucifer-sama! We heard that there was a stray here?! The SS-class?!" said a voice behind me.

"Yes, I believe she headed that way," he replied.

"W-who is that?"

"…Please leave her to me, I will deal with it."

After that, several demonic balls and auras were launched at me, and I finally started my life on the run from the devils… no, everyone. I had no one now. I was alone… but one day, one day… I'll be reunited with my little sister; I just hope she doesn't hate me…

…

"Kyoto… maybe I can find shelter there…? No, they'll see me as a stray devil and at best, turn me away, and at worst, kill me or capture me," I muttered to myself.

A few months have passed and I've been living on the run. I avoid the devils whenever I can, steal, threaten or break into homes to get food, or take the easy route and transform into a normal looking black cat and get fed by a random human family.

At times, I even thought of just pretending to be a cat for the rest of my life since it was easy—those were the only nights I could sleep semi-soundly.

"…Kuroka, the stray," said a voice and I quickly turned around. The person I saw was the West Youkai Leader—Yasaka!

I jumped away, on high alert. But to my surprise, she showed me a gentle smile and walked over to a nearby stone bench and patted it. "Please, tell me about yourself. I believe your mother was called Fujimai?" she asked.

"…How do you know that?" I asked back, still suspicious of her.

"Before she left on her journey, I briefly met her here in Japan. After that, when she came back, I also briefly met her again. However, we didn't have much time to talk as I was busy, and she was also quite busy…" she explained.

I gritted my teeth. I blamed my mom a bit… why did she fall in love with that man? Why was she blinded by love? What is even love? Is it even necessary? If it causes this much misery, is it even worth it?!

Before I noticed, my body had already started moving and I had sat down beside her and told her my story. I had become even more independent. I was hardened by the world and my own experiences, so I didn't shed a tear.

"Kuroka if you would like…"

"No. If I stayed in your faction I would cause you unnecessary trouble. The fact that you listened to me like this is more than enough. Even if one person believes my story, it's enough for me…" I said to her and smiled bitterly.

"…If you need some temporary shelter or food, please stay for a few days. We won't inform the devils if they come by," she explained and put a hand on my head.

I had to bite my own tongue so I wouldn't cry. But in the end, I thanked her and I would see what would happen in the future. After that, Yasaka left me there and I watched her walk away and disappear.

…

At some point, around a year later, I stumbled into someone that belonged to the East Youkai Faction.

"Fujimai?" she asked and I jumped back alerted by what she said. "…No, you resemble her. Who are you…?" the female asked.

I didn't answer but I simply glared at her. But it seemed like this woman came to a conclusion.

"I see… you're her daughter, aren't you? I never heard from her again; we made a promise before she left our faction to go on a journey around the world. I see… so she fell in love and started a family, didn't she?"

"…I am a stray devil. I don't know anyone called Fujimai," I replied coldly.

Before I could try to run away, she had appeared behind me and everything turned black.

…

When my eyes opened, I stared at an unfamiliar ceiling—no it was an unfamiliar place. 'Shit! What did that woman do to me?!' I frantically looked around me, but then the door to this room suddenly opened and I became alarmed and covered my body with touki.

"Oh, you're awake. Calm yourself, I'm Magari, a Nekomata," she said and her cat-like ears popped out.

"Nekomata…" I repeated softly and looked at her ears. Then it suddenly hit me. When I was around six years old and Shirone was still two, I was snooping around my mom's room because I was young, and I noticed a small box with a bunch of items in it.

Years later I came to the conclusion that it was probably some kind of 'memory box' or something, but in it was her diary. It detailed a lot of things. Most were about her journey around the world, the people she met and the places she journeyed to. In one of the entries, it said that she wanted to reunite with a Nekomata called Magari at some point because of a promise.

"Are you the one mom wrote in her diary?" I asked.

"Diary? Fufu, I didn't think Fujimai was one to keep a diary," she said and put the plate of food and drinks down. "So? What did that diary say about me?"

I was hesitant to discuss it with her, but it did say that she was part of the East Youkai Faction at some point, and even if I share it with her, I won't stay here for long afterward. I told Yasaka and she believed me. If I told her, would she do the same? I took that chance before… I might as well, I don't exactly have a choice.

"I…" I told her my story, just like Yasaka. The Nekomata called Magari listened to my story without interrupting me. By the end of it I was trying my hardest not to cry, but at the same time it felt relieving telling someone all my burdens after a year.

Magari then hugged me. She didn't say anything else, she simply hugged me and that's when I broke down since no one had done that since my mom passed away. And even then, my own mom hadn't hugged me in at last six months at that point in time, when she touched my face.

After a little bit, I finally calmed down, ate the food and drank some water.

"Kuroka, was it? Since you're a stray devil you can't stay here for too long. However, if you come back periodically, I will teach you how to better utilize your powers, especially your Senjutsu and Youjutsu. But for now, rest up," she said and left the room.

Maybe she left to let me think about it? Or was she going to inform the leader of this faction? Wait, where am I? It has to be the East Youkai Faction, right? Well, regardless of what might happen, I'm going to accept it. I haven't trained or gotten any stronger over the year since I was mostly focused on surviving.

…

"What's wrong? Is that all you have?!" Magari shouted.

It's been a year since I met her. I usually stay here for a week or two before leaving for around three or four weeks and then coming back. During that time, I learned a few things. One, Magari was the leader of the Nekomata's in the East Youkai Faction, and the leader was some old guy called Nurarihyon.

He apparently blamed himself for my own mother's death since he let her leave and should have listened to Magari's suggestion of letting her leave when she was wiser, but after I told him my story, they both concluded that my mom's judgement was clouded because of that man, Daisuke.

Right now, I was training with Magari. It's always like this. The day I come back I get to relax and recuperate, then the rest is rigorous training. However, during the past year, I have greatly increased my own proficiency in Senjutsu and Youjutsu. She also helped me train in my touki and magic.

She's my master and teacher, and dare I say, 'adoptive mother', though we never said those words to each other. But she basically treats me like a daughter. I concluded that she probably felt guilty just like Nurarihyon, so she's doing this for me—no, they're doing this for me and I'm thankful, so I'll take advantage of it.

"I'm doing my best… nya!" I shouted at her.

"Nya? What are you, a housecat?!" she shouted back.

"We're both cats if you really think about it!" I fired back and launched several balls of touki at her.

"You don't call Nekomata that, unless you want a beating, Kuroka-chan," she said menacingly and she had a strange glint in her eyes.

