Drinking Party

3rd Person POV

Placing the tray on the low table, Nora sighed. The tray was filled with gourds filled with sake and light dishes to accompany the sake. It was nothing strange for the youth to sometimes prepare drinks for his acquaintances when they visited. In particular, when the sake was made using his devil's ability because the visitors requested special drinks. Nonetheless, he was not sure what to feel with the group that had decided to show up. It was not like he dislikes anyone, but it was an odd combination to visit not him, but rather his mother.

"Nora-chan, you can take a seat beside me." Saya patted the space to her right.

The youth decided to turn a blind eye to how the person sitting there a second ago was pushed away so the spot was opened for him.

On the other hand, Yasaka who had almost spilled her sake a second ago, remained composed, or not. She gave the youth a side look but would look away if she met her eyes.

"Are you always monopolizing him? We came here to visit so as a host, he should be sitting here." Grayfia called out.

Opposite of Saya and Yasaka, you could see Grayfia speaking. To her right was Venelana who just smiled and to her left was Shuri who seemed to be holding a small notebook.

"Haaaaah?" Saya glared at the young-looking woman. "What's wrong with his mother wanting to sit together?"

Another voice seemed to agree with the statement and showed her support for Saya.

"I have to agree, a mother's love is as wide and deep as the sea. It comes before something like 'manners'." Raikou exclaimed.

Sitting perpendicular to the two 'camps', another young-looking woman giggled at the spectacle.

"Everyone is so lively." Amagi smiled.

Sitting in front of Kitsune, on the other side of the table, another figure seemed to agree with Amagi. The voice belonged to a beautiful young-looking woman with brown hair that reached slightly past her shoulders and purple eyes. Her name was Misla Bael, and she arrived with Venelana and the rest.

"Indeed, it seems that everyone is full of energy. I thought that I would feel out of place here, but if everyone is this lively, I have nothing to worry about." Misla chuckled.

Sitting beside Misla, there was a short but busty figure that was hardly hidden with the kimono everyone was wearing. Her blue eyes were seen for a brief moment when she was surprised but they usually remained squinted. She had silver hair that went past her shoulders and was tied in a side ponytail that rested on her right shoulder. Compared to most of the people present, she was a regular human just like Shuri. Her name was Tsuki Shirasagi, and her status was rather unique compared to Shuri who was part of an exorcist clan of great renown.

"I think one of them clicked their tongues, is that really ok?" Tsuki placed a hand on the cheek with a titled head. "I also feel somewhat out of place here... supernatural or whatnot, I am just a normal human."

Sighing, the young-looking woman looked around. It was a somewhat strange spectacle for her but she seemed to be taking the situation rather well.

Passing by her side, the youth placed a sake bottle specially in front of Tsuki.

"You left the younger ones in the care of Vali, it is a good way for them to bond so you don't have to worry about going back any time soon." Nora spoke. "I also think it would be nice if the mother of the Divine Dividing wielder made friends with several people. It never hurts to do so. Not to mention, I have not finished with your regular checkups."

"I guess you are right, it would be good for them to be more comfortable with each other. I have never left them alone for too long so I was concerned." Tsuki nodded. "Even if you say that, I am just a regular person..."

"There is no need to worry, Vali can be a little rough on the edges sometimes, but he takes care of people well." Nora reassured. "I also left some Shikigamis around the house just in case."

Looking around the people at the table, Nora placed a hand on Tsuki's shoulder.

"In the future, you might find it hard to find people to chat about his situation so I hope you can share your concerns with any of these ladies. Some of them are mothers like you, while others are just great conversation partners. Well, if you find it awkward, you can always call me." Nora smiled. "As your doctor, your health is my priority. Not to mention, Vali is my friend."

Placing her hand on top of Nora's, Tsuki had a moved expression as she looked at the youth.

"As your doctor, I would usually recommend you not to drink, but once in a while is not that bad. You can even cut it loose today." Nora winked.

"...ah." Tsuki nodded.

Watching everything, the rest of the group seemed to focus on observation and did not interrupt. Noticing that Misla seemed to have something to say, Amagi snapped her fingers and a small soundproof barrier was erected around Nora and Tsuki. The youth noticed but decided to ignore it. Amagi signaled everyone else that they could talk without reservation.

"...is he always like this?" Misla asked.

"A flirt?" Shuri mumbled.

"...I think you have summarised the fact that a young man that has not reached 15 years old is practically seducing a woman who has children of his age and she is not resisting into few words." Misla retorted.

Looking at the rest of the group, no one seemed surprised.

"So?" Shuri poured herself a cup of sake.

"...Is it me who is in the wrong here?" Misla questioned herself.

"...sometimes, you just have to ignore what happens around you to keep your sanity." Shuri said. "Her circumstances are rather unique and I won't dwell too much into it. However, I can tell you that he never intended to seduce her. He is also not trying to get in her pants either. His approach is... well, his nature is not something we can change."

Chuckling, Shuri seemed to find amusing the reaction of Misla.

"You should know what kind of person he is." Shuri spoke.

Staying silent, Misla did not reply immediately.

"...I did not fall into deep slumber thanks to him." Misla said. "The unique disease of the devils is merciless, but he came to offer a hand without expecting anything in exchange. He has also assisted my Sairaorg so he could become strong even without being able to use the trademark Power of Destruction. My methods and ideas were tough for a child, but... that young man improved the ideas and offered recovery medicine, other plants with healing and recovery effects, and facilities where he could train... He did much more than what I, his own mother could do for him."

Feeling bitter emotions swelling from her insides, Misla bit her lips to avoid showing it.

"...I can understand what you are going through." Saya spoke in an understanding tone. "My situation was never as bad as you when I had Nora. You were shunned by the Bael Clan because your child did not have the clan trait they expected. Perhaps, you felt like you failed your child. Those kinds of things, I might not be able to completely put myself in your shoes. However, I committed the great sin of failing my child by abandoning him. Close to a decade... I never saw him grow up, I was unable to be at his side all the times he needed me."

"Saya..." Yasaka looked at her friend with concern.

Not only Yasaka, but the other ladies showed a worried expression.

Shaking her head, Saya gazed at Misla.

"Misla, you can be with your son. You can overcome those problems together." Saya said. "You failed him by giving birth to him without the trademark of the clan? So what. Who says that it is a failure? You love your son and you know that he is not a failure. You know those remarks are from jerks who can't and will never understand your son's true value. You only have to do one thing, and one thing only. Show them how wrong they are."

Listening to Saya's words, Misla felt somewhat at ease and smiled.

The rest of the group nodded in response to those words and exchanged looks. 

"...eh, did I say something wrong?" Saya asked.

Looking around, everyone seemed to have an expression of understanding.

"No, it is just... how to say it... you two are mother and son." Misla chuckled. "Your son used the same words in the past. You have an amazing child."

"Hehe." Saya looked embarrassed. "You are making me blush."

"Indeed, not just everyone has the guts to invade the Bael territory and beat up every guard that gets in his way until he arrives at the main residence of the clan head just to make unreasonable demands." Misla mumbled. "Sairaorg was there at that time. He told me that you went and fully used the great ancestor's name to get away with everything you asked, although you later went and just asked for less unreasonable things. A large patch of land to be handed over to you and money for you to play around."

"That child of mine, I will have to teach him a lesson. If he wanted money, I left enough for him to live any kind of life he wanted." Saya was about to stand up. "If he was going to use someone's money, he should've used mine! Not some old geezer's."

Everyone considered that she should focus not on whose money he was going to spend but on the fact that he extorted money from a major figure from the Underworld.

"Wait, he did not use that money. The land and the money were given to my son and I." Misla said.

"Ara, is that so?" Saya sighed in relief.

Sitting down again, Saya went back to the harmless-looking lady mode and poured herself a drink.

"...you were planning to beat him for not using your money?" Grayfia raised an eyebrow.

Shooting the maid a non-friendly stare, Saya drank the sake and was about to retort when her eyes widened.

"This is... pretty strong." Saya praised. "Usually my poison resistance gets in the way but this sake is really good. As expected of my son..."

"Oi." Grayfia grumbled.

"Ah, you were still here?" Saya did not hide her annoyance. "Really now, one cannot simply enjoy the good things in life like gifts from their beloved sons without some annoying third wheel woman trying to get in the way. You were asking something nonsensical before. First of all, I would rather that he cleaned my accounts and left me penniless rather than letting him use money from some old crook from who knows where. It is not only because I do not like the idea of him making use of things that belong to others than me. Whether it is that guy Zekram, or the other one whatever he is called, the head clan of the Bael... using that kind of money will be putting constraints on himself. People will judge him and say things about him. In the case of the Bael Clan head, people will see him as a tyrant who extorts others for money whenever he feels like it. This could greatly impact him in the future whenever he would like to gain an ally."

With a sharp glare, Saya stared at Grayfia.

"That goes without saying, but he-" Grayfia tried to rebuke.

Her words were cut by Saya.

"Nora-chan is not someone you can expect to move the same way as others would nor he will take the 'best' approach to solve an issue. For better or for worse, Nora-chan does things while considering the losses but will not care about it as long as he accomplishes his goals. He is extremely kind, and he will do his utmost effort to make sure the result will not cause any trouble to those he is helping. It could be said he did the same thing with this lady here. He took the land and money for himself, but then gave it away. If he allowed a direct transaction between Misla and the jerk clan head, there was a risk he would dare to take it away using any kind of excuse. However, since Nora is the one who gave it to her, he cannot do as he pleases even if Nora-chan is not there." Saya said. "The married status will not be a problem for that either. My son surely took measures for that and I believe that he will not leave any loophole they could take advantage of."

