Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha:Volume 8

Novel Illustrations

These are the novel illustrations that were included in volume 8

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  Cover

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  Special Bundle Cover

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  page 55

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  page 121

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  page 151

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  page 198

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  page 249

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  page 295

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  vol 09 preview

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Chapter 1: At the End of Each Promise

I learned that the truth that I had been searching for was covered up by a gentle lie. The choice was the ‘kindness of closing my eyes’ or ‘the courage to touch upon it even so’.

Part 1

It was a place where the morning rays of sun gently shined down and gathered. The lush myriad of trees in Oldora Forest grew abundantly, covering the entirety of the ground. This rich natural forest had spread to the borders of Wildart City, the base of the Moderates Faction. In the depths of this thick forest, in a corner where only animals usually passed by, a group of visitors were present. They were the people who had just concluded a decisive battle to determine the history of the Demon Realm, and were about to return to their own world, as well as the group of people that had come to see them off.

“Everyone, thank you so much for everything…you’ve done so much for me because you were there by my side.”

Naruse Mio, Yuki, and the other girls all bid their farewells to that girl. The girl — the maid Noel clasped Mio’s hand and reluctantly said

“Mio-sama…you’re leaving so soon.”

“…Mmm. I’m sorry, Noel.”

Mio also squeezed her hand lightly, which only seemed to deepen Noel’s sorrow, prompting her to say with even more reluctance

“Even so, you don’t have to go back home so hastily…”

It had only been two days since that battle — the decisive battle between the Moderates Faction and the Current Demon Lord Faction which had been interrupted by the conspiracy of the Council members who initiated the invasion of the Demon God Chaos, though they had been defeated by a concerted effort from both sides. Those two days mainly consisted of a rest period which had been imposed by the doctor who examined the damage sustained from the battle, as well as a minimal amount of consultations and meetings to discuss the future of the Demon Realm. 

“…I’m happy about the way you feel, Noel. But, we don’t have any other choice.”

Yuki said. Just like Mio, Yuki also had a reluctant expression on her face because she had become close with Noel during the time that she had guided them through Wildart’s city area.

“We’ve already accomplished what we came here to do. And so, we should leave the Demon Realm as soon as possible.”

In response to Yuki’s words, Kurumi also nodded in agreement beside her.

“That’s right. If we stay any longer, we might cause various problems.”

Indeed — there were several reasons why Mio and the others had to return back to the human realm in such a hurry. Mio and the others had come to the Demon Realm just when time ticked over from the twenty fifth of December to the twenty sixth of December in the human realm. Considering the number of days that had passed since they came here, it meant that the third trimester of school had already begun. Among those who accompanied Mio, Basara valued the idea of ‘making their ordinary lives the top priority whenever possible’, and so because of that, they had also delayed their initial plans to come to the Demon Realm for about a month so that they wouldn’t miss the end of trimester exams. —Of course, they could use magic to tamper with anything such as their attendance records or their grades. With something so simple, their problem would be resolved. …However. By doing so, by making use of an external power, they would diverge even further away from ordinary people. Rather, it was a kind of act that would turn their ordinary daily lives into a lie. Even aside from the issues of daily life in the human realm, there was a possibility that another problem would arise from Mio’s presence in the Demon Realm.

—The decisive battle between the Moderates Faction and the Current Demon Lord faction had undoubtedly influenced the future of the Demon Realm. For better or for worse, the achievements of Mio and the others in that historic were too substantial. As a result, the people of the Moderates faction hailed them as heroes, and there was now an expectation that she would rise to become their new leader. On the other hand, the current Demon Lord faction and various other factions began to regard their presence and combat force as a danger. In addition, the Moderates faction received an offer of truce immediately after the decisive battle from the Current Demon Lord faction. After repelling Chaos, although Mio and the others didn’t meet with Ramsas, they understood from the senior and well-respected Klaus, as well as Ramsas’ aide Lucia that there was a high chance that Leohart’s secret objective was to overthrow the Council. After achieving this goal, the present situation would ultimately lead from a truce to a peace treaty or a military alliance between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction. With that in mind, ceremonies would be held by the Moderates faction for Leohart, and ceremonies would be held by the Current Demon Lord faction for Ramsas in order to strengthen the connections between each side and welcome them — that’s why it wasn’t surprising to hear rumours that the ones to attend would instead be Mio and Leohart. However—

…I don’t like it.

Mio didn’t feel that way. Naruse Mio had already decided upon the existence to which she would devote herself. She didn’t yet know what form it would take, but from here on, the problems of the Demon Realm would settle in time. Not everything was completely resolved, and so it was still too early for her to consider what her long-term relationship with it would be.

…Even so.

That person would never change. That was something that she could be certain of. That was why Mio decided in that decisive battle that she was going to live, not as Wilbert’s daughter, but as the girl named Naruse Mio. —Therefore, Mio had to show that the words she expressed at that time were the truth. To that end, it was best for her to leave the Demon Realm as soon as possible, just as Yuki said. In such circumstances, Mio and the others were simply searching for the right words to convey this to Noel.

“—Hyaa?”

A small hand reached over from the side and caressed Noel’s bottom, causing her to jump up in surprise. At the same time

“—Noel, you shouldn’t trouble Mio-chan and the others too much.”

As Mio and the others looked down towards the source of that young voice, they noticed that a young-looking succubus had appeared by Noel’s side without them realising.

“Sheera-sama…”

As Zest spoke her name in surprise, the young-looking succubus continued to fondle Noel’s bottom.

“If you spend so long here chatting — that child will get angry you know.”

“I-I’m sorry! I-I’ll see to the carriage!”

Noel lowered her head with a reddened face as she ran off, escaping from the grasp of Sheera’s hand towards the carriage that Mio and the others had ridden so far to get here. Maria then timidly asked Sheera

“Umm, okaa-san…I don’t see Lucia-neesama around.”

Maria had asked about Lucia because Lucia was the one who opened the dimensional boundary when they came from the Toujou residence to the Demon Realm. The Demon Realm and the human realm — opening a dimensional gate to connect the two different worlds was not possible for most people. Therefore, Lucia had spoken about making a dimensional gate leading to the human realm for their journey back.  They had decided to take the return journey from Oldora Forest, similar to when they had arrived here, so as to avoid being too close to Wildart City.

…Moreover, this time.

There was a possibility that people would try to see Mio off, and that would cause unnecessary commotion. So in order to return to the human realm in absolute secrecy, they chose Oldora Forest as their place of departure. However, if Lucia didn’t come, then they wouldn’t be able to do much.

“Lucia-chan has a few final confirmations to make back at the castle for the ‘meeting’, so she won’t be free for quite a while.”

It didn’t seem to matter though, as Sheera shrugged her shoulders.

“They have to make sure that there aren’t any gaps, including security measures.”

Sheera was in fact referring to the high-level discussions that were to take place between Ramsas and Leohart on the topic of peace that was to be held between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction today. To prevent unnecessary problems, Mio and the others were leaving the Demon Realm as soon as possible. At the same time, the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction decided to promptly talk about peace for much the same reason. Leohart had made suggestions that high-level talks were necessary during the truce, and so this meeting was a realisation of that.

“Then, who’s going to open the dimensional gate for us to return…?”

“Ah, don’t worry, I’ll take care of that.”

In response to Mio’s question, Sheera said so without hesitation.

“…Sheera-san will?”

Yuki’s expression conveyed a degree of surprise.

“Yes. I was the one who originally taught Lucia-chan how to open a dimensional gate, and though that girl has improved considerably, I’m still better when it comes to spatial manipulation, so don’t worry about it.”

The loli succubus mother giggled. And then

“Well, it should be fine if it’s okaa-san, but…”

As her daughter, Maria also seemed to consent. Naturally, Mio and the others didn’t complain either. Mio and the others were well aware of the tremendous precision and finesse of the spatial tunnels that Sheera could build. —However, Mio and the others weren’t able to depart yet. And so, Naruse Mio inquired

“Sheera-san…are Basara and Ramsas-san still discussing things with each other?”

Indeed — Basara was not currently present. When the time came for them to leave the castle, Basara went to have a talk with Ramsas, and he told them to go ahead first, which they did. So as soon as the talk with Ramsas was over, they originally thought that Sheera would bring Basara over using a spatial tunnel…but since Sheera was now here, it meant that he would have to come in a different way.

…Basara….

The relationship between themselves and Ramsas wasn’t something that could be described as good. Especially with Basara and Ramsas, something had flared up between them which Mio and the others were unaware of, and that resulted in Basara being temporarily confined to his room. As worry gradually began to build up in Mio

“Don’t worry. After coming to this point, there should be no reason for those two to fight, and that shouldn’t be their intention anyway. Most likely, they’re only taking so long because there are various complicated matters.”

They understood that there was something that Basara went out of his way to speak to Ramas about. And — it was something important.

…Because.

During the battle with Leohart and the Demon God Chaos, Basara had been enveloped in the same red aura as Mio and he even demonstrated that he was capable of slashing attacks that could affect gravity. Supposedly, Basara had inherited this power from his ‘mother’. Mio and the others heard about this story after the battle against the Demon God Chaos ended — when they could finally calm down and talk. Before Basara went off to Lundvall, he had heard from Jin about his mother, and that was how it became one of the trump cards that he used in the decisive battle against the Current Demon Lord faction. He even secretly asked Sheera to prepare a medicine that would make that power easier to use. It was no surprise that he wanted to learn more about his mother from Ramsas before leaving the Demon Realm. It was a fact that Ramsas was Wilbert’s older brother, and Ramsas was also the older brother of Basara’s mother — and so just like Mio, it meant that Ramsas was Basara’s uncle. It was a secret that could never be made public.

…But.

That power had caused some speculation and rumours to spread amongst various other things such as Basara’s origin. Publicly, it had been misrepresented that it was a side effect of the medicine that had been made by Sheera, a well-renowned succubus. But if anyone was to investigate Basara’s spiritual energy patterns, the evidence would be undeniable. That was also one of the reasons why Mio and the others had to return to the human realm as soon as possible.

“Don’t worry. The interest in Basara-kun is only a temporary thing. There is no certain evidence about his identity, but it is an undeniable fact that the Demon God Chaos was resurrected, and that all of the members of the Council are now dead. Although the confusion hasn’t subsided yet, the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction who have been fighting against each other thus far are about to make peace with each other, aren’t they?”

They understood.

“The situation has already begun to advance to a new stage…the attention of the Demon Realm will be directed towards Ramsas and Leohart who are the main actors almost immediately. If you return to the human realm this soon, then you’ll be fine.”

Sheera then continued

“As I said before, if I were you, I’d be more worried about your future relationship.”

“Eh—…?”

Mio showed a blank expression on her face upon hearing those unexpected words.

“Basara-kun and his conversation will still take a while…so I should talk to you all right now.”