"Hii?! No, I'm sorry!" However, even after my apology and cries, she did not stop. "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

…

I messed up and came across some devils. I killed a few and ran away. I think I lost them, so I was just wandering around for a while, but eventually I stepped into a clearing and found people.

"Hmm? Ah, it's a youkai, I'm pretty sure she's a Nekomata? No… oh a Nekoshou! She's a rare one, and seems strong!" said some weird monkey youkai. "How about we recruit her, Vali?" he asked the white-haired boy beside him.

"Hmm?" The man named Vali turned to look at me and smirked. "You… you're that SS-class stray devil, Kuroka, aren't you?" he asked.

My entire body entered into panic mode and I covered myself in touki. "So what if I am?!"

"Oh, she's a little feisty one, I'll—"

"Okay, let's fight. If I win, you join my team and if you win, you can leave," he said and crossed his arms.

I didn't answer him and fired a bullet of touki at him. He simply slapped it away. He was strong, that much was clear. I wasn't even sure I could win.

"I'll take that as a yes in fighting me. Albion, let's go. Balance Break."

{Vanishing Dragon Balance Breaker!!!}

A Sacred Gear?! And he's also the White Dragon Emperor?! How am I supposed to win then?! Shit, he knew, didn't he?! I don't have a choice! I ran towards him as the monkey youkai jumped away, so he wasn't helping him, huh?

"Hmph. Show me what you got, Nekoshou!"

…

Months have passed and I joined Vali Lucifer's team called Vali Team. Very creative of him… but he's also a true descendant of Lucifer which was shocking! But also the White Dragon Emperor, meaning he was a hybrid since only human and get those when they're born!

…As I grew older, I started thinking more about my species. I also spoke to Magari about it a lot. Evidently, my species, the Nekoshou was on the brink of extinction, so the remaining Nekoshou's around the world needed to make new children so that we wouldn't become extinct.

I concluded that I needed a strong partner, one that would impregnate me with strong babies (kittens), and the strongest guy I know is Vali, so… I tried to seduce him.

…Yeah, that didn't work out well. I tried a lot, even stood in front of him naked a few times. I even tried to sleep with him, but… he'd just kick me out. It made me think he was celibate or something, but over time I figured out that he just had other things in mind.

To kill his grandfather Rizevim, find his rival and become the strongest. Love, romance, and sex had no place in Vali Lucifer. However, we did get a glimpse of a team full of agents from Grigori once. Team Slash/Dog.

The women there he opened up to—dare I say, even opened his heart to. One particular woman name Lavinia Reni. She was like an older sister figure to him. She also possessed a Longinus which was pretty shocking.

She would affectionately call him 'Vaa-kun', and the rest would call him either Vali or Lucidrago. It was weird seeing him like that, but I guess he spent more time with them than with us at this point in time. Eventually, I stopped trying to seduce him since it wouldn't work, and I hate to admit it, but that Lavinia woman was much prettier than me, so he was probably immune to this kind of thing.

…

One day, a lot of things went wrong, and it left me in a foul mood. So for the first time in my life, I went to a random bar in a human town, got drunk and… went home with some human. One thing led to another and I ended up having sex with him.

It didn't last too long. I think it was a few thrusts and he was done, but when my own sanity returned to me, I was mortified. But at the same time, it's difficult for devils to get pregnant, so I wasn't too worried. However, I felt like I was robbed of more of my innocence after that night. The next day I desperately tried to 'remove' the seed he planted in me, even though it was probably gone at that point.

I just kept scrubbing to try to get rid of it. I also couldn't share this with anyone. I may be a flirt, but I wasn't a whore. This is unless you think flirting with a lot of men makes you a whore, then that's your opinion.

But I did find that human and remove that memory from him. I didn't want him to remember, and I may have been a bit petty, but I also kicked him in the balls. He probably will never have kids after that…

…

Years passed just like that. I would sometimes go back to the East Youkai Faction to meet up with Magari, spend time with the Vali Team plus do some missions with them or go adventuring and I would sometimes try to find a suitable man to give me kittens.

However, one day Vali came back annoyed. At this point we had already joined a terrorist group called the Khaos Brigade.

"What's wrong with you?" Bikou asked. "Who the hell beat you up?" he asked again and we all looked at our leader. He had some minor injuries.

"Middleman," he mumbled.

"Middle…man?" we repeated, confused. So he told us who this new 'Middleman' was and what his deal was.

"To think he would defeat you so easily, will you put him on the list of humans you want to defeat?" asked Arthur.

Vali only shrugged and sat down. He seemed to be thinking hard about something, so we left him alone.

"I wanna meet this guy. Not many can beat Vali so easily," said Bikou as we gathered at a different spot in the room.

"I am also interested; however, I doubt we'll see him that easily because of his role," added Arthur.

"We could also sneak up on him? It won't work if he's skilled at magic or has any detection abilities then it won't work," said Le Fay.

"Leave it to me nya! I can get around using my transformation magic!" I told them and they agreed. But I didn't get to do that because he would approach me himself one day.

…

One day I was approached by the rumored Middleman. I was training that day and I was on high alert because he told me he was contracted by the Four Great Satans to capture me. I was prepared to fight him to the death, when he said my mother's name and questioned me about my circumstances.

It had been years since I said anything about it, and I just unloaded everything on him—a stranger, yet instead of judging me, or not believing a word I said, he threw a book towards me. I recognized the handwriting… it was Daisuke's.

Then he said those magical words—that he could make it better—he could make it so I could have a chance of meeting my little sister Shirone again. But… I wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, so he disappeared and came back with a hair clip.

After that, we were brought up in front of the Satans. They read the files and documents that Jin had, and I was formally declassified as a stray devil. However, before I could leave the place, Sirzechs Lucifer pulled me to the side and spoke to me.

"Years ago, I couldn't help you. But I'm glad Jin could, I'm also sorry… but your sister is living a good life now. If you wish to meet her I can set it up for you. However, she still needs to heal, and I doubt receiving this news so suddenly will instantly remove any anger or hate she has towards you," explained Sirzechs.

I shook my head and said, "No, it's fine. I want to slowly repair my relationship with my sister and spend time with her, so please set it up." I bowed to him to emphasize that I want this to happen.

"I see… I'll do that then. I'll contact Jin about it. You've spent a night in his home, right?" he asked.

"Yes I have and thank you," I thanked him again and left with Jin.

"Good for you, Kuroka. Hopefully you can mend your relationship with Shirone and finally move on with your lives," said Jin.

I hugged his arm and said, "Well, with your help it was definitely possible nya~" but when I looked up at him, he looked hesitant and awkwardly looked to the side. Oh no! Don't tell me he's a celibate like Vali?!