Snorting, Saya took her gaze off Grayfia.

"There are only a small amount of people who can understand his thought process. As his mother, I pride myself in being one of them." Saya spoke. "Nonetheless, I have no issue with him helping others. I have done the same thing many times. However, I have issues with how that will affect him. I want him to take advantage of all my connections and riches so he will not be exposed to those blood-sucking bats that will stop at nothing to drag you down to their level."

"It should be ok." Yasaka added.

"What is it?" Saya asked.

"...even if everyone else changes their minds about him and looks at him in a bad light, I will not do the same." Yasaka muttered. "He has me... no, he has us. That is more than enough, don't you think?"

After spouting such a thing, Yasaka noticed everyone looking at her so she coughed embarrassedly and took a sip of her cup.

"...Yacchan, you are really wife material. It almost makes me want you to marry my child. Almost." Saya said in an emotional tone. "I won't give him to you though."

Sticking out her tongue like a child, Saya then snorted.

"Haha, you say some good things. I guess you are right. The grace he showed us will never go unpaid." Misla chuckled. "Neither I nor my child are the type to forget something like that. Goodwill is something that will be returned and never forgotten."

"I must say that I agree, I owe him more than I would've expected." Venelana mumbled.

"The Gremory House has received his goodwill for years so it is only proper that as a servant of that house, I properly reward him." Grayfia added. "I am ready to put my body on the line to do so."

Ignoring Saya's sharp glare, Grayfia gazed at Nora with gentle eyes filled with strong emotions.

"Right~ You are certainly ready to put your BODY on the line for that." Shuri chuckled.

Having an ominous feeling, Grayfia glared at her fellow maid coworker.

"...what do you mean?" Saya asked.

Covering her mouth in surprise, Raikou felt that her motherly senses were tingling and some sort of revelation would be made. Glancing at the youth who kept talking with Tsuki, Raikou wondered why she felt the need to warn him. Nonetheless, when her eyes crossed with Amagi's, she saw the kitsune winking at her and using one hand to signal her to keep quiet.

"...indeed, what could my cheeky kouhai be talking about now? I was quite generous in forgiving your previous transgressions at work and allowed you to participate in this meeting since you wanted to chat with Nora regarding Akeno... however, I have the feeling that you came to stir up some trouble." Grayfia smiled but her eyes were sharp.

Gulping, Shuri hesitated. Grayfia's punishments were difficult to bear and a human like her would find it hard to have the energy remaining to get home, nonetheless, this was a unique chance and it had to be done.

"Nothing much~ I was just curious about how much you meant your words just now. Like for example, you said that you would put your body on the line... but how do you plan to do that?" Shuri muttered. "...are you perhaps planning to literally offer your body to him? Haha, there is no way you would-"

Stopping mid-sentence, Shuri was somewhat dumbfounded by Grayfia who did not give any sort of rebuke, and scared from the pressure that Saya was releasing.

Not only Saya was reacting strongly, but Raikou had also begun to glare at the maid with burning jealousy that did not lose to Saya.

"Shameless!" Raikou raised her voice. "I will not permit perverted and shameless acts!"

"I knew we would not get along, but to think it was because my mother's senses were able to predict this outcome." Saya gritted her teeth.

"Ara, this has become quite the mess." Amagi smiled but her expression looked somewhat strained.

Looking at the nine-tailed young-looking woman who smiled but seemed to be affected by what was said, Misla wondered if this was the reason why she initially felt danger when she stepped into the room. Trying to find someone who could do something about the situation, Misla glanced at Venelana who was the superior of Grayfia and Shuri in hopes of finding a solution, but Venelana did not look interested in stepping in. Just when Misla thought that things would get out of hand, Misla heard the voice of the savior.

"Saya, Raikou, please restrain yourselves." Yasaka spoke out. "If you do not do that, I will tell Nora that you were bullying me."

Calling her a savior would be far-fetched since she made the duo ready to spill blood and cower in fear.

"Did you guys already finish playing around?" Nora said.

Dispelling the soundproof barrier, the youth looked around the group that was almost ready to go at each other's throats. Tsuki, who seemed completely oblivious to what was about to unfold had one hand pulling Nora's hakama. The act did not go unnoticed, but it was not pointed out.

Sighing, the youth suddenly furrowed his eyebrows when he noticed that the number of sake bottles he brought seemed to have gone down. He clearly remembered the number he brought.

"Well, if that is it, I will be taking my leave." Nora shrugged his shoulders.

Tsuki strengthened her grip on his hakama after hearing this and the reaction from the other was in a way, similar.

"Where do you think you are going?" Saya asked.

"How can a host abandon his guests like this?" Grayfia muttered.

Hearing each other voices' made the duo glare at each other, but they held back once they saw the youth looking at her, and with a snort, they turned their heads away.

"I don't mind if you want me to stay until late hours chatting, but... I think that the fact that you are having this little party in my room of all the places is something that a 'guest' is not supposed to do. Not to mention, I have some work to do so I will be taking my leave." Nora sighed.

Before he could take another step, he felt that Tsuki was still holding onto his hakama. Looking at her, the young-looking woman was hopefully staring at him. To not leave her alone surrounded by the people in the 'party'. Her insecurity was rather obvious, but it was to solve this that he planned to leave her with the group. The youth was well aware of her circumstances. He knew what she went through and had been offering the appropriate treatment for the trauma. Nonetheless, he is also aware that the fact that she has decided to learn about the 'other side' won't be easy, if she is alone, so he is trying to make it so she can find a way to make friends.

Sighing again, the youth gave up on leaving.

It was not simply because Tsuki did not loosen her grip. After all, for him, it would be easy to get away. However, looking at Saya, Grayfia, and Raikou's sharp glare, he doubted he could leave if they went all out in trying to stop him.

"Isn't it ok? Your room is pretty big and feels the most comfortable to stay in." Amagi giggled. "You also visit me when I am in my room often so this is just a payback."

Winking at the youth, Amagi smiled when several questioning looks were directed alternatively at her and Nora. Compared to the youth who sighed, the kitsune just smiled.

"Nora! Is that true!?" Raikou looked at the youth in shock. "You refuse to stay in my room but you go to her room!?"

Looking ready to cry, Raikou's were ready to pour out.

"You say that, but you are also the one who banned other girls from staying in my room and stayed yourself for almost every night." Nora said.

His words made everyone look at Raikou suspiciously. Saya on the other hand felt complex about it.

"T-that's! That's because I am trying to prevent any shameless behavior!" Raikou spoke.

"Then you should start working on keeping your clothes on you by the time you wake up. I don't think you understand how dangerous is for a woman as attractive as you to sleep clinging to a healthy young man." Nora retorted. "Forget about preventing, you are the main cause at this point."

More than a few eyebrows were raised after that statement, but the group wanted to hear more so they said nothing.

"H-How could you say that!? *Sniff* Mother does not remember raising such a bad child." Raikou began to cry. "Do you hate sleeping with me that much!?"

"Raikou-san... I am not saying that I am against the idea itself." Nora explained. "However, please understand that I am not a child anymore. You are also an adult woman who should not be sleeping with a guy like me. You have to think that people will talk behind your back if you continue to do such a thing."

"You are just worried about me?" Raikou had a touched expression and more tears fell from her eyes.

Sighing at how the woman ignored almost everything he said, the youth looked around and found himself being stared at reproachfully by Grayfia. Shuri seemed to be scribbling something on a small notebook. Amagi did not change her expression just like Venelana, while Misla had a twitching expression. On the other hand, Tsuki was clearly flustered while Saya only gave him a thumbs up. Yasaka did not express anything... or not, there was clearly jealousy mixed in her eyes but she said nothing.

"Why are you ignoring all I said?" Nora sighed. "I would not have so much trouble if you fixed your habit of getting naked."

"Ara, but sleeping naked is cozy." Venelana chipped in.

Looking at the woman like her advice was not needed, the youth glanced back at Raikou who nodded.

"It is as you said! There is nothing wrong with it!" Raikou exclaimed. "There is nothing wrong with me sleeping like that in the same bed as him."

Tilting her head, Venelana found that it was not quite exactly what she originally meant.

"Wait a moment! That is a little exaggerated! You can't go sleeping naked with him!" Grayfia retorted.

"Why not!?" Raikou asked out loud.

"Because he is a man and you are a woman. I think that is what Grayfia is trying to say." Amagi spoke.

Ignoring the click of the tongue from Shuri, Amagi calmly looked over Raikou and Saya in turns and nodded to herself. She could make a wild guess as to why Saya was supporting Raikou from a while ago.

"An unmarried man and an unmarried woman, both already developed enough." Amagi explained. "The woman sleeps naked... and clings to the man. It can only be said to be an invitation for something else."

"See!?" Grayfia exclaimed.

"We are a mother and child!" Raikou said.

To her words, Tsuki had decided to take a drink because she was getting lost in the conversation, while Misla was feeling like she had to resort since a while ago. Venelana calmly avoided getting involved anymore to avoid having her words twisted as before, while Yasaka calmly listened as she drank. It did not matter if they were aware of the truth behind the statement, all who drank spat out their drinks.