And then, with a bitter smile, Sheera began to speak. In the depths of her eyes, there was even a slight coldness.

“—Allow me to tell you about the ‘danger’ that Basara-kun carries.”

Part 2

The time was approaching for the high-level discussions to be held between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction in Wildart Castle. Lucia, who was in charge of the preparations, had already finished a final confirmation, including the security details. Lucia was now in a place that was different to the interior of the castle. It was a balcony that overlooked Wildart City. At present, there were two other people in this place aside from Lucia. In front of Lucia, who was waiting some distance away from them

“Please wait. Do you mean to say that, in the future—”

“—That is correct. In the future, we will essentially have nothing to do with each other.”

The person who answered Basara’s question with indifference was Lucia’s master — Ramsas. —Currently, Basara and Ramsas weren’t even looking at each other properly. Basara was looking at Ramsas, but Ramsas had turned his back to Basara as he continued to watch over Wildart City which was below him. Ramsas’ idea was something that Lucia was already aware of. It was the stance which the Moderates Faction and the demons would take against Basara and the others from now on.

“As you may be aware, there is a high risk that you guys will light the spark which causes a new battlefield to arise in the Demon Realm.”

Ramsas spoke with a heavy tone.

“At this important time when a military alliance is about to be formed between us and the Current Demon Lord faction, we cannot be seen to have any involvement with your group, as that would sow unnecessary seeds of doubt amongst each other. It would also cause unnecessary speculation amongst the other factions.”

Therefore

“In order to prevent that, we demons will cut off contact with you guys as much as possible…of course, there is also the possibility that some may with malicious intent may target you, so I will continue to leave Maria in your hands. Considering that Zest has also entered into a Master-Servant contract with you, you have no shortage in terms of combat force should the need for self-defence arise.”

After saying so, Ramsas continued

“In order to maintain fairness and transparency, observers from the Current Demon Lord faction will most likely continue to be dispatched to keep an eye on you guys. However, though we will not be enemies in the future, other factions may try to take advantage of the power and presence of your group, and even go after your lives. That girl has been entrusted with the power of Wilbert, so that much is to be expected.”

And then

“If you guys have serious problems, it will be reported to both the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction fairly — so that we can implement a solution.”

It meant that both the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction would intervene if necessary, if an emergency situation was to befall Basara and the others.

“…That is reassuring. Thank you.”

“—What are you misunderstanding?”

In response to Basara’s words of gratitude, Ramasas responded with hostility.

“If the situation is more serious than we expect, and it is judged that a rescue it too difficult, there is a possibility that we will eliminate you guys ourselves in order to rid ourselves of that danger.”

“………”

In response to Ramsas’ cold words, Basara remained silent. But

…Basara-dono?

Lucia, who had been watching Basara, involuntarily frowned. It was because his expression was not a difficult one, but a gentle one. And then

“So, you’re going to keep up that cold attitude of yours until the very end huh….”

Letting out a bit of a sigh, Basara stared straight at Ramsas as he spoke. His words were straight to the point.

“Are you really going to part with Mio like this, without telling her the truth?” 

Toujou Basara slowly watched as Ramsas turned around to face him. Then

“…What are you talking about?”

That response seemed to prod at the ‘true intention’ behind his words.

“What I’m about to say is just my speculation as I have no evidence to back it up.”

After that preliminary remark, Basara began to speak. Before the decisive battle with the Current Demon Lord faction — whilst considering a plan to assassinate Belphegor, Toujou Basara arrived at a certain ‘truth’ whilst thinking about the process that led up to the execution.

“Your attitude and the way you speak to Mio clearly shows unfriendliness. No matter how dangerous the situation became, you never sent any escorts aside from Maria, and the decisions you made had absolutely no regard for Mio’s life…you thoroughly avoided Mio, and kept distancing her away from yourself.”

Why?

“Someone who told me about the circumstances said that you were still bitter about the fact that your younger brother became the Demon Lord, and not you. He said that this was the reason why you were so cold towards your own niece, Mio.”

Basara extrapolated further based on the speculation that Takigawa had spoken about. But what came next was a disproof, rather than proof.

“But, this time, you called Mio to the Demon Realm and tried to extract the power of the former Demon Lord from her. Because we defeated Zolgear, people like Klaus-san began to intensify their opinions that Mio should become the next Demon Lord.”

Klaus was loyal to Wilbert, and that’s why his support for Mio to become the legitimate successor was obvious. However, Ramsas and Klaus disagreed with each other over this.

“To go against those who supported Mio, you insisted that you would be the one to gain that power. If you look at this normally, then it certainly does seem like these selfish actions of yours are an attempt to satisfy your vanity as the prideful older brother who was jealous of being surpassed by his younger brother.”

That was why when Basara came to the Demon Realm that night — Ramsas had made an insult towards Mio at this place. Mio had been left alone up until then, but selfish requests were imposed upon them as soon as the situation changed, and he couldn’t forgive the fact that Ramsas and the others were trying to use Mio.

“But…”

And then, Basara stole a glance at Lucia

“When I saw the relationship between Lucia-san and Maria, it was a hint for me to change my perspective.”

“Me and Maria…?”

As Lucia frowned, Basara nodded as he affirmed that.

“Before coming here, someone gave me a piece of advice ‘Don’t be short-sighted. Look at things flexibly’. She’s someone who’s given me valuable pieces of advice over and over many times…that’s why her words remained in my mind.”

Then

“I thought again as I looked at Lucia-san and Maria…the love that’s poured in to a family is not as simple as an act of kindness that can always be seen. And then I met my father here, and that thought turned into conviction.”

The answer that he derived. It was

“Whilst we children are doing the best we can to live our daily lives, our parents — they’re looking ahead for us into the future.”

“………”

Ramsas kept silent without changing his expression as Basara continued. Although Ramsas’ emotions could not be ascertained from his facial expression, his silence meant that he could not deny his true intentions. However, Toujou Basara didn’t care as he went on

“That’s when I changed my view. Your attitude and your behaviour towards Mio was not meant to satisfy your own pride, it was all for Mio’s own sake…”

If that was true, then the meaning of everything up until now could be traced in reverse like a chain reaction.

“The former Demon Lord Wilbert made his subordinates act as her parents so that his daughter Mio could live as a human being in the human realm…so that his only daughter Mio would not become a tool in the politics of the Demon Realm. All of the actions and decisions that you’ve made up until now can also be viewed as an extension of the will of Wilbert.”

And that’s because

“Maria was the only escort for her, and you didn’t assign any more escorts than was necessary to prevent Mio from being recognised as the Moderates faction’s princess. That’s why you distanced yourself from her. In order to prevent Mio from getting caught up in the politics of the Demon Realm, you went as far as possible not to make contact with her.”

And then, Basara continued

“If you thought about Mio that much, you probably had various measures in place to act as insurance against threats…for example with Sheera-san, one of those insurance measures was to make Mio the inheritor of Wilbert’s power. Of course, the probability of being targeted because she had inherited that would increase, but there was also a risk if she had been left without it.”

Moreover

“Even when Zolgear first targeted Mio, you permitted Maria to use her ‘key’ to transform into an adult, so that they could make it out of a struggle…but, that wasn’t the only thing, was it?”

After saying that, Basara once again directed his eyes towards Lucia

“Lucia-san…when Maria reported to you that Zolgear had taken Sheera-san hostage, you told her to focus on her mission of protecting Mio.”

“………”

Lucia stubbornly remained silent and maintained her expressionless façade. This silence meant that what Basara was saying was getting closer and closer to the hidden truth. Toujou Basara revealed a part of that truth. Looking back at Ramsas instead of at Lucia, he said

“But Lucia-san hadn’t abandoned Sheera-san…did she get captured by Zolgear on purpose?”

 “………………”

This was the conclusion that he had come to after thinking and reversing everything. Ramsas’ long silence was an affirmation which boosted the correctness of his reasoning

“That’s because Sheera-san can build a spatial tunnel without Lucia-san even noticing. Zolgear had captured Sheera-san from a location that was not his own residence. With that in mind, there would have been many chances for her to get away.”

But, Sheera didn’t attempt to run away — why?

 “Even though the observer was dismissed, Zolgear didn’t give up on Mio…that’s why she pretended to be caught by Zolgear and stayed there. Because Zolgear’s strong obsession with Mio was dangerous, she stayed there because she considered what might happen if Mio was captured.”

It was highly likely that not all of this was Sheera’s own decision, and that Ramsas was also involved. In any case

…Lucia-san was also aware of Sheera-san’s aim.

That was why she instructed Maria to focus on her mission. And so — because she was loyal to her master, she wouldn’t have done so without Ramsas’ permission. Therefore, it was a concrete fact that Ramsas was aware of this.

“Yes. Everything was for Mio’s sake — you thought about everything to protect her.”

Quietly…but with a clear voice, Basara said

“However, as I mentioned earlier, we defeated Zolgear, and this caused the attention of both the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction to gather onto Mio. In order to prevent Mio from becoming a tool of politics in the Demon Realm, the quickest way to cause her value to diminish was to extract the power of the former Demon Lord from his only daughter. And that’s why you tried to extract that power from Mio.”

Surely, it was an inevitable decision.

“There was a possibility that taking away this trump card from Mio would cause her to lose all magical power, but you didn’t mind…as a mere human being, Mio would be free to live as an ordinary girl, and she also had us around her, who had defeated Zolgear. Therefore, you thought the risk of people trying to target her would decrease because she would just be an ordinary girl.”

At any rate

“As the leader of the Moderates faction, it appeared as though you continued to look down on Mio’s existence. From the perspective of other factions, a Mio who had lost her powers would no longer have any value as a hostage against the Moderates faction. That’s why you wanted to extract that power from Mio, leave her in our hands, and then try to deal with the problems of the Demon Realm by yourself. However, before that could happen, the Current Demon Lord faction attacked us with the spirits, and as a result, we were forced to head to the frontlines.”

But, Basara still continued

“Then, the question arises…”

That is

“The timing with which you appeared in the Moderates Faction, and the cold attitude that you displayed towards Mio. Suppose we go with my theory that you were an older brother who picked up the dying wish of your younger brother Wilbert, and that you were an uncle who thought dearly about Mio. If that was the case, then there was no reason for you to go out of your way to oppose Klaus-san and the others. It was Wilbert’s wish that he didn’t want Mio to get involved, and you were simply carrying this on.”

Then

“…Don’t you think that these contradictions arose because your theory is incorrect?”

Finally, Ramsas opened his mouth. His statement was a sound argument. However

“—I don’t think so.”

Toujou Basara felt confidence in himself as he continued. That was because

“I was watching when you guarded and protected Mio from Chaos. The expression on your face when you gently held her in your arms after she lost consciousness from using Wilbert’s power showed that you truly cared about Mio…that is the undeniable truth.”