When night came, I tried to seduce him. He proudly said he wanted a harem, so I assumed he was a teenager filled with hormones and would jump on me whenever he had the chance, but even after 'saving' me, he didn't put a hand on me, even when I threw my body at him.

Like, hello?! I'm giving you permission, fuck me already!

"Kuroka… you need to stop," he told me. When I had sneaked into his room. I looked at him in confusion and he continued. "I get you're thankful for what I did to you, but I didn't do it to 'get you', if you understand what I mean. At the end of the day, it was a job, now don't get me wrong, I'm happy that you were dismissed as a stray and have a chance to repair your relationship with your sister, but…"

He pulled me off him and sat me down on his bed. "You should take better care of yourself. Though I'd like to say this to humanity as a whole. Anyway, take your time since what you feel for me isn't love, just gratefulness. I don't mind you staying here since it's close to Shirone, but please don't try that again," he said and pointed to his door.

"Sorry nya," I told him and left his room. 'What's up with him? Harem? If you want a harem you'll take them and spread their legs as soon as you can? What is wrong with him…?'

So many thoughts ran through my head after being rejected. I didn't understand him. Devils had harems or concubines. They accepted any women who went to this, but what the hell is up with this guy?! It frustrated me.

…

The day came and Jin traveled with me to the Underworld. However, he wore his mask since he wanted to act as the 'Middleman' and remain anonymous. It feels a bit chuunibyou but I didn't say that out loud. He probably has his own reasons.

I walked into the Gremory manor and we were escorted into a certain room. In the room with us was Shirone's master, Rias Gremory. By her side was her only [Knight], Kiba Yuuto, and her [Queen], Akeno Himejima. Near the bed was Shirone. No, she calls herself Koneko Toujou now, doesn't she?

"Shirone."

"…Why are you here? How did you trick the Satans into removing your stray status?" she asked with a cold expression. It hurt me but it made sense. She basically had no memories of the past or they were skewed up so that she didn't know what was right from wrong.

"I was the one who helped with her case. I just did a little more research," replied Jin. "So she didn't do anything suspicious or shady, I only got the truth out there."

Everyone looked at him, but the [Queen]'s gaze was different and lingered on him for a little longer. Shirone frowned and I explained myself. Jin added the fact that he came to Kuoh, stopped by time and took the hair clip from her.

"…That's how I lost it. I thought I was going crazy," she mumbled and gave him an accusatory glare. "But it's still difficult for me to believe you," she added as she looked at me with uncertainty.

"Then how about this? How about we… relive that day?" he said and looked at me.

"Okay," I replied. I think I was strong enough to see it. Everyone else was confused, but when Jin touched me, the area around us changed.

"We are replaying the memories of the past. This is what happened from Kuroka's perspective," he explained and it showed that day to us clearly.

Me asking Daisuke where Shirone was, me running to the different parts of the lab, me taking Shirone off those weird equipment, my mother speaking to me, and then the blast that destroyed that place. Following that, I ran away with Shirone, evading capture until I met Sirzechs and asked him to take Shirone.

After that, it was small flashbacks of the life I lived. Thankfully Jin didn't include everything in it, so she didn't see too many shameful parts of it, and also kept some of the more private things away from my memories retelling.

At the end of it, Shirone cried silently and hugged me. She kept on crying and apologizing to me, but I didn't blame her.

"It's okay… I'm just glad you're okay. Let's just try to repair our relationship, okay?" I asked her gently.

"…Mmm…"

I looked back at Aaron and he gave me a thumbs up while he crossed his arms. Is he trying to act cool or something…? I swear he acts like he has chuunibyou like Vali. But I'm glad he made this happen. I'm glad I could be with my sister again.

…

"I see, so the [Queen] of the Gremory peerage was his secret first lover!" I said and pointed at Akeno Himejima.

"Fufu, I didn't think Kuroka the former stray would be fawning over Jin like this," she replied.

We both stared at each other, a bit unsure of each other and a brewing sense of competition to try to get Jin's attention in the future. However, she was his lover, that much was certain—she was his first member of his harem, but I was just a glorified roommate. I was allowed to stay here.

But I understand why he refused me and I've been slowly working through that, and he was right. It was gratitude, and my own need to stop the Nekoshou from going instinct. Anytime I try to seduce him, he plays along for a little bit before stopping me. It's clear that he doesn't mind the attention, but won't go further with me.

"Hey, Akeno nya."

"What is it?"

"How can I make Jin add me to his harem?" I asked her.

"…I can't really answer that, but in the short time I knew Jin… I think he wants both parties to genuinely like each other. I think he already liked me when he first met me, hehe, maybe it was love at first sight for him?" she asked herself and blushed. It irritated me quite a bit, but he was very affectionate with her—he spoiled her a lot.

"But do you ACTUALLY have feelings for him, Kuroka? That doesn't just boil down to 'I like him because I'm no longer a stray', or 'I'm just looking for a strong guy to have babies with'? While my romance with him was fast, I did start liking him after spending a week with him. He was the only positive male I had that wasn't stoic or had no interest in the opposite sex like Kiba-kun."

I didn't know Akeno's past, but I know that she had very difficult experiences with men and only recently repaired her relationship with her father, so for her to fall for Jin this fast, I can sort of understand. The guy seems flawless at face value… almost too perfect at times.

"…"

"That silence tells me your answer then, so for now just spend time with him, and try to stop asking him for kittens all the time or constantly seducing him. That's probably one of the main reasons you have a somewhat strained relationship with him. At most you constantly want SOMETHING from him, yet he probably just wants your company and to get to know you better," she explained.

Something… food, attention, kittens with strong genes… do I even know anything about Jin after spending this short amount of time with him? I-I know he likes cooking, reading and is knowledgeable about the supernatural and wants a harem but not the reason why, but apart from that… I know nothing about him.

But he on the other hand has been trying to find out more things about me, but I've brushed it off several times. 'Now that I say it to myself… I sound like an awful person… ugh… I need to reevaluate a lot of things on my end…'

"It seems you understand what I mean, fufu. Well, we need to start somewhere, so go slowly, Kuroka."

"…Okay, I'll stop bringing up the kittens thing," I told her. I needed to get closer to him!

…

I had just told Akeno and Lavinia about my past which included my one-night stand. They offered me encouraging words and explained why I wasn't confident taking the final step with Jin, instead of judging me. Of course, not too long ago we finally became a real couple after our date, so there's that.

"So I just need timing…!" I told them.

"Or you can proceed with your usual aggressive approach," said Akeno with a wink.

