69. Expanding Business.

Kouske's POV

I was helping Sakuya make breakfast when we noticed Serafall standing outside our house, nonchalantly using the doorbell outside the barrier and main gate as if nothing had happened. The audacity of this gal!

She had actually attempted to break in three times before when we weren't at home. When her teleportation failed, she tried to breach the barrier, but anything less than her strongest attack couldn't make a dent in it.

But her strongest attack could have blown the city to smithereens. Despite my gesture of disabling the auto curse system on the barrier, she was acting as if she had done nothing wrong. So, I went outside to meet her.

"Good morning, Kouske-kun! How have you been? I've missed you!" Serafall greeted with false innocence.

"Good morning. Are you planning another break-in attempt today?" I replied evenly, staring at her.

"W-what are you talking about?" she stammered, glancing around nervously.

Giving her a pointed look, I allowed her to enter before heading back inside.

"Watch out for the curses. They can be quite nasty," I remarked, sensing her discomfort as she checked herself for curses with spells.

"If you don't know, I disabled the curses. No need to worry," I added with a smirk, irritated by her presence.

Leading her to the meeting room, I took a seat on the sofa.

"Please, have a seat. Would you like some coffee? You're here so early in the morning. What brings you?" I inquired, though I already had an inkling.

"A cup of coffee would be nice. You have a lovely home," Serafall replied, switching to her casual magical girl demeanor, ignoring our earlier conversation.

"Okay. It's unusual to see you here, especially after your previous attempts. You must have something on your mind. Let's get to it," I said, mentally telling Sakuya to bring coffee and snacks.

As Serafall attempted to make small talk to put me at ease and possibly extract information, I couldn't conceal my annoyance knowing her intentions. Consequently, our conversation didn't proceed as smoothly as she might have expected.

After some time, Sakuya arrived with snacks, and Serafall's expression was priceless—her eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets. Sakuya handed us the snacks and left without saying much, leaving Serafall staring at us as if she'd seen a ghost. I sneakily took some pictures of her gobsmacked face before she snapped out of it.

"Kouske-kun! Who is she?" Serafall asked, pointing in the direction Sakuya had left.

"Sakuya? She's my maid," I replied nonchalantly, inwardly amused by Serafall's reaction.

Serafall continued to inquire about Sakuya, growing more and more confused with my vague responses. She seemed to be drawing her own conclusions in her head. Then, out of nowhere, I presented my Sabnock Clan Head magic circle to her, leaving her even more bewildered. I even crafted some weapons using the bloodline ability that was believed to be extinct.

"Why do you have that? Who are you?!" she demanded, her tone serious.

I quickly fabricated a story about my devil mother and other matters before realizing it was time for school. Secretly relieved by the distraction, I had no intention of satisfying Serafall's curiosity after her three burglary attempts without any remorse. Until she apologized, I wouldn't provide her with more information. Yes, I can be quite petty.

"I'm afraid I must head to school now, Sera. We can continue this discussion later," I declared, teleporting her outside before she could respond. As she vanished, I showcased the Beelzebub Clan's ability, King of Flies, which only added to her bewilderment. She hadn't even gotten to the reason for her visit, likely to inquire about Akatsuki and the powerful barrier. Over the next few days, I avoided her like the plague!

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After that, I met up with James. He may be a bit of an idiot, but he still has some useful connections. So, I recruited him to start working on building an information network, no matter how small it starts. In a few years, it will definitely be worth the effort.

The meeting and deal with Azazel and the Nakiri Clan went smoothly. We finalized contracts and signed them, agreeing on a set amount of potions to be sold over the next five years at a fixed price. It's a reasonable quantity, not too much or too little. If they need more, they'll have to purchase from my upcoming website launching next month. I set my prices lower than what Phenex charges Devils for Phenex Tears.

Surprisingly, the Nakiri Clan Head was courteous and appreciative, despite belonging to the Five Principal Clans. During the meeting, I noticed a shy girl sneakily observing from a distance—it added a fun twist to the atmosphere.