Without showing any signs of being bothered by that, Amagi elegantly took a sip of the sake in her cup.

"So what?" Amagi asked. "You are a female and he is a male. The two of you can make a child just fine."

"Wait a minute! Is this really ok?" Tsuki asked in a flustered tone.

Turning toward the woman who had been quietly listening until now, Amagi blinked in confusion, but then realization hit her.

"Sorry, I forgot for a moment you were a human. There is a gap in our common sense." Amagi smiled wryly. "For humans, it is strange for a mother and her child to mate, right? The same could be said for most family members."

Nodding to herself in understanding as she observed Tsuki, Amagi glanced at Raikou who seemed at a loss, just like Saya. There were others who did not seem to be affected by it like Venelana, Grayfia, and even Shuri, while Yasaka was not reacting at all since the beginning.

"I-Isn't that the case for everyone here? You are saying you normally do that?" Tsuki asked.

"Ah, it is not like it is a custom, but long-lived races, no, supernatural creatures have never suffered the downsides that humans suffer when they practice inbreeding. Not to mention, some families to this day might still practice this so the blood remains pure." Nora placed a hand on the confused woman's shoulder.

"Even in my clan, there were cases as such. Marriage between brother and sister, or we had cases of the main family taking in member of the branch family. In some seldom cases, between the Five Great Clans, there would be a union." Shuri offered her experience. "That said, the child had to be born with the Fire Phase to be acknowledged in the clan.

"Nobility works the same way. High-class devils are very particular about their pedigree and it is harsh for anyone who does not develop the clan abilities. To that end, they would sometimes allow 'that' kind of relationship between family members, to make it so the clan always has enough people with their signature skills." Venelana added.

Looking at the bitter look that Misla had made Venelana sad, but since Misla composed herself, Venelana did not try to comfort her. Political marriages were things they could not control, her family used her to form a tie to the Bael Clan just like the Bael Clan sought to create a tie with the Gremory Clan. Unfortunately for Misla, Venelana's brother never loved her and his pettiness caused her hardships.

"This is not the same!" Raikou muttered.

"Indeed. This case is different. There is no obligation for you two to be in the same bed naked-" "Objection, I never got naked-" "Shush, you." Amagi muttered, but when Nora interrupted her, she glared at the youth. "Yet, you are doing just that... It is obvious people will assume what kind of... relationship you want."

"It is just their shameless minds, we have a pure relationship." Raikou insisted.

"So you are saying that you do not have a hidden agenda?" Amagi asked.

"Nonsense." Raikou spoke.

Nodding at that, Amagi glanced at Saya who had an unusual expression.

"...Raikou-chan, are you sure you about that?" Saya inquired.

"Huh? We have a pure relationship." Raikou replied. "I am just doing what a mother should do."

Groaning, Saya looked at Yasaka who had a twitching expression, and then looked back at Raikou.

"You intrude every time he is taking a bath." Yasaka commented.

"It is a mother's duty to wash their own child. Even if we have to use our own bodies." Raikou muttered.

"No, mothers don't do that." Misla could not help but retort out loud.

Once she saw how everyone looked at her, Misla embarrassedly looked away.

"Raikou-chan, that's for... when they are little, and you don't use your body for that." Saya explained.

"H-How can that be? It is only by using our bodies that we can show our complete devotion as mothers!" Raikou said. "They will always be our children and they will always be our little boys."

"...here I thought I was a pervert." Grayfia quietly muttered.

"No, you are. Just on a lower level than her." Shuri retorted.

Turning a deaf ear to the duo's comment, everyone focused on Raikou.

"...eh, Raikou-chan, what you are doing is not what a mother should do." Saya mumbled.

"That makes no sense." Raikou shook her head.

Scratching her head, Saya looked at Yasaka.

"...this is a daily thing. I have given up explaining to her." Yasaka said.

Sipping from her drink, Yasaka opened her mouth once more.

"It is obvious what the issue is, but she fails to realize it. Nora... he has managed to change her somewhat, but she still says things like these. Whether it is a good thing or not, she is into Nora." Yasaka muttered. "You should know what that means, right?"

"...hasn't he dealt with it?" Saya asked.

"...it is up to him. You know what it means to take responsibility." Yasaka added. "Aren't you happy? She is... the one you approved."

Without hiding the sulky tone, Yasaka took another sip of sake.

She prepared to refill her cup with the gourd, but it was empty so she raised it toward Nora and shook it. The youth looked at the table and noticed that there were more missing gourds than before. For a moment, the realization hit him. The youth decided to keep an eye open, but still pulled out more gourds of sake and placed them on the table.

"It is not a matter of who approved of who, the choice remains solely on the individuals. Whether she wants or not, or whether I want or not." Nora muttered. "I love Yasaka and I will not change my mind about it."

Speaking in a resolute tone, Nora looked at Yasaka with a heated gaze. The youkai tried to remain calm, but her cheeks gradually turned red and she avoided looking at Nora, she went as far as directly chugging from the gourd to evade his gaze.

His words caused the air in the group to turn odd since more than one woman let out a jealous aura.

"That said... I... will not have only one lover." Nora spoke. "I am a scumbag for saying it, but I have come to fall in love with more than one person."

Sighing, Nora stood up and walked toward Raikou.

"It is not just about me being honest about it." Nora mumbled. "It is about having the resolution to follow this path to the end. I cannot simply say I will take all of them. I need to listen to all their desires and insecurities."

"You seem to have made up your mind." Saya muttered.

"It is not like I decided it out of the blue." Nora said. "I have been thinking about this for a few years. I came to the conclusion that choosing only one would only bring pain to all of us."

"Are you sure that is true? Not just your way to make excuses and take many women, you player." Shuri suddenly spoke.

Smiling at that, Nora gave her a polite grin.

"Who was the one who almost threw Lisa at me saying whatever you wanted to shift her attention to me when she initially showed attention to Baraquiel? Huh? Who was it?" Nora asked.

"...says the guy who conquered her without much effort." Shuri did not back down.

"Oh? Funny thing, you, the one who told your daughter and niece that I was out of control. How I almost kidnapped Lisa and brought her home because my libido was out of control." Nora muttered.

"Heh, it was just my way to give them the push they needed to begin the grandchild rising plan." Shuri looked proud of herself. "I want to be a young grandmother... The envy of all the grandmothers in the park."

Standing up with the intention of pounding the head of the shameless woman, Nora thought of something.

"Tsk, I didn't want to retort to this but..." Nora sighed and pulled out his phone.

"Hello, Akeno-chan? Did you know your mother sent Lisa to me because she did not want her to flirt with her husband? Yeah, THAT Lisa." Nora smirked. "Nah, don't worry, I will not dislike you for something she did, and it was only a little troublesome at the beginning since she was hard to trust. No, I will still have that date with you. Oh? I will expect something nice then since you are bragging too much. No, I think she can surely take a phone call. Bye."

Hanging up, Nora looked at Shuri who had a dumbfounded look.

Suddenly, her phone rang and Shuri sighed before pulling it out. Just from hearing the first words, the woman began to sweat coldly.

Watching her predicament with a smile, Nora just decided to ignore her from there on.

It was unanimously decided to be a little more careful with teasing the youth since he had most likely studied their weakness and would certainly have some dirt on them.

"Raikou-san. Can I be honest with you?" Nora directed his attention to his next victim (everyone's tacit agreement).

"You can be honest with me whenever you want, a good boy is supposed to be honest with his mother all the time after all!" Raikou smiled.

Looking at those eyes that were filled with affection, the youth spoke.

"Do you like me?" Nora asked.

"Eh? Of course, I love my son. Every mother loves their son." Raikou replied with a smile.

"As a man, not as your son." Nora retorted.

"No, I..." Raikou put on a complicated expression. "I would not dare to say that about my child. I am your mother."

"So, you hate me..." Nora sighed.

Lowering his head, the youth looked extremely sad.

"No, I cannot hate you!" Raikou stood up and ran toward the youth. "You are my precious and I cannot hate you!"

Burning his head on her ample chest, Raikou seemed to forget that there were other people looking. Although said public was just watching over them seriously. Only Shuri was biting her lips as she hesitated over ending the call with her daughter and recording the whole scene in front of her.

"Then, you like me..." Nora asked again.

"...Yes!" Raikou replied but felt that something was odd.

"As a man?" Nora inquired.

"No! I am your mother!" Raikou denied.

"...but even as a son, you only like me." Nora sighed.

"Eh?" Raikou was at a loss.

"I recall that you said you had a great deal of affection that would never lose to anyone else, but liking... sounds weak." Nora muttered. "Wouldn't taking all said into account mean that you... love me?"

"...I love Nora the most!" Raikou exclaimed.

"The most you say... but I feel like that is a lie." Nora spoke.

Stopping her hug, Raikou pushed him and stared into his eyes.

"That is impossible! It is not a lie! I love you with all my heart!" Raikou uttered in a heartful tone.

"It is a lie..." Nora looked to one side and avoided her heated gaze. "If you really loved me that much, forget because you are mother, no matter the title or position you had, you would love every aspect of me and you would embrace my all, even the part of me who is man. You would be willing to be my woman."

"WHAT!?"

More than one person yelled that, but they were promptly ignored by the youth who heard them clearly.

