Chapter 3 - Sensei is afraid of his potential disciple robbing his house​

Yasaka POV –

"I messed up."

I felt like huffing in exasperation but didn't. After all, my dear husband finally decided to stop pouting, no matter how much he denied doing so, and started talking about whatever was bothering him. 

"Something happened to the sisters of the two Maou?" 

It felt unlikely even as the words escaped my mouth. After all, the entire reason I even asked him to go to Kuoh was to prevent them from coming to harm in Shinto territory. 

The Kami were sort of callous about small changes in the human realm, having leased the land to the devils without care for consequences in the worst case, while the five Principal Clans would like nothing more than devils, and various others, to be wiped out.

It left us, the Yokai, to secretly protect the two princesses, lest the devil's big stick came knocking on our door for misguided revenge one day.

…I know that their three factions had more-or-less stopped hostilities, but that was no reason for them to let the kids out into the open world without a single chaperone! What if some lunatic decided to start a war on a whim?! After all, it was not like the supernatural world was lacking in those kinds of people. And killing those two was the obvious choice in that regard. 

…

My husband pinched his nose bridge and said tiredly. "No, they're fine. Like you asked, I just watched over the kids from afar. Removed certain elements that would have been too dangerous for them, like I told you before. What I forgot…" he uttered the word with clenched teeth, paused, and took a deep breath. Exhaling, he continued.

"What I had forgotten," he uttered again, self-mockery lacing his words, "was the danger of these elements on the humans. I let some two-winged fallen angels squatting in Kuoh go unchecked since I thought that they were too weak to be a threat to the devil kids."

He suddenly looked very tired… just like when I had first met him. "I let them be, and it ended up scarring a child's heart. Just a teenage girl yearning for affection, easily giving her heart to another, only for a sick, depraved fallen to drag those feelings into the mud."

He let out a bitter, hollow chuckle. "Then I found out that I was being a negligent teacher as well, somehow missing the signs of bullying that she was suffering at school… The alienation, feelings of inadequacy, and finally the betrayal made quite a violent cocktail of feelings."

Huffing, he nearly pinched his thumb and index finger together. "This close… she was this close to going Juggernaut Drive in the middle of school. All because I terribly mishandled her situation." 

My breath hitched at that term, and my face paled, only to feel hubby's warm hand holding mine tightly. Smiling slightly, he reassured me. "Do not worry. Your husband isn't that weak. It's just… I regret that things even arrived at such a point." 

His hand left mine, using it to massage his eyes tightly. He spoke again, his voice a bit hoarse.

…

"For someone who cursed the gods so vehemently for not helping him… when I saw that child bitterly crying her heart out, all I could do was lament my hypocrisy."

…

What could I even say in this situation? His past was still like a powdered keg, and whatever words of consolation I had, they had long been used. So I chose the only option visible… I deflected.

"Hmm, the fallen angel case aside, it is not much of a surprise that you couldn't pick up on the bullying. After all, you're too much of a straightforward person. A musclehead. My himbo~"

He obviously realized my intentions. His eyes widened and he sighed. Then looking towards my stomach, he gave me a sorry look. I just smiled brightly at him.

Silly hubby forgets that I'm an Ultimate Class after all. As if I'd let our child be affected by anything.

Huffing, he shook his head and mumbled to himself, 'I'm not that bad, am I?'

I held back a chuckle, remembering all those occasions when little Kunou had her daddy wrapped around her little finger. Even now, she was happily sleeping 'on her rightful throne', as he used his other hand to caress her head. 

And if the human kids were even remotely similar to the Yokai ones, they must be doing everything covertly enough.

Not that explaining as such to him would help relieve his guilt.

"So… the Red Dragon Empress of this generation, huh? What was the school situation about though?"

"She likes girls… with a bit over-the-top affection for breasts."

…

I blinked. My mouth paused in incredulity, all words dying in my throat.

I think I heard him wrong. It couldn't be, right? A town at the least would have been wiped off the map of Japan were hubby not there, plus the possibility of another Great War.

All because some people couldn't accept that a girl liked other girls. Also, was there even someone who didn't like breasts?!

For a country of people that was famously known for tentacle porn, how the hell were they simultaneously such prudes in public?!

'I think I might have a brain aneurysm if I keep thinking about this.'

I looked pleadingly at hubby who was also looking at me with a wry smile on his face. He continued, "If it were just that, the situation would probably not have been that bad. I think. Or rather, I hope."

"But then… there seems to have been an incident where two boys from her class were trying to peep at some girls changing. By some bad luck, the poor girl was caught with them when she was apparently questioning their motive, which cemented her image among them as a deviant."

"They didn't believe her?"

He shrugged and frowned. "You should know as well. People believe what they want to believe. Those two boys though… I'll see about their situation later."

Oh. Someone's definitely going to have a hard time later~ I thought in schadenfreude. 

"So then… what are you going to do now? Going to take the girl under your wing? Let the devils take her? Really, the girl will thrive anywhere but the human world… you did something." I narrowed my eyes as I saw him fidgeting. 

"Look at me, mister. Good. Now, what did you do?" 

I huffed. And he says, 'I'm not that bad.'

It's written on your face that you did something.

"I might have given her a boost when I was healing her… and I might have fed her the concoction that I use."

My right eye twitched. "Your jokes are terrible."

He pouted.

Ignore his heartbroken appearance, Yasaka. Ignore his puppy dog eyes. You're doing this for his own good! You have to stop him before he reaches the level of dad jokes!

"Also, are you trying to create another monster? Will you even be able to stop her if she actually goes Juggernaut Drive someday?!" 

"It's not that bad, is it?"

"Says the Maou of Physical strength."

"Geh."

…

"Anyway, I figured I'd train her in martial arts, to the extent that she wants to learn. The devils… well, it's her own choice whatever faction she wants to join. After all, between the atrocities that every faction seems keen to commit, even the term devil seems superfluous. Except that though…" 

"Hmm… what is it?"

"It's just… I wanted to ask if it was possible to ask about the girl's fortune in love…"

"Oh…"

"Yasaka?"

"Ah, it's nothing. Just that Inari-sama visited me last night in my dream, and just said 'Golden Hair,' and that the payment had already been taken… Hubby?"

Eyes twitching, he kept looking between me and little Kunou, mumbling, 'Is my damn disciple trying to steal from her sensei's house?'

"Ppft…" I tried to hold back my laughter, sure of the fact that if it weren't for Kunou's presence, he would have already gone to the girl's house to have some choice words about how his darling Kunou was out of bounds.

…