Azazel continues to be relaxed and casual around me these days, though I'm not sure if it's genuine or just an act. He seems open and unguarded. Shemhazai is quiet and reserved, while Penemue comes off as cold and honestly kind of scary, yet undeniably sexy.

I've also had the chance to meet some of the other Cadres, but I haven't encountered Baraqiel yet; he's probably with his wife. Many of the fallen angels seemed frightened upon seeing me in Grigori Headquarters. I could sense silent hostility and fear from them, likely stemming from the video of my defeat of their Cadres.

Fortunately, I haven't crossed paths with Satanael or Kokabiel. They're still recovering, and Azazel probably prefers to keep us apart.

I've started going through the data from Satanael and the information Azazel has shared with me. Learning alongside Azazel doesn't mean I'll receive direct step-by-step guidance; instead, I have to learn by observing his research and working alongside him. It's proving to be a challenging and stressful process.

The situation is that while Azazel concentrated on replicating sacred gears similar to Yehweh's methods, Satanael's research delved extensively into creating parasitic-type sacred gears and harnessing monsters' powers for this purpose. This direction explains Satanael's involvement with the Utsusemi organization in developing those grotesque parasitic creatures. Despite this, Azazel remains significantly ahead of Satanael in his research progress.

There was an interesting incident involving Kokabiel—they used a snake's tongue, using a Phenex Tear, to repair his damaged tongue. Phenex Tears can't regrow organs but can connect them if there's some compatibility. Surprisingly, the snake's tongue was more compatible than human or fallen organs. Kokabiel adamantly refused human organs, so a Grigori doctor cleverly used the snake's tongue when he found a match.

Unfortunately, the doctor is now on the run, and I pray for his safety.

During this time, I also met Cleria and her peerage. They had seen the video, and Mark seemed nonchalant about it. He seems like a great bro. We all gathered for dinner and conversation, with Rangiku and me playfully flirting and trying to outsmart each other through teasing while Cleria and Maria blushed like tomatoes, although Cleria was trying to keep a composed demeanor. Juvia was quietly observing everything as she read her books.

Meanwhile, Navirose gave me a hungry look—not the kind of look I preferred, but one that was for battle. I had promised her a spar the next time we met, and we eventually had several intense sparring sessions. Despite winning due to my superior strength and speed, I realized she possessed superior sword skills compared to mine. Hiroshi-san was said to be an even better swordsman, so I saw sparring with Navirose as an opportunity to hone my skills and perhaps learn from her using the Sabnock Bloodline ability. We arranged to spar weekly, sometimes inviting others to join, making this period eventful and beneficial for my growth.

After that, I provided more sacred gear-detecting devices to Yama-san and his crew, instructing them to report any devices that reacted. My goal was to recruit slowly, so I emphasized focusing only on specific areas I designated—ones outside supernatural jurisdiction, making it easier to operate without getting caught, thanks to information from James.

To safeguard against theft or tampering, I enchanted the devices with spells. If stolen or tampered with, they would teleport directly to me. I realized I was pushing them hard, even sending them to international borders, and felt a twinge of guilt for the strain I was putting them under.

However, the effort paid off as the crime rate due to the Yakuza dropped by 40% compared to previous years in Japan. I also found myself gaining a reputation akin to a demon or a don within the Yakuza community, instilling genuine fear in them.

I finally used the Falna on everyone. The only ones I used it directly on were Sakuya and Uncle Leon. I had the fortune of seeing her as red as a tomato. I designated Sakuya as a 'Moderator' in the Falna system, allowing her to freely bless others with Falna on her own. Sakuya took this opportunity to bless all the girls in my house alongside Aunt Arene, Asagi, and Momo with Falna. I also bestowed the Falna upon James and Yama-san. Both of them were shocked and exhilarated by the sudden surge of power coursing through their veins. I had to 'gently' stop their overthinking and 'kindly' show them how dangerous the supernatural world can be.

Blessing Yama-san with Falna wasn't a spontaneous decision. That guy has genuinely earned a bit of my trust. He's level-headed and carries out my orders without question. He's content as the leader of the Yakuza and is gradually halting their illegal activities. Perhaps he could prove even more valuable to me in the future.