The reaction from the group was rather unique since some of them spat out in an unladylike manner their drinks while others left their mouths hanging open to their limits, but it was certain that they had not been expecting the youth to play those words. It was something a scum would say since he was taking advantage of her feelings and he was molding them to fit his needs. Nonetheless, everyone was well aware that Raikou was a strange one, perhaps without it, she would still maintain her strange relationship and that might make her unhappy in the long run.

Nonetheless, those hearing those words were also somewhat touched by them in their own way. They were irresponsible, and would most likely cause trouble in the future, but the idea of embracing their feelings was not something they disliked.

"Nora-chan..." Saya looked at her son with a complicated glint in her eyes, those words seemed to affect her without her knowledge, but the reason she spoke his name was another one. "...why didn't you make popcorn to enjoy the show."

Her words made Yasaka who was looking at her seriously almost choke with her own saliva.

"The mother and son are hopeless..." Yasaka sighed.

Frozen in place, Raikou seemed to be processing what she just heard. Part of her wanted to immediately agree, but there was one side of her who refused to accept it. She was supposed to be his mother figure, nothing else.

"I will not ask you to change the way you call me or treat me, it is all part of your charm. I have no issue with it if you realize why it bothered me. I am I, not someone from your past." Nora spoke.

The youth who seemed to be aware of her past did not expose it, he was patiently waiting for her to tell him about it, yet he could not let her continue the way she was. There needed to be a change, and he would make it happen even if he had to use scummy tactics.

"Raikou, I like you. I don't want our relationship to grow stranded in the future because we were not able to communicate." Nora said. "I also want to make sure you know one thing."

Pushing away the hands from his shoulders that were restraining his movements, the youth now placed his on Raikou's shoulders to prevent her from escaping.

"I like every single part of you." Nora said. "The motherly youth who is always trying to pound your love into your son. The childish you who can get obsessed with playing games for children like Hide-and-seek, Hanafuda, and Kendama until you win."

Hearing this, Raikou finally reacted and shrunk her neck shyly as she felt several pairs of eyes on her.

"Don't feel ashamed of that! I like that part of you as well!" Nora raised his tone. "Stop focusing on what others think or might say about you. Raikou is the woman bold enough to try washing me like in a soapland just because you read in an incest manga how a mother did it for her son and he was beyond happy."

"Wait, what?" Yasaka suddenly asked but was ignored.

"...if my son had a bit less self-control I would be seeing a few grandchildren running around the house huh." Saya mumbled.

"Kuh, I was going to use that next." Grayfia looked vexed.

"Please, not in the castle." Venelana sighed but she inwardly considered how much income would a soapland with Nora as the poster boy would generate among the nobility ladies.

"And I the only normal person?" Misla wondered out loud as she saw Tsuki's state that clearly said she was imagining the scenario in her head.

"Make that two of us." Shuri raised her hand.

"I don't want to hear that from someone who is filming the whole scene." Misla rebuked.

Using her phone to film the scene, Shuri had given up the call and was recording everything to use on a future occasion.

Ignoring the chatter, Nora felt like he was close.

"Is that... not good?" Nora asked.

Using his ace, Nora pulled his cat ears and let them fall down as he lowered his head slightly before raising it with upturned eyes.

"Kuh, splash damage." Grayfia held her chest in 'pain'.

Although she was the only one who voiced it, no one was able to deny it. The youth had used a dangerous move and no one could say no to anything he asked if he did that. They inwardly admitted it, but would never voice it.

"It is good, there is no way it is not!" Raikou cried out.

"Raikou..." Nora smiled.

Despite acting like a total scum and leading Raikou by the nose, there was no one who could condemn him. His smile at that time was that dazzling.

"Now then, if you will excuse me." Shuri who had pulled a pair of sunglasses that did not let her see anything suddenly stood up. "I have to leave."

Fleeing the scene before the splash damage hit her, Shuri's absence was not noticed because they were paying attention to the youth.

"I don't ask too much." Nora spoke. "I want you to only look at me. I would hate it... if you were to call another boy your son."

"Never!" Raikou hugged the youth.

"The guts to ask for that while he has several women." Grayfia mumbled a little absentminded.

"You are always free to stay away from my son." Saya giggled.

"Never." Grayfia smiled.

Sighing, Yasaka felt somewhat relieved. The youth was properly tackling the issue with the women around him. She had asked him to do that before they could do anything not only because Yasaka was scared of changing their current status. Yasaka wanted him to prove that he was actually trying to make a harem for real and that he was ready to solve the issues that might arise because of it. It was not only because Yasaka wanted her daughter to be in it, she also felt like it would be unhealthy if Nora was irresponsible about the way things would go.

"...I think I should take my leave." Misla felt like she would be in danger if she stayed for too long.

"Do not forget to pass my regards to Azazel for helping you out in several ways." Venelana muttered.

Just as the magic circle was ready to teleport her away, Misla heard that.

"Wait, I am not going to see him, and how did you know!?" Misla teleported before she could get an answer.

Snorting, Venelana wanted to call her naive for thinking that she would not find out that there was a man in her life. She confirmed today that it was not Nora so Venelana connected the dots.

"...was it really ok?" Grayfia asked.

"She has suffered way too much because of the Bael Household, it will surely be complicated but she can still find happiness as a woman and get herself someone who cares for her." Venelana muttered.

"You suspected Nora-kun was the one she was into?" Grayfia asked.

"There were two main contributors to her case, if suspect number one was not the culprit, then number two was the answer." Venelana shrugged her shoulders. "I was not planning to judge her either way. As far as I can tell, Nora-kun is a better choice, but that is my own way of seeing it. I hold him in high esteem after all."

Smiling wryly, Venelana felt something strange that she did not say out loud. There was a certain feeling of relief as she found out Nora was not the target. Venelana considered it because she was worried about how that might affect her daughter's chances. That is what she believed at the time.

"Aren't you glad?" Venelana teased the maid.

"I wonder." Grayfia seriously pondered.

"Oh? You are getting cold feet now? Are you afraid he would like her more?" Venelana asked.

"I highly doubt it." Grayfia shook her head.

"Oh?" Venelana tilted her head.

"...I will not lose against someone who is not honest about her feelings." Grayfia declared. "Even if she had shown affection toward him, she was holding back the whole time. She proved to not have that kind of feelings for him, but if she did and denied it... something like that is not something I will lose against. I admit I was hesitant before. He is vastly younger. However, I cannot simply erase our age gap because I feel uncomfortable about it."

Looking at Grayfia, Venelana found her to be glancing at Saya with a serious face.

"...I am grateful for this gap. It was because I remained chaste and unmarried until now that I was able to meet him. It was because he liked to chat with me that we found similar hobbies. It was because many things happened between us that I began to develop an interest in him as the opposite sex. I agonized over this over and over. The difference has haunted me for a long time. Yet, I realized that such a thing was meaningless." Grayfia said. "...I will not allow anything to get in the way, even if I am extremely grateful for raising such a wonderful person, I will not stay away from him because you say so."

Staring back at Grayfia, Says grinned fearlessly.

"Look at you." Saya fixed her sleeves. "I guess I need to show you that sometimes, you should not touch certain things."

"...I will not back down." Grayfia stood up. "You are not simply denying me of his presence, but you are also depriving him of someone he likes."

"...I can't accept someone who initially got close to him just to piss me off." Saya stated. "I cannot stand that."

Standing up, Saya seemed ready to come and exchange blows with Grayfia, and just when Venelana considering calling Nora, someone clapped her hands and brought everyone's attention to her.

"Alright, don't go around fighting, ok?" Amagi suddenly intruded before things got awkward.

Everyone seemed to forget about her existence for a moment because she was not talking until now, but one look in front of her and they realized that she was so silent until now. All the gourds filled with sake had been emptied by her and you could tell that she had been affected by it just by looking at her reddened face.

"I will be taking on whoever feels like letting out some steam." Amagi raised a fist. "Do not worry, feel free to come at full force..."

"...I think we can use words to reach for an understanding." Saya sat down immediately.

"Huh?" Grayfia did not seem to understand why the nekomata did that.

The woman who just spoke had been pretty nice since the beginning and Grayfia was unable to tell why Saya who was a nekoushou, a battle-oriented race would shy away just because the rather amicable Amagi was swinging her fist.

"If you are that curious, I can prepare a sparring ground for you." Yasaka offered.

Looking at how there were no more sake gourds, she sent a glare toward Nora. The youth failed to realize her gaze because Raikou was in her own world and had buried his face in her chest. Tsuki was trying to pull Nora away since he seemed to be lacking hair given that his tails had formed a literal S.O.S shape.

"That said, I would be ready to taste the ground since... Amagi can deal with most of us without much effort." Yasaka shrugged her shoulders. "Even if she looks like that, she is among the strongest Nine-Tailed foxes to have ever existed. Even if her skills have degraded due to her sickly body, handling Saya and you should not be a problem."

Observing how the youth had now used his tails to form the word 'help' Yasaka did not feel inclined to aid him. It might be petty jealousy, but he was enjoying the chest of Raikou despite his predicament.

"No, no matter how you spin it, our strength is roughly the same..." Grayfia smiled awkwardly.

"Heh, if you are feeling lucky, how about YOU go and have a taste of Amagi Style Trashing?" Saya mocked.

Glaring at the cat woman, Grayfia felt somewhat inclined to give it a try.

"For the record... the fox village manages a power spot, where you can find intercepting ley lines. Amagi is the person who makes sure to regulate the energy flowing from that place. In the past, She once came to be in my position." Yasaka added.