Basara continued to assert with a firm tone

“That’s why I thought like that. The reason why you continued to show a cold attitude towards Mio was because there was some kind of circumstance which ‘gave you no choice’.”

Going by the assumption that Ramsas had considerately thought about Mio, he pursued that possibility. —For the sake of that, Toujou Basara came here. Ramsas appeared before the Moderates Faction — but what about the events which transpired before that? After extensive reasoning, the conclusion derived from that was

“—The Moderates Faction boasted the greatest power in the Demon Realm at the time.”

Basara began to speak in a low tone, so as to supress the excitement in his voice as he steadily approached the truth.

“However, rather than agreeing with the idea of the late Wilbert’s desire for peace, I heard that the majority of people were attracted by his charisma as the man described to be the strongest Demon Lord…the soldiers of the Moderates Faction who boasted great power adored their own king, and instead of seeking peace after the war, the voices calling for the unification of the Demon Realm grew louder, isn’t that right?”

Klaus was a good example that the loyalty Wilbert’s followers showed to him was in fact terrifying. Even after his death, his reputation held such influence. When he took up the throne of the Demon Lord, the charisma that everyone felt from Wilbert was unparalleled, and it was far from what it was now. …However, this was the opposite of the name and values of the ‘Moderates Faction’, as it was essentially domination by force. This kind of self-righteous thinking was no different from the Council. Although his desire for peace was greater than anyone else, it was ironic that his charismatic nature as the Demon Lord was the source of his torment. —To Wilbert, it would have been a more painful situation than anything else. Those who respected him asked him to take the place of the Council to become the ruler who would dominate the Demon Realm. Day by day, his control of the situation began to slip away and spiral out of control. And so, the strongest Demon Lord began to think about how he could regain the Moderates Faction of his ideals, and how to bring true peace to the Demon Realm so that it would be free from the control and influence of the Council.

“The answer that King Wilbert arrived at in order to stop the Moderates Faction from spiralling out of control was — for himself to disappear.”

But in case of an emergency, he still wanted to be able to protect the Moderates Faction. No matter how conceited they became, they were still an important existence that Wilbert wanted to protect.

“In order for the death of the strongest Demon Lord to be convincing, and in order to remain a deterrent against other factions, you wanted to avoid something like being killed and defeated by someone. However, making it look like an accident was also difficult. If the king passed away in an accident, then the cause of that would be thoroughly investigated. Given such circumstances, there was the least risk in death by illness.”

However, there were still other things to consider. There was in fact something more important for Wilbert. It was

“However — he also wanted to avoid anything that would put a burden on his own daughter Mio as much as possible.”

Basara then looked straight into Ramsas’ eyes.

“He sent Mio to the human realm together with his subordinates who would act as adoptive parents, while he observed her growth from the Demon Realm. When the opportunity arose, he faked his own death by illness — and then came up with a plan to return as a different existence.”

After a pause

“He wanted to see how the Moderates Faction would change as a result of the death of a great demon, and to see whether the thirst and ambition would spiral out of control. He also wanted to identify how the Council would move — everything was for the sake of this.”

Part 3

“The danger of Basara…?”

In response to Sheera’s words of advice, Nonaka Yuki frowned. Yuki’s response to those words were doubts that the other girls also shared.

“During this series of battles against the Current Demon Lord faction, Basara-kun’s success has been a wonderful thing.”

In saying that, the great succubus with a youthful appearance began to elaborate.

“During the battle in Wildart City, he repelled Gardo, who is known as a hero by everyone throughout the Demon Realm, and in the decisive battle in Lundvall, he was able to demonstrate that he was evenly matched against the current Demon Lord Leohart. Well, something got in the way of that battle, but…”

Even so.

“He played an important role in repelling the high-level spirit that was sent by the Council to Wildart, and also the Demon God Chaos in Lundvall.”

Sheera said.

“In other words, it’s not a good thing that Basara-san has become too conspicuous?”

“In the future, there is a possibility that Basara-sama’s existence will be considered dangerous, and he may be targeted…?”

When asked that by Maria and Zest, Sheera shook her head as she said ‘no’.

“Basara-kun’s actions have certainly been outstanding, and I can’t say that there’s no one who perceives him as a threat…but even so, the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction will now begin negotiations for peace. If a treaty is established, then the difference in combat strength compared to other factions will be greater than ever. No one will be able to carelessly make a move anymore.”

Therefore.

“For that purpose, Ramsus and Leohart are trying to form an alliance. Their intentions will result in a truce with all of the other hostile and tense forces. It will rid the Demon Realm of all the seeds of conflict in one fell swoop.”

Sheera continued

“To that end, it’s convenient for them to have the people who fought in that decisive battle to leave…but, this isn’t exactly a bad thing for you girls. After all, you ladies came to this world in the first place to stop Mio-chan from being used in the politics of the Demon Realm — this also prevents all of you from getting caught up in it as well.”

“……Yes.”

Mio’s nod accompanied by the word that she uttered represented the feelings of everyone else who was present. In terms of Yuki’s personal feelings, she had a feeling that…if Basara’s achievements were recognised…. …It was because he had ended the war between the two major powers of the demon race — which meant that he had changed the history of the Demon Realm. It was such a grand accomplishment, and it was something that even Jin had been unable to do. If the <<Village>> looked favourably upon this, it was possible that even Basara’s exile would be withdrawn. …But, there was also the possibility that the <<Village> would not think kindly about the act of stopping the conflict between demons. If one stopped to consider the situation, it was possible that the power of the demons would have declined if left alone, and Basara — what he and the others did might have been undesirable for the hero clan. In that sense, what Sheera was saying held a degree of persuasion with Yuki and the others. Regardless of whether it was considered from the perspective of the demon race or the hero race, it would have been better to avoid drawing that level of attention so as to avoid being targeted. …Moreover, it was unfortunate that more problems would be likely to arise when the incident garnered attention. Sheera stated the reason

“More than anything — let alone the Demon Realm, it’ll be much better if the hero clan doesn’t find out about Basara-kun using the power of gravity, the same power that Mio-chan inherited from Wilbert, right?”

Sheera’s words carried enough weight to instantly silence everyone who was present.

“…Judging by your expressions, it seems you all already know. Basara-kun has Sapphire-chan’s — the blood of Wilbert’s younger sister.”

As if to confirm Sheera’s statement, there was one person who immediately responded. It was Zest.

“Yes…last night, we heard about it from Basara-sama.”

Whilst saying that, Zest recalled what happened in that moment when Basara demonstrated his power during the decisive battle against the Current Demon Lord faction. Even though Zest and the others admired Basara so much, they were unable to unable to ignore that. So after the decisive battle — when they arrived back in Wildart and had an opportunity to do so, Zest and the others asked Basara about it. Why was Basara able to manipulate the power of gravity? Before they asked Basara about it, they speculated that there was a possibility that the Master-Servant contract between him and Mio was involved. It was possible to increase each party’s power by deepening the bond between the master and the servant with the Master-Servant Contract. The increase in power was proportional to the strength of the Master-Servant relationship, and the number of servants with a high loyalty. That was why some high-level demons had forged Master-Servant contracts with a large number of servants. And in the guest house at Lundvall, the relationship between Basara and Mio had evolved even further as a result of the lewd acts that they performed in order to deepen their Master-Servant bond. After Zest and the others reached their limits, Mio alone regained consciousness, and that was when she supposedly experienced pleasure and climaxes together with Basara all the way until dawn. …But, when they left Wildart prior to the decisive battle, Sheera had noted that Mio was the one among the three of them who had the lowest level of loyalty towards Basara in terms of the Master-Servant contract. And so, because the Master-Servant relationship between the master and servant had deepened so immensely, it seemed as though the power of Mio who was under his control had become usable to Basara as the master.

…That was the possibility that they had come up with. But the truth was entirely different. The reason why Zest and the others asked Basara that question was because he had heard from Jin about his own birth just before they departed to Lundvall…that was when he first learned about his mother’s identity. And then, Zest and the others became aware of it as well. Basara’s secret — his mother was the former Demon Lord Wilbert’s younger sister. —Basara had the blood of the demon race. That fact naturally gave Zest and the others a major surprise. Even so, although Zest and Maria were surprised, they seemed to be able to accept the truth immediately. It was because Zest had already pledged her firm loyalty to her master. That also seemed to be the case for Maria who was born and raised as a demon, as she didn’t appear shaken by it at all.

…However, that was not the case for the remaining three people comprised of Mio, Yuki and Kurumi. Especially for Yuki and Kurumi who originated from the hero clan, it was difficult for them to accept the fact that Basara had demon blood running through his veins. Yuki had already decided to follow Basara no matter what just like Zest, so she seemed to be able to calm her emotions down somehow, but it was clear to see that Kurumi was considerably upset. That was only to be expected. Kurumi was still under orders from the <<Village>> to perform surveillance on Basara and the others, and in the worst case if problems arose, she had received orders to dispose of Basara and the others. This information that was detrimental to Basara and the others was not something that she could keep secret from the <<Village>>. Attempting to hide this information would be equivalent to betraying the <<Village>>, and that meant Kurumi and Yuki’s parents wouldn’t be left alone. Because of this, Kurumi finally began to cry as she gradually grew confused about what to do in this situation.

…And, the other person who was even more perturbed than Kurumi in a sense by this was Mio. She had been raised as a human, but her adoptive parents were suddenly killed one day and she was then also informed that she was the daughter of the former Demon Lord — the fact that she was not a human being had completely overturned Mio’s life up until that point. It must have been a terrible shock to her. —But, even after Basara found out about everything, he still accepted Mio as a part of his family. Even though he found out about her identity as the daughter of the former Demon Lord, he still accepted her…to Mio, Basara’s existence was akin to salvation. She had formed a Master-Servant contract with Basara, the distance between them shrunk as the bond between them strengthened, but the fact that he was a different race from her must have tormented Mio for a long time. Nevertheless, after she had finally managed to overcome that, she was told that Basara actually had demon blood in his veins. …It was only natural that her emotions would be in disarray. It would be a lie if Mio said that she wasn’t happy to find out that Basara was a similar existence to herself. But, given her own experience when she received a major shock that she was the daughter of the former Demon Lord, she also knew how painful it must have been for Basara to tell Yuki and Kurumi about it. It would be selfish for her to rejoice. However, after seeing Kurumi crying earlier, she could no longer supress her own emotions, and Mio began to shed tears as well — and so, everyone gently hugged Mio and Kurumi. They all escorted the two crying girls into the bedroom, where Zest, Maria and Yuki all helped the girls take their clothes off on top of the bed — Basara then comforted them once again. Just like the night that they shared together in Lundvall…everyone pressed their bare skin together to keep their body temperatures aligned, and to show each other that no matter who they were, nothing would change, and it was not necessary to change anything. After confirming everyone’s bonds, Mio and Kurumi seemed to be able to calm themselves down. Of course, even though their emotions had settled down, the problems that could potentially arrive with the hero clan’s <<Village> were still unresolved. Therefore

“As for that matter, I suppose everyone should think about it again after returning to the other side.”