I also continued my discussions with Serafall after a month. By then, my products were being marketed on DeviNet, and customers used race-specific methods to verify their identities—noble devils with magic circles, commoner devils demonstrating their demonic auras, and other races with similar processes online. During purchases, 'Vrita's Magic Circle' will confirm their identities, and I imposed limits on quantities to prevent hoarding. Goods were delivered through the same magic circle after successful transactions.

I sold a variety of fruits, vegetables grown in the Demiplane, and healing potions on my website, with plans to introduce rare potions like soul-nourishing potions gradually. Each product had ranks from F(-) to B(+) and a description indicating value, potency, taste, and scarcity. There are also higher-ranked goods, but they will not be sold for a long time, or perhaps never.

Initially, people doubted my products' authenticity, but with support from the Nakiris and Grigori, wealthier supernatural figures purchased and confirmed their validity, boosting sales. James managed media relations while I used my reputation on the website. Despite struggles to meet demand, I received help from Esri and Yama-san, who sent people who were then also contracted through my Taming skill. Sakuya and others also assisted. I couldn't keep up with demand alone, hoping to resolve this by recruiting more members.

Through 'Obseve', I discovered some foods contained Gourmet Cells that could awaken them in others with significant consumption. Though it was still just a probability. So these foods were set aside, while others offered health benefits like fast healing, increased mana, or an increase in affinity with certain elements—alongside having a delicious taste. I increased prices for these special foods, detailing benefits on the website. Skeptics believed after lab results confirmed the claims, realizing they couldn't replicate these foods outside my Demiplane as these were made from literally just my imagination. I changed the Miyamura house's diet and frequently supplied these to my close acquaintances.

Due to the sudden success of Akatsuki's website, Serafall approached me again, understanding the reason behind my avoidance. So she offered a reluctant apology, feigning remorse with fake tears as she pouted cutely. Annoyed, I also withheld details about Akatsuki whenever she asked a question. Serafall then shifted to my heritage—the extinct Sabnock lineage. Being a Sabnock descendant inheriting this lost bloodline and a Beelzebub descendant would cause significant upheaval in the Underworld.

We decided to keep this a secret to avoid scrutiny and potential exploitation by the devil council. Otherwise, according to Serafall, the devil council would try to manipulate and exploit me, treating me like a breeding horse for heirs. While I believe I could handle them, I'd prefer not to deal with them right now. My focus is on establishing Akatsuki and my business. Additionally, I need to recruit researchers and alchemists, and study chemistry, medicine, blacksmithing, and engineering to fully leverage the Sabnock Bloodline. I'll need to buy a thought-accelerating skill to cope, especially since I was just a normal Chemistry Major student in my previous life.

I reminded Serafall about my involvement with Akatsuki. She tried to reason with me talking about my racial duties, but ultimately understood my stance. I tried to make her promise not to disclose my situation to the other Satans for a few years. Her stance on this will affect my trust in her and the devil faction as a whole.

She argued that as a Satan, she had a duty and responsibility to at least inform the other Satans about me and preach about how great they are. After some negotiation, we agreed she could inform the three Satans without revealing my location or arranging a meeting for now. I want to be more prepared before meeting Ajuka.

Serafall even brought me books about blacksmithing. She seemed very interested in Sakuya and was shocked to learn that Sakuya was actually fully human and totally unrelated to Grayfia. I'm curious to see both of them meeting face-to-face, particularly Grayfia's reaction, given Sakuya's knowledge of her.

I also met Saibai and contracted him to work as a manga artist for me. Leveraging the Miyamuras' vast connection, I had previously set up an agency. I'm buying scripts of famous manga, manhwa, and novels from my previous world from the Shop. I'll use the original authors' names but with different artists. I asked Saibai to introduce more artists to me. Over the next few years, the entertainment industry in this country will undergo a massive transformation, embracing true art instead of cheap imitations like Drag So Ball!

And just like that, two years flew by!

[Author's Note: What did you think of the chapter?

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