Finally escaping, Nora avoided Raikou who wanted to bury his face again by hugging her and burying her face on his chest. She ended up taking a very subtle position where her butt was sticking out greatly and Yasaka narrowed her eyes when she saw the youth gulp after looking at those ample assets.

"...she is that strong?" Grayfia recalled one time that the youth had expressed how tricky is facing someone directly connected to the ley lines.

"Her control over the ley lines is far greater than mine." Yasaka admitted. "The one being managed by the fox village does not affect a wide region, but it is still something that can grant someone great power. In the long run, I would have the upper hand, yet it would only be possible if I can survive long enough."

Gulping, Grayfia glanced at the woman who pouted after picking up a sake gourd and found it empty.

"Heh, coward." Saya mocked.

Swallowing her retort to that, Grayfia decided to not test what she just heard.

"I think everyone decided to talk things out, that makes me happy." Amagi smiled.

Swallowing the desire to retort to that, everyone turned toward Nora who now had Raikou sleeping on his lap.

"...how in the world did you do that?" Saya asked.

Raikou was rowdy just a few minutes ago, but the youth had managed to take her down when no one was looking.

"...hmm?" Nora tilted his head in confusion. "I just caressed her hair as I whispered that she was a good girl until she stopped moving."

Saying something outrageous with a nonchalant face, the youth did not see anything strange with his wording.

On a closer look, they could see her twitching in place every now and then, while her face had a very wide grin. There was a rather strange silence after seeing that and then at Nora's nonchalant expression.

"...Nora-chan, if you ever get pushed down by a woman, it will be your fault." Saya sighed. "One day you will have to take responsibility."

Deeply worried for her son's future, Saya wondered how much 'damage' he had caused to those around him. It would surely come and bite him back at some point.

"...Kaa-san. I do admit I have odd luck with women, but sometimes I do nothing and still find myself in strange situations. There was this one time I decided to simply remain silent to avoid misunderstandings, but I still found myself being led to a love hotel by some high school girls." Nora sighed.

"No, no, even if it is you, to be led to a love hotel by a high school girl, wait... did you just say it in plural?" Saya asked to make sure.

"Yes. I think they were from some all-girls high school or something." Nora pondered. "Nanami-chan, Maya-chan, Leyla-chan--"

"Wait, just a moment." Saya stopped the youth, looking at the others who had similar bewildered expressions, they seemed to have a question similar to her and after seeing them nod at her, she asked what seemed to be on everyone's mind. "...you seem to know them well enough to learn their names."

Rephrasing her words since she initially wanted to ask why he knew their names, Saya decided to not go straight to the point so she could get more information.

"Well, yeah." Nora nodded. "We are friends."

"Ok, I am sure I speak in representation of everyone here but Nora-chan, what the heck were you thinking? They took you to a love hotel, they are clearly bad women, and to be close to them is..." Saya left the rest unsaid.

"Well, I usually do not entertain this kind of behavior." Nora said. "I had some time to spare, but above all, it is not normal for a group of 20 high schools to do what they did."

"20!!!!"

Everyone present except Raikou yelled after hearing him.

"I happened to find traces of a rogue sacred gear user who awakened outside the fallen angel's radar. She had some kind of hypnosis ability that was hard to detect. She was even able to change the common sense of her targets little by little. It was all revenge against her 'bullies', but..." Nora sighed. "It was a plot by some third party who had secretly made her awaken. They also implanted memories in her using magic so she would use her powers. The only thing she could think was to make her bullies lose their purity since that would have them immediately expelled."

Lightly caressing Raikou's hair even when envious looks were sent his way, Nora simply continued to talk.

"It is lucky for them to have met me, in a way, no one suffered any irreversible damage." Nora muttered. "We became message buddies after that. I also met their families for some reason."

Finishing his story as such, Nora did not seem like he was going to say something else despite the looks that everyone was giving him.

"Son, I will ask you just in case." Saya felt a headache ready to torment her. "This all-girls high school, did it happen to have strict entry requirements?"

"Oh? Yeah, I think there was something like grades and family background check before anyone could study there." Nora nodded.

"...oh, I see." Saya felt the pain. "Did this high school happen to have a very strict security?"

"By human standards, yes." Nora answered.

"Oh, I see, I see." Saya was suffering. "Did you also happen to receive some kind of... gift from those high school girls?"

"Now that you mention it, I did indeed receive a gift from them. Each of them personally handed me a small box that had a fancy-looking necklace, but it was not for a male... it actually seemed like it would fit them more so I gifted it back." Nora mumbled.

Inwardly screaming, Saya looked at her friend, who did not change expressions anymore and had a fed-up look. Pulling a notebook, that had the title of 'Nora's misdeeds' written in Romanji with big characters, and dutifully recorded what she just heard.

She was not the only one since Grayfia was also doing the same but the notebook was titled as 'Targets' with red letters. Saya felt like she should not ask why Grayfia chose that way to call the names written in there.

"If I tell everyone back at the village, it would surely be amusing later on..." Amagi seemed to be pondering out loud.

The only normal ones seemed to be Tsuki who had a troubled smile but Saya was not sure if it was because she could not understand what Nora's actions meant or she simply decided to not mind it that much. Nonetheless, Saya felt like there was one person acting suspiciously. Venelana had a stiff smile as she heard about the tale after Nora finished talking.

Before she could ask, Yasaka spoke.

"Nora... did you try to divert the topic? I am sure we all have a common question regarding the person rubbing her cheeks on your lap. Also, get me some sake, you brought too little." Yasaka muttered.

Smiling wryly at that, the youth pulled a few gourds filled with sake but before he could place them on the table, each person took all they could grasp except Tsuki who marveled at the 'magic' show. However, another hand was briefly added to the mix that no one recognized but decided to ignore to avoid missing the sake.

"...Raikou-san." Nora mumbled. "She has a warped view of things. At least, as far as I am concerned, she has been using me to replace someone she cherished but has most likely died. This is the reason why she had her eyes on a total stranger like me and she became so attached in such an amount of time.".

Poking the cheeks of the woman that was sleeping peacefully, the youth did not seem to be bothered about what he just said.

"Nora-chan..." Saya looked at her son in concern.

She was not the only one since there were others doing the same.

"...Ei-san once offered to tell me about it, but I turned down her offer. I have a rough idea about how things went and I want Raikou-san herself to talk to me about it." Nora said.

"Is it ok?" Yasaka asked.

"It is not like I don't feel anything after knowing that." Nora spoke in a rather bitter tone. "However, I cannot say her goodwill toward me is entirely because she sees me as someone else. Initially, it could've been so, but nowadays, she has changed. It has been a slow process but Raikou-san has been seeing me for who I am, instead of what I represent. Besides, she never meant any harm to any of us so I did not see her actions as something bad. She will soon be able to leave behind her problem and look at me for who I am."

"If that is what you have decided, I will not say anything else. I decided to let you do with the women you brought home whatever you wanted as long as you took responsibility for your actions." Yasaka said.

Taking a sip of her sake, she felt the pleasant liquor run down her throat. This unique taste was something only Nora could offer.

"Wait a moment, I think I just heard something outrageous." Grayfia retorted.

"What? I think I was quite clear." Yasaka seemed to be unable to see anything wrong with her words.

"No, no... you said something absurd." Grayfia looked at everyone else to see if someone supported her but only Tsuki seemed surprised by what she just heard.

"Ah, do not worry. Nora will not lay a hand on any of them, at least not for now." Yasaka enjoyed her sake.

Her words did not amuse the maid.

"You speak like you get to decide when he does it." Grayfia was not happy.

"Ara, but I do." Yasaka giggled.

Despite disliking Grayfia, Saya thought of cheering her up on this one situation.

"...so what? You say that if you wanted, he would not have that kind of relationship with anyone else?" Grayfia inquired.

"Hehe." Yasaka giggled.

With a vein ready to pop out from her forehead, Grayfia felt like flipping the table toward the kitsune who had a pleased smile.

"You know, I am still here." Nora decided to intervene before the table he liked suffered from this.

He could tell the table might get destroyed if the duo continued to 'chat'.

"These kinds of things are not matters you can just decide one-sidely by yourselves. Yasaka-san, I know you got a bone to pick with Grayfia-san because you found out about the statue I made of her, but please do not escalate this." Nora sighed.

"The what?" "...excuse me?" "...so that is why Yacchan was throwing a tantrum the other day." "Ara, I would like to see that." Grayfia, Saya, Amagi, and Venelana expressed themselves after hearing that.

"My love for maids guided me and we I came to, I had already made that statue carved from wood. Besides, I also made one of you so there is nothing to be jealous about." Nora gave Yasaka a thumbs up.

Instead of reassuring her, Nora made the kitsune worry instead.

"Why!?" Yasaka stood up, leaving her drink forgotten.

As she stormed toward the youth to 'kindly' interrogate him, a gasp of space was opened and a hand was ready to grab the sake but another hand also had the same intention.

"...Well, you were angry because I had not made a statue for you so I did my best and carved over a hundred of them." Nora said.

"A 100!!!!!!" Everyone yelled in shock.

Amagi who was fighting for the sake against the sake thief froze for a moment and the hand immediately went for the win.

"Yeah, I already prepared the places where I will be setting them up so everyone can gaze at your charismatic and beautiful figure." Nora muttered.