Zest then said

“Yes…well, I think that should be fine.”

Sheera’s response seemed to indicate that she had another concern that she wanted to voice.

“Is there something else…?”

Zest and the others looked at her in expectation of an answer.

“It’s no wonder that you don’t seem to understand…after all, all of you have special feelings for Basara-kun. So, even though you worry so much when he does something reckless, you all feel pleased when he fights for the sake of you. Everything that he does is for your sake.”

Sheera sighed as she revealed a bitter smile, whilst her eyes narrowed as they became coloured with a tinge of sorrow.

 “But — if such reckless actions continue, then Basara-kun will lose his life someday.”

Part 4

All of them froze in response to Sheera’s words.

“—”

Nonaka Kurumi trembled as if in response to a cold hand gripping onto her heart. Kurumi wasn’t the only one. The faces of the other four people also turned pale. In such a place

“I know that you girls aren’t stupid. Surely, you’ve become aware of it bit by bit, and even begun to feel afraid. Basara-kun’s nature, that is.”

Sheera then began to speak with a quiet voice, while maintaining her strict expression.

“The outcome of a battle is greatly influenced by the circumstances and even luck at the time. It is not merely something that can be determined based on strength alone…but even so, Gardo and Leohart were opponents that Basara-kun would normally not stand a chance against. However, if he sees that it is necessary, he will look for a way to accomplish it, and find a path forward against all odds.”

After saying that, Sheera sighed deeply. And as if she was reminiscing about something, she shifted her gaze down towards the ground of Oldora Forest.

“If you consider his <<Banishing Shift>> ability… it eliminates a target’s root of existence, the [Origin]. It is not something that an ordinary human could do, and even for us, all we can do is bear witness to it. There isn’t anyone among the Hero Clan who could possibly imitate it.”

“………”

In response to Sheera’s words, the silence of Kurumi and Yuki served as affirmation.

“It’s probably an ability of the special blood that flows through him…and precisely because he has such a unique ability, he’ll do anything to protect what’s precious to him, no matter how difficult it is. By choosing such a path, he willingly exposes his own life to danger.”

Most likely

“Because of the trauma that he experienced when he was young, he was a strong feeling of rejection against losing something that is precious to him…no, I guess it’s a sense of fear. That’s why he’s been able to fight with such desperation, and so far that has worked well for him. You could say that luck was on his side.”

However, Sheera’s tone shifted strongly as she spoke her next words.

“—The next time around, he may not necessarily be safe.”

Her declaration was almost like an oracle.

“That’s…”

Kurumi immediately tried to retort. It was obviously something that she wanted to refute. I definitely won’t allow something like that to happen — but before she could reply

“Although that’s bad, there’s still another problem…”

Sheera voiced another one of her concerns.

“If anything were to happen to you girls whom he holds so dearly in his mind…Basara-kun will surely be unable to forgive himself.”

And with a confident tone, she continued

“And so…eventually, Basara-kun will no longer be the same as he is now. I’ve seen someone embrace all of the precious things around them, and then languish at its loss…he changed as feelings of hatred and regret were born within his heart, but nothing could truly fulfill him. I’m sure you ladies could all understand and imagine what might happen if you were to lose Basara-kun due to a lack of strength.”

After that was said

“……………………”

The silence that arose from Kurumi and the others was long and heavy. And then

“By the way, that person who ‘changed’…I think everyone aside from Kurumi-chan would know him.”

“Eh…?”

Whilst Kurumi let out a gasp of surprise, everyone else aside from her looked at each other.

“It can’t be, then—…”

It finally dawned on Maria. And then Sheera spoke the name of that man.

“That’s right — Zolgear.” 

Naruse Maria was dumbstruck upon hearing the man’s name that came out from her own mother’s mouth.  He was an abominable enemy whom she couldn’t possibly forget.

“…That man…”

She uttered in disbelief as a reaction to the unexpected mention of that name.

“I guess that’s a natural reaction, isn’t it…but, Zolgear wasn’t always like that from the beginning.”

With a wry smile, Sheera continued

“He was a surprisingly nice guy a long time ago…but after losing the woman whom he cherished more than anything, he changed. In a desperate effort to bring her back to life, he examined all kinds of previous literature on that topic and tested a variety of forbidden spells.”

Sheera suddenly directed her eyes into the empty sky. Her gaze seemed to peer at something far away, as if she was reminiscing about the distant past.

“He incurred a countless number of injuries and curses along the way, but even so, he never stopped. Even when his appearance became ugly, he simply continued to seek strength…and so, he eventually reached the unparalleled pinnacle of magical life forms in the Demon Realm.”

Sheera then said

“And one of his creations, Zest-chan — was you.”

“……………”

Standing next to Zest who was silent in the face of this revelation of truth, Naruse Maria was reminded of something.

…Then, could that be…?

What came to Maria’s mind was something that happened when Sheera was still held captive. Maria snuck into Zolgear’s room whilst he was absent from it in order to search for any hints that could lead to the whereabouts of Sheera, and she found an old image projection which appeared to show Zest. It wasn’t Zest, but a woman who was important to Zolgear, just as Sheera mentioned.

“But, no matter how successful he was, it was simply impossible for him to bring the dead back to life…and so, when he realized that what was lost could never return, he was no longer able to find value in anything. And so, when he gave up on everything, he created a playground in the Demon Realm where he drowned himself in constant pleasure.”

Sheera continued

“I don’t understand even now…he became an incarnation of lust, but perhaps he didn’t lay a hand on Zest-chan because it was the last strand of conscience that remained in him. Even though they were different existences who shared the same appearance, he might have thought that he was unworthy of touching the woman who was once important to him since he had already become so corrupt.”

Whilst Sheera continued to speak with a distant expression in her eyes, everyone who didn’t know about the past maintained a heavy silence.

“……It doesn’t matter, something like that.”

One of the girls said as she grabbed Zest’s hands. It was Kurumi. She could only say that because she was the only person who didn’t have any direct contact with Zolgear.

“No matter what the circumstances of his past were, it didn’t give him the right to treat Zest poorly, nor did it excuse him from killing Mio’s parents…this story about the person who controlled Zest is all over now. There’s absolutely no need to worry about it right now.”

“Kurumi-san…”

Zest widened her eyes in surprise at Kurumi’s resolute tone.

“That’s right. Speaking about that guy’s past is just me being sentimental. To you girls, Zolgear was nothing more than a nuisance. That is all.”

Sheera continued

“Zest…you, you should think about the existence that pours love into you, and cherish them. Because that is your happiness.”

“Yes…it’s okay, Sheera-sama.”

Zest replied with a firm tone.

“As I am right now — I already belong to Basara-sama.”

“That is fine. It’s just that…if he loses any of you, do remember that there is a possibility that Basara-kun may turn out like Zolgear.”

“It’s fine…that will never happen to Basara.”

Yuki replied with a firm tone, but Sheera spoke back with an unpleasant expression on her face.

“Ara…is that so? The succubus’ Master-Servant contract that you girls have with him right now and the things that Zolgear made for his girls aren’t so different in my eyes.”

After Sheera said that—

“…Please don’t try to compare Basara to that man.”

Mio said with a trembling voice.

“Mio-sama…”

Maria couldn’t help but murmur her name. Meanwhile, her piercing glare — Mio stared directly at Sheera as she bit her lip.

Part 5

Naruse Mio couldn’t endure it any longer. It was only natural. The relationship between Basara and the girls was not the same as the relationship that Zolgear had with his women…Sheera’s words were an immense insult to Mio. Even though she had done various things for them, and they owed Sheera a debt of gratitude, it was still unacceptable to her. However, the succubus with a youthful appearance smiled bitterly as she said

“You’re only saying that as one of the girls who are in love with Basara-kun…and those feelings of yours probably won’t change even if Basara-kun were to change somehow.”

Sheera continued

“Someone who doesn’t know what your circumstances are will never be able to understand your relationship. Besides, if it’s for the sake of you girls, Basara-kun wouldn’t hesitate to dirty his hands if it means choosing what’s best for you. He collaborated with Lars in secret, even though there was a possibility that he would be an enemy because that was necessary to protect all of you. They colluded together to eliminate Zolgear, and in order to increase the number of cards up his sleeve during the recent battle, he asked me to prepare a dangerous drug for him.”

And then

“Basara-kun is able to make and follow through on decisions that ordinary people would consider to be terrifying. For example, Mio-chan…what would your friends at school think if you told them that you submit to Basara-kun with pleasure, and that Basara-kun secretly kills the people who are hostile to you? Do you understand? If you tell them about your relationship with Basara-kun, will they look upon it favourably?”

“That’s…”

Mio became lost for words as her expression turned sour. Revealing the truths of their relationship and identities to her friends at school — like Aikawa and Sakaki. It was not something that she would tell them if there was no need to. It was because they were ordinary people who didn’t know about the hidden side of the world which involved demons, heroes, and the like. The question that Sheera had asked was terribly cruel. …But. Even among the demons, there were some who lacked the power to fight. From the perspective of such existences, the relationships of Mio and the others were abnormal. There were very few people who would want to have a special Master-Servant contract like Mio and the other girls. Mio herself wouldn’t recommend it to anyone else. Initially, she even wanted to release herself from it. —However, the current Mio no longer wanted to break off that Master-Servant contract with Basara. This was probably also the case for Yuki. Even though it was a relationship that couldn’t be made public, this Master-Servant contract was an irreplaceable bond to them now. …But, this wasn’t the kind of relationship that they could talk about with just anyone…. Mio couldn’t tell her friends, while Yuki and Kurumi couldn’t allow this to be made known to the Hero Clan. Even though Maria and Zest were probably fine, it was due to Mio and the others that rumours surrounding the Toujou family spread within the Moderates faction. And so, if anyone looking from the outside didn’t know about the circumstances around the Master-Servant contracts of Mio and the others, or the relationships between Basara and the girls, it would appear as though there wasn’t a major difference in the relationship that they had and the relationship that Zolgear had with his women.

…No….

Mio felt as though her vision was becoming blurry. It was likely that if Basara asked them to serve him like Zolgear asked of his women, they would all respond in kind. —They all loved Basara. They would do anything for him so long as he asked for it. That was why they had all done things up until now for Basara without minding. But — that meant the converse was also true. If Basara deemed it necessary, they wouldn’t mind if he acted more like Zolgear. Sheera had pointed out her worry about the possibility that Basara could become like that, but Mio and the others didn’t want to accept it because of their love and trust for Basara. After fully understanding Sheera’s thoughts

“———”

Mio and the others could do nothing but stand there, frozen on the spot. It was right at that moment—

“Hey hey, you loli mother succubus — don’t scare the young ones so much.”

