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"Well now the red-haired Princess of Destruction still remembers little old me? I'm touched, meow"
Kuroka licked her fingers languidly, her tone teasing.
Predators checked their claws before the hunt.
"Kuroka... Why are you here?"
Rias' expression hardened immediately, Her first instinct was to alert the Maou.
Kuroka had been classified as an Ultimate-Class Stray Devil. In Rias' estimation, only Maou-level power could guarantee victory.
"Oh, nothing serious~ I just came to bring my little sister home, meow."
The more Kuroka followed her instincts, the more pleased she seemed.
"Take Koneko?"
"Are you planning to force her to follow you? To drag her into a wandering life against her will?"
As Rias spoke, she shot Sona a subtle glance.
Sona understood instantly.
She wasn't preparing to fight.
She was searching for an opening.
An escape route.
At the very least, somewhere secure enough to call for backup.
For now, Kuroka's attention was on Rias.
"Against her will?" Kuroka tilted her head lazily. "Once Shirone grows up, she'll understand I was protecting her."
"And wandering with me isn't necessarily more dangerous than staying with you."
She smiled faintly.
"You really think this town now the center of the world's attention is safe?"
She had joined Vali's team, Strong allies, Capable fighters.
To her, Shirone would be safer among powerful beings with stable temperaments.
Rias' side?
Yes, the Maou stood behind them.
But the Maou couldn't watch over them every second.
"You came because of what happened this morning?" Rias pressed.
"Of course, meow~ Something that big happens, and as a big sister I check on my little sister."
She wasn't talking about Vritra.
She meant the Ark Sphere's descent.
That overwhelming, dimension-shattering energy had drawn eyes from every faction.
Before Rias could continue—
"I say! Why waste time talking? Just grab the girl and leave!"
A small figure descended from the sky on a golden cloud.
Sun Wukong.
Or rather—
The current inheritor of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
"Fair point~" Kuroka covered her mouth in amusement. "You mentioned Maou's protection earlier, so where is your Maou right now, meow?"
—
At that same moment—
Anos' house.
Koneko suddenly stiffened.
"…Something feels wrong."
Anos noticed instantly.
"Koneko? What is it?"
She pressed a hand lightly to her chest.
"I don't know, Senpai, it just feels… bad."
A strange mixture of nostalgia and suffocation.
Then—
Her phone rang.
She blinked.
"Rias-buchou?"
Odd.
Normally they used magic communication arrays.
Why a phone call?
She answered.
"Buchou, this is Koneko."
A different voice came through.
"Oh my hearing Shirone's voice makes big sister so happy, meow!"
"—Sister!"
Her golden eyes narrowed into slits.
Why did her sister have Rias' phone?
What happened?
What did she do to Buchou?!
"Koneko... Calm down."
Warm hands rested gently atop her head.
She stiffened instinctively—
Then relaxed.
The sensation was grounding.
Safe.
Unlike a stray cat, Koneko was a house cat.
A stray bares its fangs when touched.
A house cat melts.
She steadied herself But the voice on the other end sharpened.
"You're with a man right now?!"
Kuroka's tone turned dangerous.
"So you found yourself a man behind big sister's back, meow?"
Instantly, she categorized the unseen male as Shirone's partner.
What kind of man stayed beside her little sister?
Didn't he know she was still underage?
"Koneko! Don't come here! Take Anos and go find my brother!"
Rias' voice suddenly cut in from the background.
"Buchou! Did my sister do something to you?!"
Now she understood.
They must have refused magical contact—
So Kuroka used the phone.
"Not your turn to talk, hostage~!"
A soft sound.
Then muffled noises.
"Mmmph—!"
"Here's the deal, meow~" Kuroka continued lazily. "If you don't want to see your master's corpse next time, come to Kuoh Academy."
She delivered the threat smoothly.
Of course—
She had no intention of killing Rias.
Neutralizing her and Sona was the limit.
Despite her hatred for devils, she knew these two were different.
"Ah, and bring your man along, Shirone."
Click!
The call ended.
Silence...
Koneko's grip tightened around the phone.
Anos' expression remained calm.
But his eyes—
Had sharpened.
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~Support with 300 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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