"Hmm… that also could work nya," I nodded sagely to her suggestion. When I looked at Lavinia she was looking away while blushing. If we had to choose which one of us was the maiden, I would definitely choose the Ice Princess of Team Slash/Dog.

Hell, I'm more surprised she didn't gain feelings for Slash Dog-kun. No, not just her, the other two women in it either, Natsume Minagawa and Shigune Nanaderu. It's strange, but I guess it had something to do with someone named Sae since according to Vali, Tobio Ikuse and her were childhood friends.

"What about you, Lavinia?" asked Akeno.

"…Me? W-what about me?" she asked with a small stutter.

Akeno gave her a mischievous smile and started asking her questions, and Lavinia was quite flustered answering them, but it was quite clear that she was just as in love with the rest of us.

…

Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow! I get to do it with him tomorrow!

We had a small fight that lasted for a week and a few days, but we finally resolved it. Well… it was me being petty, but I felt guilty and we finally reconciled. I wonder what my mom would have said or if I asked Magari about it?

"Kuroka."

No, no, no. What would happen if I told her? How would she respond? Congratulate me? Scold me? Berate me? Tell me the most efficient way to accomplish this?

"Kuroka!"

"Nya?!" I was startled and jumped back. In front of me was Grayfia nya! "W-what is it?" I asked and she sighed at me.

"I know you're excited about whatever Jin has planned for you, but please concentrate. You asked to be help with learning how to cook and learn properly, correct?" she asked sternly while pulling my cheeks.

"A-ah, ye-yesh Gwayfia-swama," I replied.

"Fufu. She's just excited, Grayfia-san," said Ingvild.

"Regardless if she is or not, she still asked me to help her and I will do that. Even if she wants to slack off for the day," replied Grayfia. She kept watching me cook a dish from a recipe she gave me to replicate.

"Jin will like this nya… I'm trying my best, nya~"

"No complaining."

"So cruel nyaaa~~"

…

My days in his home passed by. I always wanted peace and he was working towards that. With each new alliance he made, with each new friend he made, the place he worked towards slowly became a reality. However, at the same time it also meant his harem steadily grew.

Most days I was lazy, I would just sleep, eat or watch shows on the TV. Grayfia would scold me, but I would sometimes help people with training or if he brought someone new like Asia, I brought her around Kuoh and showed her around.

"Is this fine, Kuroka-san?" Asia asked me. "Jin-san already gave me some 'pocket money' but…"

"Nyahaha~ don't worry about it. Jin gives way too much sometimes, you know? He's just showing you that he cares about you. I also got the same benefits when I first became roommates with him… though I never really noticed until he pointed it out," I admitted and laughed.

After that, Asia and I shopped around Kuoh for clothes or anything we liked. Since Asia wasn't used to living like everybody else, I had to help her a lot and get her used to things, but that was a fun experience on its own.

…

"I'm dying nya….!" I said as I lay on the ground exhausted. We were brought to Jin's [Pocket Dimension] again. This time we were going to be here for 5 years. It was the end of the first week and I was in the living room with everyone else relaxing.

"You don't need to be overdramatic, Nee-sama," said Shirone.

"I tried really hard you know, Shirone? A bit of sympathy goes a long way nya…~!" I replied, but she simply kept eating some snacks. "Ah, my heartaches because of her cruelty~ Jin please help nya…!" I said and looked up at him.

He looked at me and I began to float and he carried me. I glanced at the others with us and smirked. "I win nya~"

"Come on, be nice, we still have quite a lot of time left in here, so we're all stuck with each other until then," he told me.

"Kuroka-sama shall win the harem battle royale!" I declared!

"Why say it in third person?" he asked and laughed.

"Carry me too, Jin!"

"Ara, ara~ I want to be carried too~"

My three rivals appeared and asked to be carried! They hugged him and began pestering him! But today I won! I wooooooooooon!

…

"I lost… ugh…" I said to myself as I floated on the male's side of the open bath. Earlier Jin with Akeno to do the dirty and I wasn't invited. Normally, I would (not all the time) just barge in and force a threesome, but… she (Akeno) asked to have some alone time with him, so I obliged.

That was around an hour ago. Now they should be nearing the end, if I timed it correctly, or they've already finished and were just having some pillow talks, so that's why I'm on the male's side of the bath. So hopefully, soon he'll—

"Kuroka? What're you doing?" I heard Jin ask me!!

My eyes widened as I scrambled and looked up. He was there with Akeno; she stuck a bit of her tongue out and winked at me. Khhhhh!

"I was waiting for you nya! Hurry up!" I shouted and smacked the water beside me. The both of them joined me and when Akeno sat down in the water…

".........Is that semen nya?" I asked as some semen floated from under the water to the surface.

"Ufufufu~ I wonder~?" she said and put a hand on her cheek and blushed.

"How long?" I asked and turned to Jin.

He looked at me, then at Akeno and then at the sky. "Eight or nine hours? Give or take."

"We're doubling that for our next session!" I declared and crossed my arms proudly.

But to my surprise, Akeno wore her usual smug grin. "I heard you peed yourself for your first time?" she asked.

"…"

I lunged at Akeno and pinched her cheeks, then I started to stretch them. She did the same to me so we started to flail around the bath while mumbling obscenities at each other. Some made sense while the others were pure gibberish.

"Mweee!"

"Mweee!!"

We screamed at each other. As we continued this for the next few seconds, we failed to notice that someone else had joined us in the bath…

"What are they fighting about?" asked a familiar voice. This caused both Akeno and I to stop and stare at the person. It was Lavinia! She was already glued to Jin! This vixen just sneaked in and cosied up to him!

"Nyia (Nia)!!"

"Reni!"

"Eeeeehh?!" she was caught off-guard when we jumped towards her and started to pull her cheek. However, she didn't fight back and just showed fake tears to appeal to him and—

Bonk! Bonk!

"Enough… jeez, what is going on with you two?" he asked and chopped us on the head.

"I declare the second great war!" I shouted. Akeno squinted her eyes at me and Lavinia just seemed confused. So I forced her and Akeno into a game of rock, paper, and scissors.

In the end, I lost.

"Yaaay~!" Lavinia hugged Jin's arm. She won, but had no idea on what we were fighting over. Was this a loss? In the truest of sense…?

…

"Nya, nya~"

We've been in Jin's [Pocket Dimension]. He took us back again with no room for debate. A recent event even left him a bit paranoid and worried about our safety. No one blamed him, not even Lavinia, but he believed that it was solely his fault.

It had been around nine months since we entered and I along with many others tried to cheer him up. At times, he seems to perk up and return to how he acted. However, he tends to be silently brooding and has this scrunched up face.