With a wry smile, a voice was projected over from behind them. It was a man whom Mio and the others were all familiar with, and so they all turned around quickly—

“Jin-san…”

Almost without realising it herself, Mio had called out the name of the man who now stood before them. As the father of Basara, he was the man who was once known as the God of War — the name of the strongest hero.

Part 6

Tojou Basara continued with his deductive thought process as each of his inferences became more certain.

“………”

He continued to remind himself to think deeper. As Ramsas stood before him, he thought about his father Jin and also Sheera, and what they would think of their children, and what kinds of things they would do. —It would have been difficult to cover up the death of someone who held the highest position. That was even more so for an existence like Wilbert. …It was even more difficult than that to come back as a different existence. After all, the subordinates of Wilbert would have known him better than anyone else. Besides, simply coming back would have been meaningless. It was a necessary for him to take up a position that would allow him to influence politics and secretly lead the Moderates faction at the same time. If that wasn’t the case, then he wouldn’t be able to fulfil the wishes of those who adored the supposedly dead Wilbert. …That was why Wilbert created a fictitious older brother called Ramsas and chose to play that role. Indeed — Ramsas was Wilbert. Based on this assumption, Basara then began to think about what his aims could be.

“…In addition to changing your appearance, you were also able to change your own spiritual signature and magical power by giving Mio the majority of your own power. Even though the attribute of your power wouldn’t change because of that, it actually worked in your favour. Because you were returning as an immediate family member of the strongest Demon Lord, that made it easy for you to become the centre of politics.”

With that, Toujou Basara was able to derive the truth by tracing everything backwards.

“You also had several layers of insurance which could be used for Mio in the human realm, so it was like hitting two birds with one stone for you…nonetheless, in order for that plan to have been successful, it was absolutely necessary for you to gain the assistance of co-operators who would help to ensure that your identity remained a secret. They also had to be those with a strong say within the Moderates Faction.”

As for the person who was responsible for that role, there was no longer any doubt.

“Most likely…Sheera-san has been cooperating with you since far earlier than just the incident with Zolgear. Perhaps the initial stage of your plan — no, perhaps even before that.”

The relationship between Sheera and Wilbert was like that of equals. It wouldn’t have been strange if Wilbert asked for her opinion as he grieved over the state of the Moderates faction and the future of the Demon Realm. …Moreover. Basara turned his gaze towards the other side — towards Lucia.

“This is where I was stuck for a long time…Wilbert had tremendous charisma. If that’s true, it’s strange how Lucia-san is attached to you despite her serious nature. Under normal circumstances, one would normally think that she’d associate more with Klaus-san and the others, given that they were close to Wilbert.”

However, it was an entirely different story if he was considered to be Wilbert himself. Moreover, Lucia respected her mother more than Maria. If she heard about the plan from those two and was asked to assist in it, then that would explain the current situation of how Lucia was now attached to Ramsas as his aide.

“And so — there’s probably one more, someone else who was a collaborator.” At the end of the Great War, a man who was a member of the Hero Clan was tied to Wilbert’s younger sister.

…My old man.

The reason why Jin and the Moderates Faction — Basara now understood why he had visited Ramsas. Between Jin, Ramsas and Sheera, there seemed to be some kind of a bond between those who had fought in the past Great War as enemies. Rather than the feeling of them being comrades-in-arms or rivals, it felt more like they were companions who all shared a common secret. —Why? As Basara attempted to probe at the origin of this truth, it seemed like a delicate matter for the Hero Clan, and one that could potentially develop into a serious problem. And then — Wilbert was also worried about Mio’s fate as a newborn.

“Dad and you became brothers-in-law, and had the same problem — so…—”

It wasn’t surprising then that the two of them joined forces for the sake of their own children.

“After successfully disguising King Wilbert’s death, the fall of the Moderates Faction went according to your wishes. But not everything went as you planned, and unexpected events happened.”

In other words

“The Council made Leohart the new Demon Lord. Without you at the top of the Moderates faction, Ramsas, the Moderates Faction was suppressed, and there was nothing that could be done against the current Demon Lord faction which had aligned with the Council. Reality began to deviate from the original plan.”

Basara continued

“Leohart possessed immense charisma and the current Demon Lord faction expanded their influence. But, even with Leohart, your shadow as the great former Demon Lord still lingered, and remained a hindrance to the unification of the Demon Realm. It was such that they could no longer ignore Mio who had inherited your power.”

Everything after that was already known. In order to get his hands on Mio, Zolgear strayed off to kill Mio’s adoptive parents, after which Maria came to rescue her — and six months later, Basara met them. …That was exactly what had happened. Toujou Basara recalled the sequence of events. He started living together with Mio and Maria, after kicking them out once when the girls revealed their identities to him — when Basara asked Jin over the phone about when he had discovered that they were demons, Jin replied that he had known from the very beginning. The meaning behind those words could finally be understood now. —The encounter between Toujou Basara and Naruse Mio was decided long ago. By ruminating his thoughts out aloud, everything was finally clear to him now. Basara felt a certain sense of fulfilment in knowing that he had finally caught up with the situation.

“……After talking about all manner of such dreamlike things, are you finished now?”

Ramsas said with a low voice. Even after hearing the theory that had come out from Basara’s mouth, there wasn’t the slightest change in his stoic expression.

…Well, I guess so.

Basara had presented the possibility of ‘the truth’. However, it was still just ‘speculation’ without any evidence. Even if what Basara said was the truth, Ramsas wouldn’t acknowledge it. And unless Ramsas himself acknowledged it, Lucia would not acknowledge it either since she was his adjutant. Even if he asked Jin or Sheera directly, it was unlikely that they would reveal the truth.

…It doesn’t matter.

Their plan was set into motion because Wilbert disappeared from the limelight. If it was made known that Wilbert was still alive, then the Demon Realm would once again be eclipsed by the influence of the great Demon Lord. That was precisely why the plan was made in secret. The truth of Wilbert’s death would have to remain hidden for eternity. If Basara forced him to acknowledge that secret, it would be synonymous to trampling over the parental love that started the whole affair. Therefore

“Yeah…everything was just a figment of my imagination, a convenient story for me. I don’t intend to speak to Mio and the others without permission.”

The story ends there. After Basara revealed a wry smile at last

“It’s almost time for me to depart. Thank you for all the trouble.”

He slightly bowed towards Ramsas, and then

“Lucia-san…Sheera-san said that she would prepare a spatial tunnel for Mio and the others in Oldora Forest to go ahead earlier.”

“Yes, I understand — come with me.”

Lucia nodded in response to this, and she began walking towards the exit of the balcony. Basara followed after her, but halted when he reached the stairway. And then he turned around.

“———”

Ramsas had already turned his back to them, and he looked down over the city once again. But, whilst his back was turned towards them, Basara said

“In the end…even if everything that I just said is a fantasy or dreamlike story, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still Mio’s uncle.”

So

“Please come and visit us anytime. I think it’ll be difficult whilst the peace negotiations with the current Demon Lord faction are ongoing, and there are also various other things that make it difficult…but it can happen when all of these political issues come to an end.”

Toujou Basara promised.

“Until that time, it’s now our turn to protect you — just like you’ve protected us so far.”

He said that because those feelings were definitely mutual.

Part 7

“…Geez, and here I was wondering what you were all talking about with such a heavy atmosphere.”

In front of Mio and the others, Jin spoke as if he was letting out a sigh.

“I’m grateful that you’re worrying about Basara, but it’s unnecessary to push all of this onto the girls.”

A slight distance away from him stood the boy Fio, whom Jin had rescued from the Current Demon Lord faction and brought to Wildart. Sheera glanced at Jin as she said

“Ara, it’s not entirely pointless though.”

Sheera then revealed a thin smile as she continued

“It’s because my Maria-chan is in Basara-kun’s harem. I should have the right to worry as a parent.”

“Umm, Sheera-san…it’s not like that.”

In response to the words that came out of Sheera’s mouth, Mio muffled her voice as her face turned a bright shade of red. Kurumi’s face was also bright red, though that wasn’t quite the case with Maria, Zest or Yuki. Although there was a slight difference between how they expressed themselves such as smiling or fidgeting, it was clear that they seemed happy about it.

“W-Wait…!”

Mio raised her voice impatiently. Indeed, Mio also seemed to agree that the relationship that they had was a harem, just like Sheera said. But even so, it was a completely different matter to acknowledge such a fact in front of Basara’s father Jin. The present situation had turned into one in which Mio and Kurumi seemed to hold some kind of majority amidst the group, which was somewhat strange. And then, after looking at Mio and the others, Jin seemed to become convinced as he said

“…Hey Sheera, I’m glad that my son is popular.”

Upon hearing this, Sheera sighed as she said

“You’re always so cheerful…aren’t you worried?”

When asked that in return, Jin simply shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s not as though I’m not worried about him…after all, it’s one of my responsibilities as a father to worry about my son.”

He said with a grin.

“But, with Basara — don’t underestimate my son, Sheera.”

“It’s nothing, I don’t plan on doing so.”

Sheera continued

“Unlike you, Basara is strangely too serious…for the sake of these girls, he might cross over a line that he absolutely shouldn’t.”

After a brief pause, she continued

“Someday, what if he becomes someone unsuitable for these girls? Isn’t there a possibility that he will try to distance himself from them?”

“——!?”

Mio momentarily held her breath. She couldn’t imagine herself trying to distance herself from Basara, and she knew it was an absolute fact that Basara would never abandon Mio or the others either. …But. It was a different story if it was for the sake of Mio and the others. Just as everyone else seemed taken aback as well…

“Hey come on…why are you all turning pale?”

Jin said with a bitter smile.

“I’d be relieved as a father if you could say ‘we won’t let that happen’ straight away.”

Despite his frisky tone, his words carried his true intentions with them.

…Jin-san is right.

Mio bit her lips. She couldn’t deny the risks that Sheera had spoken of. However, it was possible to avoid something like that. Everything depended on the strength of Mio and others’ hearts. —Perhaps this was what Sheera was trying to prepare Mio and the others for just then. Just as Basara had helped Mio and the others so far, it was now their turn to look for a ways to help him without giving up. Previously — Mio and Yuki had heard from Takigawa that their role was to ‘become strong enough to be able to kill Basara in case of an emergency’. That was another way in which they could be prepared.

…But.

Mio and the others would definitely never choose an option like that. Basara had helped Mio and the others a countless number of times up until now. When they felt pain, and felt suffering, he stayed by their side during those difficult times. Just as Sheera said, they definitely wouldn’t leave someone like him alone to die.

…That’s right.