"Pffffffd, hahahaha, seriously, my hubby never fails to surprise me."

A familiar voice could be heard as the magatama hanging on Saya's neck shone before and Tamamo's figure appeared behind the bewildered Saya.

"The heck? Is this what they call portable wife I read about the other day...?" Saya mumbled.

Her comment which was slightly inappropriate was ignored and only Tamamo seemed to have an idea exactly where that knowledge came from but she did not add anything regarding it

"Yasaka-sama, are you really going to act like that? You have spooked the poor lady over there until she fainted." Tamamo pointed out.

Just like Tamamo said, Tsuki was still sitting with her back straight but upon a closer look, her consciousness seemed to be gone.

"Urgh." Yasaka stopped her actions.

"Now now, there is no need to be like that." Tamamo mumbled. "You should be well aware that it is just proof of how much my hubby likes you."

"Easy for you to say, you are not getting statues of you spread all over the place." Yasaka rebuked.

Shrugging her shoulders, Tamamo pointed at Grayfia.

"You there, what you think of my hubby after knowing that he made a statue of you?" Tamamo asked.

"No, even if you ask me all of a sudden..." Grayfia was not sure what to say.

"I have seen the statues. The remarkable attention to detail was outstanding, just like you would expect of my hubby. Nonetheless, can you not see it?" Tamamo looked at Grayfia and then at everyone in the room. "...it means he knows your body that deeply and his image of you in his mind is that clear."

The words of the kitsune, not only hit Grayfia and left her wide-eyed, but everyone turned their heads toward the youth.

"...you are making a bigger deal of it than what it actually is." Nora smiled wryly. "An amateur like me is unable to capture the true essence of their beauty. I lack the proper experience and skills to be able to reproduce even a fragment of what they look like to me. However, I still feel somewhat proud of what I did so I want everyone to admire that work."

"Well, well, I think none of you is as silly to not understand that behind the 'embarrassing' act of exhibiting those statues, there is a lot of hard work on his side. Surely, none of you is as uncouth to discard that." Tamamo smiled.

Groaning, Yasaka, and Grayfia had nothing else to say.

"Of course! The one who won the first place is none other than yours truly <3!" Tamamo winked playfully before pulling out a small figurine of twenty centimeters in length.< p>

It was an extremely detailed figure of Tamamo and from the way the kitsune smiled smugly, it seemed to be made by the youth.

Everyone directed their eyes to the youth who was already standing up and holding Raikou in a princess carry.

Without saying anything, the youth disappeared from their view.

"Tsk, he escaped." Yasaka, Grayfia and Saya complained.

In normal situations, they would be able to follow his movements and even stop him but... they had to admit that they were drunk. Normal alcohol would never affect them this way, but this special sake Nora had prepared was stronger than they thought. The youth had warned them that it was specially made for them but none of them listened to him.

There were some different reactions, mainly from Venelana and Amagi.

"It seems he is learning the secret technique, fleeing when things get difficult." Venelana smiled wryly. "My husband used to make use of that technique when he was with his harem a lot... the bastard used it on me a couple of times."

Chuckling, Venelana recalled the image of the person that was no more.

"I don't think he was exactly fleeing. *hic*" Amagi said.

Without bothering to look graceful, she emptied the sake bottle in one go.

"Although I cannot deny he will not use that technique in the future." Amagi added. "He is... a chaotic person after all, he will not follow conventional paths so you cannot predict what he will do."

Shaking the sake bottle until not a single drop remained, Amagi found the next one and poured herself a drink once she saw how the others glanced at her.

"*cough* I have to question though, why did he remind you of your husband." Amagi asked.

"Eh..." Venelana pondered for a second but was unable to answer.

"It seems he has been often by side, am I wrong?" Amagi pointed out. "Perhaps, that is what is making you relate the two. Unless... there is another reason."

Giving Venelana a sidelong glance, Amagi smiled craftily when Venelana sweated.

"I am not trying to hint at anything, mind you." Amagi looked at everyone being mad at Tamamo flaunting her figure on their faces. "I am no one to judge you, or even condemn you. Besides, I believe there is a reason why things have turned this way. He can be quite the flirt, but the reason why women ended up liking him is not because he has such a toned body... *cough* I mean, it has nothing to do with his physical appearance, but rather because of the deep connection you will inevitably develop with him. He can be such a busybody sometimes, ready to face your troubles along with you, or secretly fix them all by himself." 

Sighing, Amagi placed a hand on her chest and felt her beating heart.

"...I was gravely injured during a battle against the cultist long ago, my life was slowly escaping from my grasp, and my time was reduced greatly. I reckon, that without Nora's intervention, I would've died already." Amagi mumbled. "The feeling of my heart throbbing right now, the taste of this sake, the laughter I am sharing with you all today, everything has been made possible because he got involved with me. This silly me who had already come to terms with her death... he raised his voice at me and forcefully used that technique he developed to link his life force with mine."

"...wasn't it possible to use the ley lines ki to fight with the injury?" Venelana asked.

Just like she expected after asking a somewhat insensitive question, Amagi glared at her.

"...I refused." Amagi said.

"Why?" Venelana immediately asked.

"...call it foolish if you like, but I had fallen for someone long ago." Amagi muttered. "I waited for that person to appear and save me, but it never happened."

"...I see." Venelana sighed.

"Now now, I was the one who was foolishly waiting for him to appear, but he had definitely told me that he would be unable to appear for a long time. He offered to heal me, something that was not that troublesome back then, but I refused... I wanted to see him again, you see." Amagi smiled wryly. " I was so adamant, but I could not meet him in the end. I guess... after getting hit with that realization, I became depressed and... simply did not want to fight for my life anymore. As the protector of the fox village, I still fulfilled my duty and had some skirmishes against the cultists who sought to capture my kin for their own use. I watched over the little ones growing... at some point, I just did not think of that person at all. It is not like I forgot about him, but I had come to terms with that perhaps... I was not important to him, at least not enough for him to drop what he was doing for my sake. I had those thoughts more than once, you know?"

Smiling wryly, Amagi stared at her own reflection on the sake.

"I had never been so... how to say it, once I told Nora that, he dropped a fist on top of my head and called me an idiot. I was too dumbfounded by his actions to even react." Amagi chuckled. "He spent close to 24 hours lecturing me. He did not hold back at all, that child can look meek, but I learned that he is not to be underestimated. After he got off that of his chest, he patted his chest proudly and said to leave it to him. In the end, he solved the issue..."

"...He surely went through a lot to make it happen." Venelana muttered.

"Not like he will say he did." Amagi sighed. "The only thing he said... it is that he wanted to be paid back, before laughing like a pervert and moving his fingers in a sly manner."

"...Did he ask you for something lewd?" Venelana asked in confusion.

"That would've been easier for me..." Amagi blushed. "Like, I would be ok with that. If it were him, I would not turn down his requests... he would not ask for much anyway. However, he just... fluffed my tails."

"...That does not sound that difficult to grant." Venelana said. "Wait, you would be ok with doing lewd stuff?"

Leaning toward Venelana awfully close until her eyes were the only thing Venlana could see from Amagi, the kitsune held the other party's shoulders before she moved away.

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HIS DEVILISH HANDS CAN DO TO YOUR TAILS." Amagi said. "YOU CANNOT RESIST, THERE IS NO MEANING! NO, YOU DON'T EVEN DESIRE TO RESIST... BELIEVE ME, AT THIS POINT, ONCE HE FLUFF YOUR TAILS, YOU ARE DONE FOR."

"...o-ok." Venelana could only nod in response to that.

"Ahem, sorry about that." Amagi apologized.

Pulling back, Amagi poured herself more sake and drank it at once.

Sweating coldly, Venelana could tell that while it was not obvious, the youth had surely done a number on this woman. That was why she had to ask again.

"Is that why you would be ok doing lewd things with him?" Venelana asked again.

"Ah, you are curious about that... enough to ask about it twice huh." Amagi made a sly smile. "Amusing... well, whether it is because you have a second agenda, or simply because you are worrying about the 'foes' your daughter will face... I guess I can answer that by saying this. There has only been a person capable of healing me. Only one."

Without adding any more information, Amagi just chuckled.

Widening her eyes, Venelana was about to say something when the sliding doors to Nora's room were opened and the youth entered. Amagi and Venelana turned to see the youth, as well as the bickering group. Grayfia and Yasaka held Tamamo while Saya had the Tamamo figurine in her hands, and Tsuki was still unconscious.

Everyone looked at the youth who... had kiss marks all over his neck and his clothes were messy, with tears here and there.

"...Raikou-san woke up." Nora said.

There was no need to explain anything else since everyone had gotten a glimpse of what kind of person was Raikou before.

"...no bullying." Nora swung his hand and flicked everyone's forehead when he passed by the previously bickering group.

"AHHHHHH." Everyone yelled and threw themselves to the ground while holding their foreheads.

"Why me too...?" Tamamo looked at Nora with tears in her eyes.

"I know you were bullying them before." Nora sighed.

"...Isn't it an exaggerated reaction?" Venelana asked from one side.

"Never underestimate that attack. It can pierce any kind of defense." Amagi covered her forehead with a cautious look.

Hearing that, Venelana wondered what kind of damage could actually cause Nora's simple action. Her daughter also complained before about it but Venelana never believed her.

 "She is still unconscious huh." Nora sighed. "Hey, I know you have been stealing sake since a while ago, be a darling and open the gap in space to take her home."