I was currently rubbing myself on his lap, spoiling myself and trying to cheer him up. I reached up, grabbed his hand and put it on my breast. "Wanna rub it for a bit?" I asked.

This finally caught his attention and he looked down at me. He gave me a sad smile, cupped my cheek with the hand I forced to grope me, bent down and kissed me. "You can keep doing what you want, Kuroka. I'll just enjoy the wind for the day," he said and looked back up. He started to slowly pet me as well.

"I'll achieve that peace you want. Even if I have to change my methods—"

"No," I stopped him. I didn't want him to change the way he did things. It wouldn't be the 'Jin' we know. Even after finding out about his reincarnation and what he is, it didn't change much in how we viewed him.

"You don't need to do that. Just do what you always did, even if some won't agree with this, just keep pushing for it! If you changed to… a tyrant, that wouldn't be 'you', it would be 'someone else'… d-do you get what I mean?" I asked a bit unsure of what I said.

"Kuroka…"

I shook my head, got up and added, "I'm not the smartest person around, I realize that. But I have my own feelings and ideas, ideals and experiences. I've known you only for a few months, including the years, and I know that you would hate yourself if you became a person like that! It's not in your nature that much is obvious!"

"…Jin isn't a worthless person. Did you know? Most of the previous Red Dragon Emperors were people that drowned and lost their minds to their power. Even if one has power, if they don't have kindness, they'll definitely go out of control."

"Jin is a gentle Red Dragon Emperor. With all that power of yours, you never abused it. You used it reasonably. I personally think it's a wonderful thing. You're surely the first among the wielders... to be a gentle Red Dragon Emperor... that's why..."

I already felt tears streaming down my cheeks. I don't like showing weakness, even around the people I care about, but if it's him, I don't mind. He's been torturing himself because of his mistake, so I gave him the brightest smile I could muster.

"Please become a gentle [Welsh Dragon], the gentlest of them all."

Jin didn't say anything, he looked more shocked than anything. He closed his eyes, and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry, please don't cry, Kuroka. But… I promise you I'll stay the same person as I've ever been, even if it takes me a while to get there," he said to me.

"Mmm…"

…

"You… want to try getting a job?" asked Grayfia in shock.

"Y-yeah. I know that Jin said he didn't mind, but I feel like I shouldn't always stay in the house, you know? I mean I sometimes go out… doing the odd job around the town, but I wanted…"

I started to ramble, but Grayfia stopped me. She brought out a few job fliers and applications, explained how to go about doing it and guided me. I submitted a few job applications in Kuoh, but they never ended up anywhere. The next ones were online, but most were still jobs that were based in Kuoh, but a few were a town or two via train.

But those didn't work out well since I didn't get a second interview or got a reply after sending in my application.

After a few days of this, I was disheartened. "Ugh, none of them are working…" I complained while sitting on the couch.

"Well… if it makes it any better, I don't work, Kuroka and I don't mind," said Valerie.

"T-that doesn't really help, Valerie-chin," I replied. "Also, that's not exactly true. You make Youtube and DeviTube videos, don't you? You get help from Akeno, Rias and Ingvild with the DeviTube side of things."

"I guess I gain an income that way, ah but Gasper also helps me with that too since he manages my accounts on both," she added and giggled. "But yes, I do have a job that way. Why don't you do the same thing? You'll surely have something to add since you're both a devil and youkai, right?"

"I do have a Youtube and DeviTube account," I muttered and pulled my smartphone out and scrolled through my DeviTube app. I also checked the internet of the Underworld, questions regarding being a reincarnated devil and anything about youkais.

"I'll try it," I said and ran to my room. I didn't think it would be a good idea to record videos here, so I'll do it in my room. So I started my journey as a YouTuber and DeviTuber.

…

"Break its legs, Shirone!" I shouted from a distance. I watched my sister fight a monster along with Gabriel-sama and Asia.

"…It doesn't have legs, Nee-sama!" she shouted back.

We were brought back to Jin's [Pocket Dimension] for 15 years. We've only been here for around four years, but… since 'then' Jin started to get better and act like his old self again. Everyone can see it and we're happy for him, but now…

"…"

"You need to stop staring at documents nya~" I said to him.

"It's only for a short while longer, Kuroka. I'll spoil you once I'm done," he said and kept reading them.

"Do you think you'll win in your match?" I asked.

"…Probably," he replied sounding a bit unsure.

"Well, you already kicked his ass before, so do it again nya."

Jin laughed at this and agreed to do so. Not too long after I joined Shirone since I wanted to get stronger, and left him alone. Though he wasn't alone for too long since others joined him, it's like a stream that never ends for him.

…

"Slow, try again," said Scathach.

My entire body was already covered in touki and I was already trying to hit her as fast as possible. However, Scathach always waited until the last second to dodge. Even if my attack barely grazes her—to her, it means I failed. I don't get it. I'm technically stronger than her, right?!

"I don't get it nya…" I whined and huffed.

"Are you going to say that since you're a higher rank than me, it should be a given that you would dominate me?" she asked and I nodded. "That's a naïve way of thinking. It's true that if you managed to land a blow on me, I would be down and you would win. However, I have years of experience over you, decades of training and have built up natural instincts, Kuro. But what about you?"

"Me? U-uh…" I was sure what to say to her, I mean at best I have a few years of experience? Including the time I spent in here…

"You were trained by a Nekomata, on the run for years as a stray and a few months as a terrorist. You're self-taught on other things, and had a few years of training in this place. However, most of the other time you're lazing around or eating food. I on the other hand constantly train my body and mind. Don't you think there's a stark difference?" she asked.

"W-well, if you say it like that then yeah, I have to agree…" I replied and looked away.

"We've been here six years, Kuroka. We have nine years left. Keep training. You already know the reason why Jin brought us, here don't you? We're all aware of it," she said and kind of glared at me.

I know that! I'm well aware of that…

"Fine… I'll try harder from now on ma'am."

"Good. Try again."

I changed into a stance and covered my entire body with touki. I don't like violence or fighting, but if it's for the sake of getting stronger and making the world a peaceful place, then I guess I'll have to do it!

…

"Break his legs!" I shouted as I watched the exhibition match between Jin and Sairaorg. We were all in a VIP booth in the Underworld, and this had to be one of the biggest events in a while.

The both of them had been exchanging blows for a while, and Jin seemed to have the upper hand, but it seemed Sairaorg was angry with him, and they were just staring at each other.

[What is this?! Both of them have stopped moving and are just staring at each other!] the announcer shouted.