Mio and the others would never let go of their precious Basara. I will become stronger — that was what Naruse Mio made up her mind to do. The battle against the Current Demon Lord faction and the problems of the demons had been settled for now. However, in order to stay by Basara’s side from now on, and so that they didn’t lose him, it was more necessary now than ever before to have an unwavering and strong will. That was what they had to obtain. They had to become strong for his sake.

…Because.

It was because they were Toujou Basara’s ‘family’. Everyone else shared the same feelings as Mio, and all of them raised their faces as they shook off the weakness that they had shown.

“Well — can I leave everything to you?”

Jin faced towards them with a reassuring smile. Therefore

“————”

Mio and the others responded to him with eyes that were filled with a firm will. That was their answer. When Jin saw that

“…What do you think, Sheera?”

He asked the succubus with a younthful appearance beside him. Then

“Well…I think those expressions are worthy of a passing mark.”

Sheera said with a calm demeanour.

“Sorry to say such threatening things to you. It’s just that the feelings that you have right now will be necessary when things truly become difficult — please do not forget that.”

In response to that, Mio and the others nodded in unison whilst keeping their voices in sync.

With a tone of certainty — they said ‘yes’. 

And so.

“Now then…I guess it’s time for me to go soon.”

Jin said as he exhaled deep breath. As for the meaning of that

“Jin-san, are you not coming together with us…?”

When Yuki asked, Jin replied

“Yeah. In fact, I came here to see my wife, but I couldn’t find her at all. If you ask me, it seems as though she’s not in the Demon Realm…”

“Yes, as I said before, I can’t feel Sapphire-chan’s presence at all.”

Sheera said.

“That said, it’s frustrating that I’ll be going back without even a single clue…sorry, but let me investigate here a bit more.”

Moreover

“Thankfully, Fio has said that he’ll also help me…isn’t that right, Fio?”

When Jin called out with a slightly louder voice, Fio approached and said

“I’m just saying that it can’t be helped.”

He looked at Jin and continued

“I’ve already come this far with you, so my position and affiliation have become more and more complicated…until the discussions between Leohart-sama and the Moderates faction are complete, I can understand that it’s best if I go somewhere else.”

Fio sighed as Jin gently rubbed his head. Seeing this, Mio and the others

“The thing is, I’ve already said this to Basara…but I’ll be counting on you to take care of him.”

Turning around as he said so to them, he began walking towards the other side of the forest along with Fio.

Part 8

After leaving the balcony and separating from Ramsas, Basara walked through the corridors of the castle as he followed Lucia.

“Even at the end, you didn’t ask anything about Sapphire-sama — is that okay with you?”

Whilst Lucia was walking ahead of him, she suddenly stopped and asked that while she continued to face forwards. And so, Basara stopped as well when he walked up beside her.

“…Yeah. Mum — I heard about mother from my old man already.”

He replied to Lucia with a quiet voice. —Having said that, Jin didn’t tell Basara very much. What he told Basara was simply the story of how they had met each other on the battlefield, and that they had clashed as enemies at the beginning. And then, after tying the knot with each other, he had explained how it was difficult for them to live together due to their respective positions. And as for what kind of woman she was — a good woman apparently.

…That old man.

It was a silly-sounding story. But, that was enough for Basara. Perhaps Jin had told him everything that there was to say right now. After all, Jin was the man who had chosen his wife despite knowing that she was a demon. Moreover, whilst the other party was the Demon Lord’s younger sister, she had also made the decision to marry Jin even though he was a member of the Hero clan. She was also the younger sister of Wilbert who seemed to think and care so deeply about his daughter Mio. So as Jin said, she was probably a ‘good woman’. And then, when Basara learned that he also carried the blood of a demon within him, it was a surprise, but he wasn’t particularly shocked. It was probably because he had met Mio, Maria and Zest, and had deepened his bonds with them. Rather, when Basara revealed this to them, it was Mio and Kurumi who were visibly more upset about it. Yuki included, all of them began to hold complex feelings towards the subject, but Basara told them because he wanted them to understand. Even if he had the blood of a demon within him, nothing would change. Things like race or birth didn’t matter. To Toujou Basara, those girls were irreplaceable existences. …Well, thanks to Maria’s scheming, he had taught them all of that on top of the bed of course. However, even if it seemed like a selfish action, it was not a problem that one could simply run away from. And — when Basara told Jin about his feelings for Mio and the others, Jin acknowledged all of it. He had also decided to bring Zest with him back to the other side, and gained the acknowledgement to have her live together with him.

—You can do whatever you like.

But — Jin wasn’t going to return home together with Basara and the others — he chose to stay behind to search for clues on Sapphire’s whereabouts. Basara couldn’t possibly stop Jin from doing any of that. Even though they weren’t married, Mio and the others were still incredibly important people to Basara. If Jin didn’t discover where she was, he wouldn’t return home, and he’d keep looking until he found her. To Jin, the woman named Sapphire was a partner whom he couldn’t go without — she was an important existence. …Moreover, Basara himself wanted to meet his mother, just so that he could confirm with his own eyes that she was safe. However

“Of course, I’d like to listen to anything that was going to be said…but, it’s still difficult for Ramsas-san to tell me.”

Given the position and attitude that he had to maintain for the sake of his loved one, it was unfortunate, but it was difficult for Basara to have a good relationship with him. Even if time would eventually solve such problems — at least right now, it was impossible. That was why Basara spoke with a wry smile.

“……Indeed, you’re right.”

The tone of Lucia’s voice became gentle. As he looked at the side of Lucia’s face, a gentle smile could be seen on her face, one that seemed so rare and out of place to Basara.

“Instead…would you mind if I talked a bit about Maria?”

She asked him.

“About Maria…?”

When Basara turned to her and repeated the question, Lucia said

“—Maria and I, we actually have different fathers.”

“Eh…?”

Lucia peered at him, and began to speak slowly

“My father passed away shortly after my mother gave birth to me. To begin with, his body wasn’t particularly healthy…but mother still fell in love with my father, and she gave birth to me because they wanted a child together.”

“……Is that so?”

It was an unfortunate story. But Lucia’s father knew that he didn’t have long to live, and even for Sheera as the one who loved him, the existence of Lucia was like salvation. Even though they had said farewell because of his death — they were still joined together through their daughter Lucia.

“My mother has been all alone since then…after His Majesty Wilbert’s wife Ashe-sama gave birth to Mio, she died shortly thereafter. My mother went to His Majesty Wilbert so that he could consult her on how to raise Mio-sama in the human realm, but—”

 Lucia made a pause before continuing.

“—Just once, they had a relationship with each other.”

“Sheera-san did? With King Wilbert?”

Surprise could be discerned from Basara’s voice in hearing this revelation.

“As people who had both lost their loved ones, they were able to build a relationship with each other as equal peers…there must have been a gap in their hearts which could only be filled by each other. However, when mother found out that she was pregnant with Maria, she seemed really happy. She had wanted another child, and this also meant that Mio-sama, who had no siblings had now gained an existence that was akin to a younger sister.”

Lucia continued

“Just as Wilbert-sama decided to pass his power onto Mio-sama…when my mother gave birth to Maria, she gave that child most of her power.”

“The majority of her power…no way, so Sheera-san’s form is…”

In response to Basara, Lucia nodded as she said ‘yes.’.

“But, none of this has ever been said to Maria…she only heard from Zolgear that her mother had become like that because she gave birth to her.”

“What…why don’t you tell Maria the truth!?”

The only reason why Maria gave in to Zolgear’s intimidation and chose to obey his orders was because Sheera was an important family member to her. Maria felt guilty because she blamed herself for taking away Sheera’s power when she gave birth to her.

“Even in the case of Zolgear, didn’t you place protecting Mio as a higher priority than Maria’s feelings? At the very least, you should tell her about the truth behind Sheera-san’s appearance.”

It was something that should be done.

“Don’t you know how much she’s blamed herself and suffered…as her family members, you should be the ones to understand this the most.”

It sounded as though Basara was putting the blame on Lucia. Perhaps it was because Maria was the greatest sacrifice of all in the plan that Wilbert and the others had put into motion. As he thought of Maria’s feelings, he couldn’t help but lash out with indignation. Then

“……Yes, I agree.”

Lucia made a bitter expression as she said that. Her eyes were also tinged with sorrow.

“I thought of the same thing as you, Basara-dono…I’ve been telling my mother to tell her the truth for a long time now. But my mother has always refused.”

“Why would Sheera-san…?”

Basara had seen how fond Sheera was of her two daughters Maria and Lucia. And so, this was difficult for Basara to believe.

“My mother was once a renowned succubus in the Demon Realm…but because of mother’s nature, she also made a lot of enemies in the past.”

Lucia continued

“If they found out that there was a child who had inherited her mother’s great power, she would definitely be targeted…”

“…That’s…”

The danger that Lucia mentioned was understandable. It was just like how Wilbert chose to distance himself from his child after giving her his power, and chose to raise her in the human realm. Although he had given Mio the power to protect herself, there was no point in increasing the risk of being targeted.

“Moreover, she is also a child of His Majesty Wilbert…if this was ever investigated and the truth became public, she could be seen as a political tool of even greater value than Mio. My mother would have wanted to avoid such a situation.”

That’s why — they could not tell her the truth. Even if it meant that Maria would suffer because of that decision.

“Like Mio-sama, in order to reveal everything to Maria, it will be difficult until the situation in the Demon Realm has settled down a bit…”

However

“After having gone through that incident with Zolgear — that girl showed a really bright smile when she was reunited with all of you. I’m truly grateful to you all.”

After saying all of that, Lucia looked at Basara and made a deep bow.

“Basara-dono, please — continue to take care of Maria from now on.”

Rather than asking Basara, it seemed more like she was begging him to do so.

“Having inherited her mother’s power as well as the blood of His Majesty Wilbert, that girl’s true potential is obviously even greater than her mother’s…I think she will awaken to that power when she comes to fully accept her own existence.”

Lucia continued

“If you can make that come true, Basara-dono, then please…please guide that child.”

It was what Sheera and Lucia originally should have done — no, it was what they wanted to do. But Lucia had now stated that she wanted to entrust that to Basara. So — Basara accepted those feelings from Lucia.

“……I understand. But when she awakens her true power, I can’t guarantee anything after that.”

Basara continued

“I’ll tell Maria that she can be more accepting of herself from now on…just like how she’s a family member to both you and Sheera-san, Maria is also an important family member to us as well.”

“Is that okay?”

When Basara asked that, Lucia replied

“Yes, that’s enough…”

The expression on Lucia’s face as she responded with a nod was not that of Ramsas’ aide. It was the face of a gentle older sister — who only cared deeply for her younger sister.

Part 9

After making that promise about Maria. The place where Basara and Lucia were headed was an exit that went through the back gate. In order to return to the human realm in secret, Sheera had constructed spatial tunnels to Oldora Forest in various unapparent places. Basara continued down the corridor along with Lucia as they took a route which went along the east side of the building.