As he picked Tsuki, she finally seemed to regain consciousness, but once she saw that Nora's face was so close to her and she was held by his strong hands, she passed out again. While this happened, a gap in space opened up in front of Nora, it led to another Japanese-style room and the youth stepped in like it was normal for him.

There seemed to be other people inside, among them, a cat girl with a busty figure but traditional clothes that covered her figure but failed to suppress her charm and a blonde nine-tailed fox who had a serious face until Nora pulled a bag that had a tag that clearly said, 'bribe', and then she smiled brightly before pointing the youth to a gap that opened. The youth did not wait any longer and passed through that gap as well.

"...long time no see, Gap Youkai." Saya was the first to recover.

From the room Nora passed by, a figure walked out and joined the group, different from the kitsune and the cat girl that received Nora, this one did not have animal features.

"Are you not going to call me Yukari-nee, like you used to?" Yukari teased.

Lazily sitting where Tsuki was a moment ago, she seemed to find that position uncomfortable. Waving her hand, the gap leading to the room she was in closed, and another one was opened. She put her hand inside and... dragged Nora from it.

"You almost gave Vali's sisters a heart attack." Nora sighed.

Without caring for his opinion. Yukari pointed down beside her. The youth simply sighed and sat down. Like it was natural, Yukari laid down and used his lap as a pillow.

Her actions caused everyone to feel annoyed.

"...Nora-chan, you seem to be close to her." Saya was the first one to speak.

"...she is kind of my superior." Nora shrugged his shoulders. "I work for a secret group that is trying to catch all Pokemon in order to conquer the world."

Looking at his deadpan expression as he lied, everyone could only sigh.

They all turned toward Yasaka, but she only seemed sour about it.

Tamamo was biting a handkerchief with a vexed expression but since it seemed like her usual antics, everyone ignored her.

"Since I just helped you out, you can be a darling and offer me some of the REAL goods." Yukari looked at Nora and caressed his face.

Without getting flustered, the youth made a cautious face.

"...I don't recommend it." Nora muttered.

"Of course, it is for the adults (me), not for the children..." Yukari smirked.

This made everyone else but Nora have a vein ready to pop from their foreheads.

"Nora-chan, what is she talking about?" Saya asked.

"This friend of yours is a jokester..." Yasaka chuckled.

"Fufu." Venelana smiled.

"Ara." Amagi giggled.

"Do you enjoy making my life harder than it is already?" Nora facepalmed.

"You made a drinking party and you did invite me, I think you earned this." Yukari had a wide smile on her face.

"You are always spying on me so it is not like you did not know about it." Nora grumbled. "I did send some bottles your way before."

"Those were hardly enough, and they were not the REAL deal." Yukari retorted.

"You should first deny being a stalker." Nora gave up. "Whatever, drink at your own risk. If you pass out from this, I will not be dealing with you. I will be calling Nightingale to do so instead."

Snapping his fingers, several gourds appeared on the table. They had different aspects and they even had some ofudas on the lids to seal them.

Everyone seemed interested in them, but Saya, Amagi, and Yasaka stopped in place when they recalled Nightingale's figure.

"Fufu, in the end... you are children." Yukari teased.

This provocation seemed to work on everyone, even Tamamo who did not plan to drink also felt like taking up the challenge.

Thus, they picked each a bottle.

...

...

...

It is said that someone passing by Nora's room that night could hear his cries for help despite the soundproof feature added to the rooms. Yet, the danger they felt from the room made them flee.

...

...

...

It was a few hours later when Nora finally escaped the party that got out of hand. After everyone got drunk, they seemed interested in Nora's body and after feeling jealous over Raikou's lipstick on Nora's skin, Tamamo wanted to overwrite it with her own. This led to others wanting to do the same.

It was evident that Nora was a 'victim' given how ragged his outfit looked and how many different lipsticks covered his body.

"You are really the worst." Nora sighed.

"You are saying it like you did not have your fun." Yukari smirked.

Licking her lips as she saw her lipstick marks on his body, Yukari leaned on her couch inside her room. She had dragged Nora to her place when things were getting dangerous for the youth.

"You should be thanking me, I protected your precious virginity." Yukari muttered.

"Funny thing to say for say, given that you started the whole kissing event." Nora grumbled. "You also sealed the space so I could not flee the entire time."

"That was a little service on my part." Yukari had an enticing smile on her face. "Are you saying that you did not enjoy so many beautiful women fawning over you?"

"No comment." Nora looked away.

"Besides, it was necessary." Yukari closed her eyes.

"...Thankfully, no one noticed." Nora bit his lips.

"Time is not in our favor here." Yukari mumbled.

"..I know." Nora looked down. "But I... want her to..."

Inwardly sighing, Yukari did not say anything about it.

"By the way, dear, I happened to find who you were looking for." Yakumo muttered.

"...can you arrange a meeting?" Nora asked.

"Sure, feel free to pick a date. I captured her and her group so you can visit her anytime." Yukari yawned. "Be a darling and turn off the lights before going out. I only took a few sips but that sake almost made me pass out."

Before Nora could retort, Yukari was already sleeping.

"Oh, f*ck this. I am too tired to retort." Nora did not have the energy to give a comeback. "I will just make sure they are well-fed before going to sleep."

Taking one step, Nora bobbled, and had to kneel. Inwardly cursing, he raised one hand to his nose and found it bleeding.

"...Is it finally taking a toll on me? I guess the construction of that place is too much of a burden for someone of my level." Nora spoke in a mocking tone.

Shaking his head, Nora stood up with some difficulty and left all while walking unsteadily.

Leaving Yukari's room, there were two figures waiting for him.

Without saying anything, Nora took the towel that one of them handed to him.

"I can move on my own, you two should focus on doing your own things." Nora spoke before walking away... alone.

...

...

...

In another location, a certain kitsune arrived at the kitchen of Nora's house and poured herself a glass of cold water. The hangover from drinking the REAL deal, as Yukari called it was hard to bear. Hse recalled doing things to Nora that would be morally wrong under normal circumstances, but being drunk gave her a green light so she went all out. Yasaka sighed as she recalled the chaos that unfolded before, but she was somewhat happy since those were some interesting memories.

"So you did not leave but were waiting here all the time." Yasaka said.

Looking to one side, Yasaka saw a figure sitting all alone in the dark kitchen devoid of light.

"I still had some business here." Shuri spoke.

Glaring at the woman who carried a harmless smile, Yasaka decided to question her previous actions. She had a bone to pick with her given that she almost caused Raikou to go rampant.

"Shuri, I will be blunt with you. Why did you say all that before? I knew you were the type to enjoy seeing shuraba situations and dramas, but revealing all that just like that could've been dangerous. The only person who can persuade Raikou is Nora in matters that involve him. Saya on the other hand, is a wild card that might ignore Nora's words if you riddle her up too much. After coming back, she has been meek and all, but..." Yasaka left the rest unsaid.

"...I know." Shuri nodded. "I did it precisely because you two were present, no, because all were present. It was unexpected to have that youkai join in, along with Tsuki, however, things went better than I expected it."

"If things went wrong, you would've made Nora dislike you." Yasaka narrowed her eyes.

"I would hate if that happened. I always wanted to be the type of mother-in-law that would get along well with her son-in-law." Shuri smiled bitterly.

"Shuri, you are married... don't tell me your husband has that fetish..." Yasaka took a step back.

"He is a masochist, but he would never like to see me being embraced by another man." Shuri glared at the kitsune. "I didn't want to get along that 'good', jeez."

Sighing in relief, Yasaka felt the response being honest enough. The surveillance would have to be put on her just in case, but she hoped that she would not change her mind.

"I owe a lot to that child." Shuri said. "I wondered what would've happened to my husband and daughter if I had died back then, but... you know what that child told me once he heard me muttering that one time?"

"He tried to rizz you up?" Yasaka mumbled.

"Haha... No, he karate chopped me." Shuri rubbed her head with both hands. "I felt like passing out for real."

Facepalming, Yasaka decided to scold the youth for that later.

"He told me that if I had time to think about that, I should go and have some quality time with my family. He told me that I should just do that every time it happened, regardless of what I was doing at the time." Shuri smiled. "Nowadays, I no longer have those worries. I stopped thinking about that and instead, I focused on planning family outings. Every now and then, I drag my husband from work and take him to have dates together or we go with Akeno to visit many places."

Hearing the woman talk like that, Yasaka felt some pride. It was Nora who made this possible, and he was the guy who liked her. She was happy to hear someone praising the person who made her heart throb so honestly.

"Because he did not have his mother, I tried to take upon that role back then, but he ended up being the one taking care of me." Shuri chuckled.

"Not at all, he was happy that you would also include him in your family outings." Yasaka muttered. "Although he was always at his wits end every time you tried to set him with your daughter."

Smiling wryly, Yasaka recalled one time that Nora kept mumbling something about a close call and how he was almost outsmarted by a cunning woman.

"Ara, I was just doing what every mother who found the perfect son-in-law material would do in my place." Shuri did not look remorseful.

"...even so, I think he was not happy that you would send your daughter naked every time he took a bath to wash his back." Yasaka sighed.

"They were children, nothing strange with that." Shuri smiled innocently.

"...did you also have to steal his clothes and towels? How about sealing the doors with nails?" Yasaka raised an eyebrow. "You are also aware that they are not common children... Nora grew a lot faster than most children and the same could be said about Akeno."