But after a few seconds, an enormous pillar of light erupted from Aaron and kept on expanding. I wouldn't be surprised if it consumed the entire Underworld. Once the light died down, he was in completely different armor.

The light felt warm and comforting, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one to feel that way because there were a lot of people around me who looked the same way. They were smiling—almost in relief, some silently crying. But I smiled brightly at this…

[Oooo! What is this?! The Dual Dragon Emperor was suddenly enveloped in a bright pillar of light and his armor changed! Could this be the rumored [Queen] form?!]

The two of them exchanged a few words before they started to brawl on the battlefield… it looked like—

[It's a fist fight! An incredibly impressive fist fight is occurring in the center of the field! It doesn't have any magnificent tactics, it's not a fight of fine-tuned demonic powers, it's a close-range fight like a children's brawl!]

It's as the announcer said, it's a children's fist fight. The two exchanged heated and passionate blows, and I'm certain Jin was smiling like an idiot just like Sairaorg right now under that helmet.

[[[[[[[[[[Sairaorg! Sairaorg!]]]]]]]]]]

[[[[[[[[[[Oppai-Dragon! Ketsu-Dragon!]]]]]]]]]]

Everyone in the room started to shout and cheer for the both of them too. We were just as excited as the crowd and I can say for certain—whoever Jin met up until now was also cheering for him. Whoever he meets, if they have no ill intent, he will befriend them. I think, apart from wanting a harem, Jin wants a lot of friends too… we don't know what happened to him in his past life, but I think he wanted friends.

…And after a short while…

[Sairaorg Bael loses! He retires! The winner from the exhibition match is… Jin Skyward! The Dual Dragon Emperor!] The final announcement is made, and the stadium became filled with the cheers of the audience.

Afterward, he came to our VIP room and we all jumped on him. I didn't understand what we were saying. Most of it was just a jumble of words asking him if he was okay, or what his plans were after this. But we were all just happy that he was back to his old self.

…

"How's the Youtube and DeviTube coming along, Kuroka?" asked Ingvild and Valerie.

"Nya? A-ah… w-well, it's actually going pretty well. My first video on DeviTube was basically calling any Nekomata to join me on my quest to unite our race! B-but… in the end most people just laughed at it, but there were a few Nekomata who contacted me. After that I just did some videos on how things may change when you reincarnate as a devil and they're doing decently well," I explained to them.

"But you haven't stopped putting out applications, right?" asked Grayfia.

"I-I have."

"Why?"

"Because Jin said that I can work for him once his restaurant opens! So that's why…!" I got on all fours and did a dogeza. "Grayfia-nya, please help me get better at whatever skills I need for that job!"

She didn't answer me right away, but I felt her gaze on me the entire time. I had continued my training under her the entire time, even in the [Pocket Dimension], but it wasn't as extreme or was it scheduled everyday so I had a lot of time for myself to relax and slack off, but I did train more thanks to what Scathach said to me.

"I will increase the intensity even more, Kuroka. Are you sure you can handle it?" she asked.

"I will endure it nya!"

Again, silence, I glanced at Valerie and Ingvild who were here with us, both of them were smiling at me… I don't know what that means!!

"Fine. I will have to help you and Inaie, however, Raiko will also help with this training. I will not go easy on you," she declared.

"Y-yes nya…"

I was beginning to regret my decision now…

…

Jin, Asia and Raynare came back from Ireland and now the goddess called Áine was having her trial for betraying the alliance. Knowing Jin, he will try to find a way to give her a second chance, because we heard of her past from Asia and Raynare.

While she did it out of grief and her own problems, she still betrayed the alliance, so she will still need to be punished appropriately. However, seeing as how both Asia and Raynare asked Jin to be lenient with him, they're both hopeful.

Suddenly, the door opened and out came Jin, Raynare, Asia and Áine. The goddess walked away from us and leaned against the wall by herself. But Asia walked over to her and started talking to her. She looked troubled but seemed to relax when speaking to Asia.

Jin teased Raynare a bit and spoke with Akeno. I was curious so I went over to the goddess and the nun.

"You're the Irish goddess nya?"

"N-nya? Why did you meow?" the goddess asked.

"She just speaks like that, Áine-san!" explained Asia and the goddess nodded.

"I am, well, I don't feel like one—well I haven't felt like one in years, I feel like a sham…" she said and sighed.

"Áine-san, positive thinking! If you keep thinking like that, you won't ever move on! Also, we have to be optimistic. It seems the leaders in there are a lot more open than I thought!" said Asia as she pumped her fists.

The goddess with us didn't know how to respond to that, so she just awkwardly agreed with her. I guess she's not good at dealing with people like Asia who are super honest with their feelings and is genuinely positive most of the time.

"What do you want out of this, Áine-chin?" I asked her.

"…I don't know. I know that I need to be punished, but I don't want to be locked up forever, unable to do anything, but if I am… I would understand. Executed? Maybe, though I'm not sure if that's still a thing in the supernatural world in this day and age. But I wouldn't mind dying since I hurt a lot of people over the years, but…"

She scrunched up her face and looked bothered by something. I don't know her past—Asia, Raynare and Jin probably do, but the rest of us don't. But whatever is troubling her… she can move on from it. I mean, even if she's lived more lifetimes than me, I think everyone can move on from whatever is troubling them. However, I think that's just Jin's influence speaking, but at the same time I also really believe it.

"Dying isn't the solution, Áine. You're older than me, and have been alive longer than me. However, I think—to the people you truly cared for over the years, I don't think they would want you to die. They'd definitely want you to live your most fulfilling life, even if it starts from now on. If you can't live for yourself right now, then live for Jin. He'll definitely give you a reason. It may not be the healthiest way of coping, but… it's a start, right?" I told her and she looked sadly at me.

"Hey, let's go," said Jin behind us. We turned to see him gesturing to the meeting room.

"Well, just think about it, Áine-chin. This little kitty has had her own experiences after all," I said and grinned. She smiled at me and nodded before leaving with Asia. Jin gave me a questioning look but I just shook my head.

Hopefully I helped her a little bit.

…

"He's traveling to a couple of places nya. The Egyptian realm, Ireland and then to the Slavic gods, so he'll be busy for the next few days," I told Yasaka and Kunou. My day off from Grayfia gave me the opportunity to visit the duo, as well as bring Inaie along.

"I see, he's very busy then. Ara, I wanted to see him and speak with him, and not just through text. It's also a pleasure seeing you again, Inaie," said Yasaka.

"Mmm! It's been a while since he came back home!" added Kunou as she crossed her arms. She was sitting on Inaie's lap as the hybrid patted Kunou's head and played with her ears and tail.