“———”

All of a sudden, Basara narrowed his eyes. It was because he felt a familiar presence in the direction in which they were travelling. And then, whoever was on the other end also recognised his presence.

“—Toujou Basara.”

At the other end of the corridor where their exit through the rear gate was located — was someone who called out to him as they came along the opposite route coming from the west side of the castle. It was the young man with whom Basara had crossed blades with, and even cooperated with in Lundvall. It was the Current Demon Lord Leohart. He was probably being guided through the castle by the maids and guards of the Moderates faction. Leohart had broken away from the gaze of the head maid and come to this place on his own, leaving his companions behind. He stopped in the centre of the hallway where the exit was located, impeding any further advance that Basara and Lucia could make. When they came face to face with each other

“…I didn’t think we’d meet again. I heard that your departure was set for today?”

As a courtesy of the one who had stopped him, Leohart was the first to open his mouth and ask such a question. Therefore

“Yeah…I’m about to join up with Mio and the others so that we can return to the other side of the dimensional boundary.”

In return, Basara nodded and asked

“How are the talks with the top brass going on your side?”

He had heard that the meeting was scheduled for today, but it surely wasn’t this early in the morning. Of course, Leohart and the others probably had some time to spare. However, Basara had other things to worry about.

“At a time like this, and what’s more, to come from the rear entrance…are the talks supposed to be highly confidential?”

The top-level discussions between the leaders of the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction should also serve the purpose of acting as a check and balance against other factions. In order to maximise the influence of this, it would be better to initiate the visit proudly through the main gate in accordance with regular procedure. The reason why this wasn’t done was because

“You’re taking into consideration the feelings of the people from both factions…”

“Yeah…this ceasefire was something that I decided upon without any prior preparation.”

Leohart nodded as he continued

“While it is imperative that quick political decisions are sometimes necessary, and even though we and the Moderates faction want to resolve the political situation between us despite being at war in the past, it would be cruel to rush the hearts of the people. Considering their feelings, I decided that it was necessary to give them some time to settle down.”

Lucia then added

“It isn’t a problem for us or the Current Demon Lord faction to announce that we’ve had a meeting, it’s simply the form that we allow it to take. It should still have a sufficient influence on the other factions.”

“Indeed…that would be better.”

If peace negotiations were carried out whilst neglecting the feelings of the people, that would only result in a reluctant peace. If there were many who decided to rebel, then there was a risk that it could spark an internal conflict. 

…I guess with this, I can rest assured.

Apparently, it seemed as though Ramsas and Leohart were earnestly seeking what lay beyond peace, and weren’t just after a simple peace treaty. Basara felt a wave of relief as he thought about the risks of timing. When Basara looked at Leohart who stood before his eyes once again, he noticed that a few changes had occurred in the few days between their last encounter and now.

…His atmosphere has become a little softer, has it not?

Although he was young, and the kingly air that hung around him didn’t seem to have changed, he could no longer feel the tense pressure from Leohart that he had felt when they faced off in Lundvall.

…Well, I guess that’s how it should be.

Having come here for the intent of peace negotiations, unleashing pressure and bloodthirst into the air would be foolish and useless.

“Heh…so this is the son of Jin Toujou?”

Out of nowhere — Basara’s ears caught a voice. As he searched for the source, he saw that there was a young man who had moved towards them in an instant from among the group of people that Leohart had brought along.

“——”

In that instant, Lucia who was by his side held her breath and stiffened up. She had probably been unable to see the movements of that young man. The young man completely ignored Lucia as he said

“I heard that you were evenly matched against Leohart, but it sure doesn’t seem that way to me now that I see you standing here.”

He stared into Basara’s eyes with bloodthirstiness and a belligerent smile.

“Yo, nii-chan…why don’t you show me that technique of yours which you used to put that guy on his knees.”

As he spoke, he casually reached out with his hand towards Basara. In that instant

“————”

Basara narrowed his eyes. He immediately assessed the strength of the man who stood before him. His strength probably wasn’t far off from his leader Leohart’s — moreover, there were seven other people with an equivalent power level to him who stood before his eyes. Unfortunately, the current Moderates faction did not possess the ability to oppose Leohart and all eight of these people at the same time. On the contrary, even if Basara joined forces with Mio and the others and they all worked together, their chances of winning would be low. Basara had only been able to corner Leohart in Lundvall because he was lucky. Even if he was able to unleash the same Gravity Slash like he did at that time right now, Leohart could easily evade it. —But, what if this meeting was just a ruse to launch an attack on the Moderates faction? Even if he escaped now, they could become a target of theirs again.

…In that case.

What could he do to prevent that from happening? He couldn’t allow Leohart to avoid that blow, and he alone would also have to defeat all eight of the people who stood before him. Therefore

“———”

Toujou Basara accelerated his thoughts instantaneously to go in search of a solution. At the same time, a reaction came from the group standing some distance away from them. The seven people aside from the young man all revealed fearless expressions. And then—

“Oh — …how interesting.”

The man who stood before him grinned once more. They had probably noticed what Basara was about to do. His thoughts had already been read. …But, those who had the numerical advantage were unlikely to expect or think too much about defeat. In their eyes, it only seemed as though Basara was trying to do something reckless. But — if one could push through the opening in their minds to cause an upset and hesitation, then everyone in the group would become confused. To make that happen, the most effective strategy would be to brutally kill off the first one. So—

“—Stop it, you two.”

Unexpectedly, a cold voice rang out. It was Leohart who had stopped them.

“You idiot, I told you to be quiet if you were going to come along!”

The head of the young man who was involved with Basara was struck with a staff-like object by a woman. It was one of the seven people who were over there.

“Ouch, that hurts…what are you doing?”

In response to the young man’s complaint, she yelled

“What hurts is probably that stupid head of yours! Sorry, this idiot said something rude.”

After the woman who drew her staff apologised, she turned back to the man again

“In the first place, who goes and starts a fight against someone we’ve offered a truce to!? What’s wrong with your head!?”

“No…nothing really, I wasn’t the one who decided on the ceasefire.”

“Shut up! Plus, it’s not Leohart, it’s His Majesty. Do something about the way you address him in public…hurry up and get over here you idiot!”

After she said that, the young man walked back over to the other side where the others were.

“We’ve only come here today to introduce our new system…we have no intention to fight.”

As Leohart said that, Basara let out a sigh.

“Then, they are…?”

Basara asked without removing his stare from the group of people standing some distance away.

“Oh — they are the new group who will assist me.”

The young Demon Lord responded. In order to elaborate on his explanation to Basara, Leohart continued

“Since all of the Council are now dead, we’ve decided to carry out a restructuring of our political organisation with new members…they are the [Eight Demon Generals], and up until now, they’ve each led their own armies for each of their respective directions. All of them are just as accomplished as I was in the last Great War.”

Leohart explained their situation

“They will not only become my aides, they will also become the new representative members of the parliament. If more than half of those eight people agree with each other, they can raise an objection to any of my decisions, and they also have the authority to completely dismiss any of my decisions if all eight of them are in agreement.”

“In order to prevent the authority of the king from spiralling out of control, huh…”

“Yes…I won’t let this become a repeat of what the Council did.”

Leohart nodded in response to Basara’s words. But — it was reassuring that they had said that there was no one more qualified to lead them than Leohart. Nonetheless, in the unlikely event that Leohart ever became a corrupted being like Belphegor, they would lay their judgement upon him without mercy.

…Originally, Leohart wanted his adjutant Balthier to act as the leader of parliament. —However, Balthier had gone missing ever since that decisive battle. He had also approached Gardo for that role, but he had firmly refused, and stated that Leohart should leave that open to the next generation. Leohart had considered Luka as a candidate since he had also participated in that decisive battle, but the gentle Luka had always said that he wanted to pursue the path of research rather than politics, so Leohart respected that decision, and allowed Luka to return to his original place at the Academy. 

“…Then, what about Takigawa?”

Basara felt worried about him after all. When Basara suddenly asked that

“As for Lars, it is difficult to decide on how to deal with him between us and the Moderates faction. The agenda for today’s talks includes how we will manage his affiliation and treatment. Personally, I’d like his political aid in the future…but it seems he has no interest in politics or government. He refused because he wants to be able to act freely with his own responsibilities. He’s waiting in Lundvall right now.”

“Well, I guess we won’t be able to meet then…I wanted to say thanks and goodbye to him before heading back to the other side.”

Basara continued

“But, will he be okay…? His position as a spy, and also various…”

“There’s nothing to worry about in that regard. His actions actually ended being beneficial to both us and the Moderates faction. In any case, things shouldn’t be too bad for him.”

“I see…I’m glad there aren’t any problems.”

Basara said as he chuckled. Upon seeing Basara’s bright smile

“———”

Leohart felt a chill run down his spine. —Just a moment ago, Basara was his opponent. Leohart couldn’t imagine any possibility in which Basara would have stood a chance against him and the Eight Demon Generals. Basara should have fully understood that as well. …But even so, Basara intended to go through with it. Perhaps Leohart and the others had seen something that they were unable to understand. Something that was unknown to them.

“……Toujou Basara.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

In response to Leohart’s call, Basara looked over at him. His expression was defenceless, and that was why Leohart was driven by an impulse to check it, even if it was unnecessary. Riara had said — Basara was the one who killed Belphegor. It happened before the decisive battle that played a role in determining the future of the Demon Realm, and he even did it alone. 

“……It’s nothing.”

Leohart swallowed the question that had almost come out from his mouth. Even if he asked, it was possible that Basara wouldn’t acknowledge it, and even if he did acknowledge it, it would only make the Eight Demon Generals unnecessarily wary of him. If taken poorly, it was possible that there would even be some amongst them who would disagree with the idea of peace with the Moderates faction. The truth which would not bring happiness to anyone was best buried in the darkness. Even if — it was something which hurt Leohart’s pride. That was because it was also Leohart’s duty as a king to ignore the truth laid out before his eyes, if necessary.

“Well, it’s almost time for me to go…Mio and the others are waiting.”

“Yeah…farewell, Toujou Basara.”

With those words, Leohart and Basara went their separate ways. When Leohart looked back, Basara was already a fair distance outside of the castle. And then, his figure could no longer be seen.

“————”

Leohart also resumed walking slowly towards his destination. Just like how Basara and the others had returned to their own world, he now headed towards the place where he needed to go. It was in order to meet Ramsas, who was the leader of the Moderates faction, as the current head of the new-generation Current Demon Lord faction. They would then discuss the future of this Demon Realm.

Part 10

After saying his farewell to Leohart, Basara exited via the rear gate of Wildart castle. Lucia had guided him thus far through the spatial tunnels that Sheera had created. After he said goodbye and expressed his gratitude to Lucia once again, Basara headed into a tunnel. And then — in the next instant, Basara reached the location where Mio and the others were waiting.