"Ara, I just offered a helping hand." Shuri giggled.

"...you faked being weak and helpless before, right?" Yasaka felt somewhat irritated.

"Tee hee." Shuri cutely knocked her head with her left fist.

"...you are a real piece of work." Yasaka sighed.

Placing her left hand on the cheek, Shuri 'smiled'.

"I come from an exorcist family so I would not be shaken by the threat of death. I have fought numerous battles before." Shuri smiled. "Besides... I have to constantly watch out for fallen angels trying to entice my husband."

Feeling a shudder run down her spine, Yasaka had to admit that Shuri looked somewhat scary.

"...I know it is shameless of me not to allow any other woman to get that close to my husband, but I am thankful you are allowing Nora to have a harem." Shuri relaxed her expression. "My Akeno and Suzaku are both madly in love with him."

"...you don't need to thank me." Yasaka sighed. "It really feels bad when you say it."

"Urgh, are you perhaps still angry because of the things I revealed before? No, could it be that this is because I sent that woman, Lisa, toward Nora?" Shuri mumbled. "I was trying to help out Grayfia and Venelana, if Saya or you found out in another kind of situation, your relationship might turn hostile."

"I will touch on the topic of Lisa later, that woman is quite forward in regards to Nora." Yasaka glared at Shuri. "However, you mentioned something about turning hostile against Grayfia or Venelana. I don't think-"

"Yasaka, I will be blunt with you." Shuri spoke. "Why would you not be angry? Why would you be able to maintain an amicable relationship with Grayfia and Venelana...? I would understand in Grayfia's case. She has shown a caring side for Nora, and getting involved in his shenanigans as his ally must've earned your approval. Above all, she won a place in Nora's heart."

"Your point?" Yasaka asked.

"Venelana is different." Shuri pointed out.

"Is it because she is the mother of Rias? In that case, you can also mention Tsuki-" Yasaka mumbled.

"She is unique in another way. You know that. Nora knows that. Everyone was able to understand that after hearing about what she went through. It is not set in stone if she will develop deeper feelings for Nora either." Shuri interrupted. "Don't evade the topic. Venelana. She is my benefactor and a friend, just like Nora, I am in debt to her. That is the reason for today's shenanigans."

Looking somewhat uncomfortable, Yasaka looked away.

"...look." Shuri sighed. "I have no idea what it feels to lose your life partner."

Gritting her teeth, Shuri felt angry.

"However, I know it must've been extremely painful." Shuri said. "...did you know that there were a couple of times that Venelana and Rias lashed out at Nora?"

"...what?" Yasaka had not heard of such a thing before.

"It is nothing strange. Someone who is afflicted by grief and pain will always find it hard to control their emotions. Venelana might be a devil and she might be way older than you think, but that also means that she spent much longer with her beloved, and the pain she felt might've been greater than normal. Rias... her case was also difficult since her father pampered her a lot." Shuri explained. "Despite being lashed out, Nora consoled them both. Despite feeling grief for being unable to save the person those two were crying for. He felt a great deal of guilt, yet he did not try to avoid responsibility. He faced all of their feelings and lent a shoulder for them to cry."

"That was not his fault." Yasaka shook her head.

"Venelana knew that. Rias knew that. Nora knew that. However, none of them accepted it." Shuri mumbled bitterly. "He took it the worst."

"I..." Yasaka felt a pain in her chest. "He never said anything!"

"I happened to catch him for a second. He stayed after they buried Zeoticus" Shuri hesitated to continue. "...he was crying. He was apologizing over and over. His attention was not on his surroundings because he did not even notice me until I was close enough to see his tears."

Gritting her teeth, Yasaka felt the pain growing.

"I have seen him getting hurt before. It is to the point where even an adult man would cry in pain, yet he never complained." Shuri sounded dispirited. "Yet, I caught him crying. As if to express his pain, there were clouds and it began to rain. There he was, a child whose mother had gone missing, he had exhausted his energy to the point his life force was hitting rock bottom to save a person's life yet he was unable to do so and the guilt was crushing him. He was lashed out by the family of said person. That child was left alone in the rain."

Recalling that event, Shuri felt bitterness swelling inside of her.

"It was the first time I raised a hand at someone who had been so nice to me. Later that day, after taking him back to the mansion and tucking him in bed... I went and slapped Venelana." Shuri said.

Not saying a word, Yasaka listened.

"I guess I was blinded by rage." Shuri smiled bitterly. "I regret doing that, but I also don't. I remember that I went and told her to get her act together. To... be kinder to Nora because he was also suffering."

"It must been hard for everyone." Yasaka sighed.

"You tell me about it." Shuri shook her head. "I was ready to be fired. However, Venelana did not do such a thing. She got her act together. She apologized to Nora and began to take care of everything. I never mentioned about Nora crying to anyone, but I guess she got a gist of it by observing him."

"He can be easy to read sometimes." Yasaka smiled wryly.

"That is true, he is honest with people he is close with." Shuri said. "However, Venelana did not completely recover. She had her bad days. There were plenty of people after the Gremory's businesses and territory so it was hard to not be overwhelmed by that when she was still in grief."

"It is a problem that all wealthy families face." Yasaka mumbled.

"That is indeed the case." Shuri smiled bitterly. "Zeoticus's harem was also a problem, but above all, you cannot forget that it represented an opportunity for many. The spot of her spouse was open, the spouse of Venelana Gremory, the mother of Sirchezs, the Maou. There are many fools who are expecting to have some sort of control over him if they become his stepdad."

"That is foolish." Yasaka spat out.

"Logic and reasoning is not their forte." Shuri said. "Yet, you know what stopped them? Nora's meddling. His presence alone is enough to keep idiots away. His reputation is nothing to scoff at. The fact that he is also beside Venelana during social parties is also a huge help for her."

"I think I get what you want to say." Yasaka crossed her arms.

Like she expected a difficult topic, the kitsune found a place to sit down.

Shuri decided to get straight to the point.

"Why are you ok with Venelana getting close to Nora?" Shuri asked. "There is nothing of that sort happening yet, but you should be aware that there is a high chance of that changing."

Shuri narrowed her eyes.

"What is Nora to you?" Shuri questioned. "You don't make any moves no matter who gets close to him, always using the excuse of him needing to be older or because you feel bad for your daughter."

Tapping the table, Shuri's finger made a loud sound in the lonely kitchen.

"Even if it is you, I will not back down. If you don't have any plans to accept his feelings, I will drag that child out of Urakyoto and have him marry Akeno, she already expects to be part of a harem and she would get support from Suzaku, her relationship with Kuroka and Shirone is also very good, getting them on her side would be easy." Shuri threatened. "Well? Still not saying anything? Damn it, Yasaka, say something."

Taking all without changing expression, Yasaka opened her mouth once Shuri stopped talking.

"Before Saya was found... I almost laid my hand on him. We were almost at the point of having sex." Yasaka revealed.

"What?" Shuri could not believe what she heard.

"...I am not a saint, I have sexual desires like any of you." Yasaka sighed. "Just like Nekomatas, Nine-tailed foxes also have mating seasons. Once a year it will come to us. We usually just suppress that desire if we have no partner or if we do not have an interest in anyone. Until now, Nine-tailed foxes took the essence of the killing stone to create more of our kin, but it is not like we are unable to mate or we are lacking in desires."

Pausing, Yasaka wondered why she was talking about this. Perhaps the alcohol had made her more talkative.

"Nora is... growing to be a very handsome young man. His body is not lacking in any aspect and would not lose against a grown-up man in any way. He is also constantly courting me and doting me with compliments, that is not something that someone who has feelings for him can ignore. I like him. I love him. My heart goes KYUN whenever he flirts with me." Yasaka admitted. "I am truly in love with him."

"Then, why...?" Shuri asked.

"I did not want to take advantage of him." Yasaka said. "I was also slightly afraid that I would not be able to control myself if we did it."

"...yet, you held back, only to almost do it back then." Shuri added.

"I could not do it." Yasaka muttered. "I promised Saya that I would protect him. What kind of friend would I be if I laid my hands on the son of my friend when she was missing? After that, not long after, Saya was found."

"...I don't think you would stop because she told you to." Shuri could not understand.

"...I have to." Yasak smiled bitterly. "I cannot go against her wishes."

"I think I need to talk to that woman for trying to hinder Nora's happiness." Shuri stood up.

"Stop right there, human. Try to say something to Saya, and you will make an enemy of the whole youkai race." Yasaka stood up and released her pressure.

Gritting her teeth, Shuri turned toward Yasaka in confusion.

"Why are you covering for her?" Shuri asked.

"You might not fear making an enemy out of me, but you will be utterly despised by Nora." Yasaka warned.

"What?" Shuri questioned.

"...Saya's days are counted." Yasaka muttered in a somber tone.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Shuri could not understand.

"Saya Shiki have no more than a month to live. That idiot has been hiding it, but she is barely holding it." Yasaka growled. "I don't care if you want to play your games and take Nora, but I will use every ounce of strength I have if you try to take them apart."

Making the pressure from before disappear, Yasaka left the kitchen. As she turned around, the moonlight allowed Shuri to catch something shining fall to the ground. Shuri could guess what it was given what she just heard.

"...why have you not said this to anyone, you idiot cat." Shuri could hardly imagine what the youth felt, the only thing she could tell was that he was surely suffering.