"Yes, it's nice meeting you again Yasaka-san and Kunou-chan," replied Inaie.

They met each other briefly after Inaie moved in since they decided to visit. They interacted a little bit, but not by much. In any case, it looked like they got along, so I didn't have to break any ice between them.

"You can always visit us too nya. You do have the door after all," I told them.

"I know, but running a faction by myself isn't easy. Even when Sharon is with us, with all the things happening lately… I only think it'll start to increase in the coming weeks," she said rather worriedly.

"Well, we'll just kick their asses when we see them again! We did it back then and we'll keep doing it once we completely destroy their organization!" I declared confidently. The alliance and Jin will achieve it, and then we'll have peace! Well, not 'True' peace, but close to it!

"Ara, ara~ that is absolutely true. By the way, Kuroka… has Jin proposed to you yet?" asked Yasaka.

"Eh? W-why do you ask that?" I asked her.

"I heard that he proposed to Akeno recently, but…" she showed us a magic circle and some memories. "He actually proposed to me first, ufufufu," she said proudly!

"Nyhat?! He asked you first?! You old ha—wonderful faction leader!" I flinched back when she gave me 'that' look.

"Well, Akeno, you and Lavinia were the first to be with him. So it makes sense he proposes to you three first, right? Even though most of Jin's actions do not seem to have a rhyme or reason, fufu. I guess you just need to wait for him to propose to you now, won't you?"

I just looked at the ground when she said that. Jin loves me, I know he does, so he'll eventually propose to me. B-but he did make Shirone immortal before me… no, no, I shouldn't be jealous of my own precious little sister. I just need to wait…

"Kuroka, can we go around Kyoto? I wanna see this place!" asked Inaie.

"I will do it for you, Inaie!" said Kunou as she looked up at her. "Kuroka can also be there! We did go around ourselves a few months ago!"

"Nyahaha~ sure thing. Let's show Inaie-chin the wonders of Kyoto~!"

"Yeah!"

"Y-you don't mind, right?" I asked Yasaka who nodded.

"Fufu, go have fun then, dear. Just make sure to be back before a certain time, okay?" said Yasaka.

"Mmm!"

…

"What are you doing nya?" I asked Aaron. We were back in the [Pocket Dimension] again, but this time, we'd be here for 100 years.

Right now, it was night time and we had been in here for around thirty years. I had come out here to look for Aaron since he wasn't in his home, and I found him near one of the lakes or bodies of water he made for Ingvild to train with.

"…Kuroka. I was just looking at the lake, seeing if I made it a perfect replica or not, and I was debating with the two dragons and Cúntóir."

[Faaaaaaaaaaakeeeee!!]

{It's real…}

Cúntóir: Answer: Fufu…

His back glowed and the right of his right hand glowed with the two voices of the Heavenly Dragon arguing with each other.

"As you can see, it's mostly these two screaming and Cúntóir encouraging it," he said tiredly.

"Well, dinner is ready nya, so let's go home nya~"

As I was about to turn around and walk back, he grabbed my arm and hugged me from behind! Nyaaa?!

"W-what's wrong nya?" I asked stuttering a little. "Don't tell me…! Hot outdoor sex?!"

"…Please wait a little longer. I know you're waiting for me to ask you too," he whispered to me.

"Ah… n-no, it's fine, Aaron. I'll even wait forever!"

"You don't need to wait that long, but I'll ask you and Shirone together. I just want good timing this time around," he explained.

"O-okay, but hurry, okay nya?! Anyway, let's go back and have dinner I'm—" before I could finish, my stomach growled and I blushed quite hard.

"…Yeah, let's head back," he said and we held hands as we walked back. "…You're still quite a glutton though."

"Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Don't bring that up now! We just had a moment!"

"Ruined by your stomach's growl," he added and snickered.

"Ugh… I sometimes hate my bottomless stomach…"

…

"The food here is great nya…" I said as I rolled around the coach. "We get to eat more tomorrow nya~"

"Is that why you plan on not eating much for dinner?" asked Suzaku.

"Yes, I want to eat more street food and go to other restaurants and diners here," I replied.

"Hmm. Please keep it in moderation, Kuroka. If you get food poisoning or get an upset stomach it would be bad since…"

"I know, I know, I won't go overboard, I promise," I replied and waved her off. Suzaku is like Grayfia, but a lot more forgiving and less strict! She's just like Akeno too, but I guess less lewd and has a cuter side.

Both Shirone and Gabriel-sama are asleep so we left them be since Aaron headed out to meet up with someone. It was probably one of the gods since they were looking at him quite a lot earlier in the day. I looked at Suzaku who had sat down with Gabriel-sama and started to stroke her hair. It makes me wonder how she'll be when she's a mother.

I met Shuri a few times and she's a strong woman, even if she's not 'powerful'. She can control a lot of people, her husband, Akeno, Suzaku, Lavinia, Asia, and even Aaron at times. Though he's probably like that to her since he lacks a mother figure—no, probably a parental figure most of his life.

Though, I would be the same, but I guess I became more independent as time passed on, and maybe… I saw Magari as more of a mother figure than Shuri, in a way, Shuri is probably like an aunt to me. She does treat us nicely though, especially Shirone.

"Suzaku, can I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Hmm? Of course, Kuroka," she replied and smiled at me.

"…Aaron likes you and Lavinia's smiles the most," I replied bluntly. That wasn't even what I wanted to say, but it just came out. She looked at me confused and I shook my head. "I'm sorry, that's not what I meant to say. In any case, how did Aaron propose to you?" I asked.

But to my surprise, Suzaku giggled at herself. "He did it so randomly, there was no build-up or romantic atmosphere. However, maybe Lavinia shared the same sentiment as me, though we can't ask her since she's waiting outside for Aaron. But we simply don't care how he does it, we just want to be with him. You feel that way too, right? If you don't then it's normal since most women want a romantic proposal," she said.

"Ugh… if you say it like that, it makes me feel shallow…"

Suzaku waved her hands in front of her and said, "No, no, I didn't mean to make it sound like that. I'm sorry. Despite the fact that we're 'that', we may not see the necessity for things of that nature to be 'magical', but you, who he met naturally without having 'that' attached to them, may feel differently. I'm sorry, that's the best way I can explain it," she apologized.

"No nya, I think I get what you mean."

Because those two are the 'Fated Ones' and they just want to be with him, maybe like on a fundamental level or something, while me and the other girls want it to be more romantic or I guess have more meaning since we're just normal romances or something like that. Argh… this is getting complicated.

"I'll just wait…!" I said and closed my eyes.

…

"…This is why the Middleman doesn't love you, you fucking whore! I overheard it! He hasn't proposed to you yet, right? Hahahaha! Pathetic, a bitch like you with a past like you—he'll never love you—either of you!" shouted Kiyoshi with rage, but also mockingly, trying to rub us the wrong way.

Both us stopped talking to each other and stared silently at Kiyoshi.

"Nee-sama, can I kill him myself?" asked Shirone as she put her phone away.

"No, no, no, Shirone. Older sibling privilege, right?" I replied.

Excuse you! Like you would know anything about romance! You're a damn cripple! Especially emotionally crippled! We both know that Aaron loves us! Fuck you! Unable to contain our anger, we quickly killed him and I brought his head with me. Maybe in death he can be useful to Aaron.

Hearing an idiot like him spout nonsense like that really fouled my mood, and I think it did the same thing to Shirone.

"Don't listen to him, he's just spouting nonsense," I told my little sister. The shadow soldiers then told us to go meet up with Aaron and we did just that.

…

When we got back to Sewkusta there weren't too many enemies here since most were being killed by Aaron's shadow soldiers and the other women who had already arrived here. Shirone entered her [Shirone Mode] and flew away and started to kill a bunch of mecha soldiers from the Evie faction.

"I might as well join too," I thought and changed into my new form. I hadn't given it a name but [Magnya Mode]! It sounds horrible, but it's the best I can come up with. Maybe I should ask the others first… okay, fine, [Magnya Mode] is a temporary name! Who am I even arguing with?!

My hair turned white, and my eyes turned red. Summoning my 16 wings, I flew away and quickly dealt with the other half of the enemies that Shirone left for me. In the distance, it looked like Lavinia finished her own fight and flew towards us.

"Are you two okay?" she asked.

"We should be asking you that nya!" I shouted back and pointed at her eyes. However, she smiled and tilted her head and didn't check!

"Let's get rid of the rest and join Aaron," said Lavinia and we agreed and killed the rest of the invaders.

…

"Nyo? Nya? Nyeh?" I woke up, but to my surprise, everyone else was missing. But… I could smell a delicious aroma that was coming from downstairs. "We're still in the Hindu realm, right…? It felt like I had a very long dream there…" I mumbled to myself and got up.

I quickly got into the shower that was in the same floor as me, and took one. Once done I left for downstairs. When I got there, Suzaku and Aaron were making breakfast for everyone, so I sat down beside Shirone and hugged her. She played with a handheld gaming console.

"When did you get that?" I asked still sleepy.

"Aaron brought it for me a few weeks ago," she replied. I glanced at the game and it was JerryKart. What a strange choice… there are better racing games, Shirone…

"I see. Aaron nya, are we returning home immediately after breakfast?" I asked.

"Depending on the answer of a god, we'll leave immediately or stay for a few hours or a few minutes," he replied.

Prithvi Mata who was with us added, "He probably wants to ask to go to the Ocean of Milk. I don't know why he's obsessed with it though, but if he does get permission, we may spend a few minutes or however how long he wants to stay there for today."

"I'm sorry Aaron," said Lavinia as she hugged him from behind.

"Huh?" he replied.

"I'm sorry we can't produce milk yet…!" said Lavinia and hugged him tighter.

"Pfft—W-what the hell are you talking about…?!" he asked shocked.

"That's why you want to go there, right?" Lavinia asked confused.

"No… I just wanted to see it for myself, jeez, Nia. How in the world did you come to that conclusion?" he asked as he kept on cooking. Suzaku was silently giggling to herself after she heard Lavinia ask that.

"Oh… but when I do get pregnant, I'll tell you first, and you can have as much milk as you want!" Lavinia declared to him.

Aaron just looked troubled and shook his head.

"Me too!" added Gabriel.

"You're corrupting her, Lavinia!" I shouted and pointed at the Seraph who just smiled at us.

"As chaotic as ever," said Prithvi as she watched the scene in front of her.

"Fufu, well it's always been like this. Come visit our home in Kuoh if you can," said Gabriel.

"Hehe, I might."

…

We arrived at the meeting place again, but this time it was only Shiva, Indra, Vishnu, and Brahma there. The Trimurti were here along with the King of Heaven. Even though they were there for the meeting, it felt a little more tense today since it was just them and Sakra.

"Yo, Oppai Dragon of Justice! I had a blast last night. Anyway, Prithvi-chan said you wanted to ask me for something? Is it a favor? Are you already asking to use it?" he asked. "Well, whatever, it is I'll honor our bet. But go ahead, shoot."

"I was curious about the Kshira Sagara, or Ocean of Milk. Is it possible to go there?" Aaron asked Indra.

"Ah, you want to go there, huh? Makes sense, you are the Oppai Dragon… I wonder what would happen if you consumed breast milk…?" he asked himself and looked up at the ceiling.

"He may gain new powers," added Vishnu.

"Is it possible for evolution to occur?" asked Brahma.

"Maybe even an entirely different form? The Breast Armor form?" added Shiva.

However, as they said that, Aaron's lips twitched. I don't think anything too drastic will happen if he drank some breastmilk, but you never know… it might have some kind of profound effect on him… like those Chinese cultivation novels!

"His abilities might evolve from the [Breast Techniques] to the [Breast Milk Techniques]," mumbled Gabriel as if she had just reached enlightenment.

"Oh! The Seraph might have cracked the code there!" exclaimed Indra. "But… you visit it, but not for today, I need to check over it for something. We, the Hindu gods nearly started another war over that milk, you know? It's a place of neutrality now, not including… well, everywhere now since we signed that contract for the alliance," he added.

"Hmm. Is that so? I'll come back another time then… well, we'll return home then. Thanks for having us," said Aaron.

"Sure thing! I want to fight you again in the future!" shouted Indra. For a moment Aaron gained a thoughtful looked and turned back to them.

He then told them that there was the possibility of an International Rating Game tournament, and at the end of it, he would grant the winner a single wish as well as let them fight him and his own team.

"Anyone can enter?" asked Shiva.

"There will be rules, limits and regulations, but yes, anyone can enter, and there are also rules on the wishes I can grant, so no world destruction or anything like that."

"Nice! Alright! I'll participate in it then. I can't wait for it," said Indra, his excitement rising.

"Right… anyway, goodbye for now and take care," Aaron said again and turned to leave. The gods there also saw us off. Once we left the room and were down on the ground, we said our goodbyes to Prithvi.

"Fufu. Well, I'll see Jin here soon," she said, winked and disappeared.

Aaron shook his head and we finally left for home.

…