“Basara…!”

As he approached them, the expressions on the girls’ faces changed.

“Sorry to keep you waiting…”

Basara spoke in a gentle voice to reassure all of the girls.

“…Did you hear the story that you wanted to hear from Ramsas?”

There was suddenly a lively voice that came from below. As he looked down, Basara saw Sheera looking up at him.

“No…I couldn’t ask anything.”

Basara answered with a wry smile. He didn’t say anything. Regardless of whether it was a discussion about the future, or a past event that Basara wanted to confirm, it was just a selfish one-sided demand on Basara’s side. Ramsas did not acknowledge anything — and that was all that happened. However, Sheera seemed to have understood roughly what had happened based on the wry smile that was on Basara’s face. Basara’s was thankful to her for being thoughtful and not saying anything nonetheless. Ramsas’ secret was something that he still couldn’t tell Mio about yet. —Therefore, Basara decided not to say anything about the secret of Maria that he had heard from Lucia either. Even now — and from now on, he had no intentions of revealing the truth without Sheera’s permission. So

“—Well, let’s begin ♪”

With a light-hearted tone, Sheera created a magic circle. And before they knew it — the magic circle had already connected the two dimensions together. There wasn’t a single speck of fluctuation in the connection; it was a perfect dimensional portal that was equal to, or even better than the one that Lucia had made. —However, Sheera’s dimensional portal was not perpendicular to the ground like Lucia’s was. It was flat — it was on the ground itself. As a result

“Eh — kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!?”

Along with a shrill scream, Mio and the others fell into the hole and dropped down. In the blink of an eye, they could no longer see each other.

“Wha…Sheera-san what did you…!?”

Just one person had incidentally escaped thanks to the confused voices which had been raised in that instant.

“Don’t worry. The specifications are perfect.”

Sheera revealed a mischievous smile. Basara couldn’t help but sigh at the Succubus mother who did nothing but mischief until the very end.

“That’s good to hear, but…well, thank you for everything, Sheera-san.”

After saying his parting words, Basara stood at the edge of the dimensional boundary to chase after Mio and the others. It was at that time—

“—Basara-kun.”

Sheera called his name. It was rather different from her usual tone — she appeared to be serious. In response to Sheera’s call, Basara looked back at her in surprise. Sheera said

“I think it’s fine for you to cherish Mio-chan and the others. But it doesn’t mean that you can sacrifice yourself for their sake — please don’t ever forget that.”

He discerned the meaning behind her words. Basara made a slightly more serious expression as he responded with silence. Sheera understood the emotion that was born in that silence. And that was why she had to tell him that right then and there.

…Unfortunately, I can’t leave things up to those stupid men.

Jin and Wilbert — as fathers, they both seemed to think that it was a virtue to keep things in the dark, but there were no women who would go along with the romanticism of such useless men. The fact that Jin had a son named Basara was also a beacon of hope for Sheera and Wilbert. As a symbol of the possibilities of the next generation, he could put an end to the conflict against the Hero clan. She was aware that she was only pushing her own selfish hopes and dreams onto him. Even so, the world where Basara and the others could live happily — was the future that Jin, Wilbert and also Sheera desired. Therfore

“Promise me this — just don’t ever give up on yourself.”

Toujou Basara could make up a lie to stop her from worrying. There was no need to make Sheera more worried than she already was. All he needed to do was leave this place. But – Basara didn’t want to do that. It was because Sheera’s voice was more serious than it had ever been before. And so, Toujou Basara clenched both of his fists tightly as he said

“…I’ll do my best.”

Basara was unable to give her any confirmation right now. But that was his promise to Sheera to do his best. It probably wasn’t the response that Sheera was hoping to hear. But

“———”

Sheera still nodded with a smile, and she tossed him a large bag that was tied up with a red ribbon. When Basara caught it, he noticed that it was considerably heavy.

“This is…?”

“A souvenir from the Demon Realm, a gift for your new life with Zest-chan. I put various different useful things in there, so please use them when you’re in trouble.”

She said as she waved her hand.

“Yes — thank you very much.”

After Basara expressed his gratitude to her, he jumped into the dimensional hole that Sheera had created. Ahead of him — he kept his eyes firmly on those precious girls.

Part 11

As he jumped through the dimensional boundary — all light and sound disappeared from Basara’s surroundings. Basara was enveloped in a jet-black darkness that was even darker than when he closed his eyes. And then, immediately after that moment during which all five of his senses went blank — Basara landed softly at the bottom of that darkness. At the same time, a dazzling bright light spread out before him. And before he realised, Toujou Basara had already returned to a familiar room. It was the living room of the Toujou residence. I’m back…before he even had time to feel relieved—

“——!?”

Basara received an unexpected surprise. It was because the group of five including Mio had all collapsed on the living room floor.

“H-Hey…!”

Basara became worried that something had gone wrong for the girls who had returned just before him.

“……?”

However, he noticed that their breathing was calm.

…They’re just asleep, huh….

The reason why Basara didn’t lose consciousness when he crossed through the dimensional boundary — was it because he crossed over with a calm state of mind, or was it also the mischief of Sheera? Knowing that it wouldn’t be a problem in either case, Basara stroked his chest in relief as he stood up. Then

“…………”

Toujou Basara looked around at the place that he was in once more. Reflected in Basara’s eyes was the place that he was supposed to return to, and the place where the girls whom he held precious resided. This was — what Toujou Basara wanted to protect.

…I see.

Perhaps Sheera had put the girls to sleep and made sure that Basara was the last one to return just so that he could see this. To show him the importance of returning to the place where those precious to him were waiting. If Basara ever gave up on himself, the girls whom he cared for, and the girls who also cared for him would feel saddened. That was something that he didn’t want.

“No, that’s not it…”

Toujou Basara realised his own true feelings. He didn’t want to lose any of them. He wanted to continue seeing their smiles forever. He wouldn’t allow anyone to take that away from him. That was — Toujou Basara’s desire.

“…I told you, I’d do my best.”

In order not to let down the words that he had said to Sheera just earlier, he vowed never to give up and to keep searching from now on — for a road towards the future where he wouldn’t have to lose anything important. He decided — no, prepared himself for it.

“…Mmm.”

Suddenly, a slight murmur and movement was caught in his peripheral vision. One of the sleeping girls awoke. It was Mio. Mio had always worried about not being a human, having the blood of a demon, and dragging Basara and the others into her troubles. But this time, at last, Mio could be released from that fate. So, when they returned to this house — Basara had already decided what he was going to say to her.

“Basara…?”

As Mio recognised his figure with her still drowsy eyes, Toujou Basara said to her with a gentle smile

“—Welcome home, Mio.”

With that single sentence, all of his feelings had been conveyed.

Chapter 2: The Loli-Ero Succubus Buys a House?

Part 1

The mornings of the Loli-Ero Succubus Naruse Maria are busy. Because she is responsible for the housework of the Toujou residence, there are many things that she must do. It didn’t matter even if it was the day right after they had returned from the Demon Realm. For that reason

“Mmm…aah, mmm…hah…♥”

Early in the morning in the Toujou residence, there was a particular place where such sensual moans could be heard. The source of the voice came from Mio and Maria’s room — on top of the bed. In the bedding, Mio’s bountiful breasts had been exposed from her open pyjama top, while she only wore a pair or underwear on her lower half because her trousers had been taken off.

“…No, onii-chan, you can’t…fuan ♥”

She reacted sensitively whenever her breasts, which were her weak point, were touched, and she sweetly contorted her body as she let out a seductive sigh. —However, both of Mio’s eyes were closed. She was asleep. And as she fondled Mio’s breasts whilst she was asleep, the girl said

“Fufufu…Mio-sama, you’ve got a good reaction this morning as well~”

When she saw those beautiful cherry-coloured nipples bulging up like pins, the Loli-Ero Succubus Naruse Maria let out a satisfied laugh. —Previously, she had also witnessed a scene in which Mio dreamt about Basara sneaking into her room at night. Whilst satisfying Mio’s desires, Maria had regularly shown dreams to Mio in which Basara did indecent things to her so as to increase her submission towards Basara. In other words, a dreaming lesson. Then

“Now Mio-sama…please don’t hold back.”

With excitement filling her eyes, Maria squeezed Mio’s nipples

“Mmm—…♥”

Mio’s body tensed up slightly whilst her eyes remained closed. She had experienced a light climax whilst asleep. This served as proof that her body had been conditioned by Basara. Mio’s reaction to this gradually began to appear at the crotch of her underwear. As Maria confirmed this, she felt bliss in remembering this sense of accomplishment.

“—Now then, where should I go next?”

As there were still others waiting for her, she quietly left Mio’s room. She then entered Yuki and Kurumi’s room to show them dreams of engagement in lustful acts with Basara, just like she did with Mio; a gift of joy for their slumber. She slid her hand down Yuki’s underwear to fondle her butt, and then she undid Kurumi’s pyjama top and licked at both of her armpits.

“Aah…Basaraa ♥”

“No, Basara-onii-cha…fuaan ♥”

In the blink of an eye, the Nonaka sisters had lightly climaxed, and Maria wiped the sweat of her pleasant labour from her forehead with the back of her hand.

“This is good…I’ve done some great work this morning as well.”

She giggled lightly with a refreshed expression. But even so — it had been a while since she last did something like this. In any case

…Everything has been so serious lately.

When they were in the Demon Realm, they were compelled to maintain a strong and vigilant state of mind. To be precise, after the Sports Festival — ever since Lucia had ordered them to go to the Demon Realm, the Toujou residence had been in a constant state of tension. It was because they constantly had to be thinking about the difficulties of releasing Mio from the political motives of the Demon Realm. That included the full-scale battle with the Current Demon Lord faction which was far more difficult than anything that they had encountered thus far in the context of a situation that was in constant flux. As usual, it was Maria’s job to make the worrisome situation of Basara and the others brighter, but it was a tough situation that could not be compared to their past encounters, and so Maria had to refrain from her usual mischief at the time. …Moreover, the matter of Maria’s involvement with Zolgear was still fresh in their minds at the time. When Maria considered the fact that she had to stay by the side of Basara and the others when they returned to the Demon Realm this time, she couldn’t get in the mood to act playfully.

Of course — she still put on a false smile to act brightly, and as usual, she was able lure Mio and the others into doing various lewd acts. …But, if she handled any of that poorly, Basara and the others would only grow to suspect that she was forcing herself, which would have caused everyone to worry even more. Therefore, Maria had to show some self-restraint in her actions. Hence, Maria and the others were only able to take a breather in the true sense when they returned to the human realm — it was just yesterday that they returned to the Toujou residence. However, everyone was suddenly fatigued after being released from the tense situation that they had been in thus far, and so they all went to bed early yesterday evening. Even Maria didn’t think about getting Basara and the others to do anything last night. …However, in just one night, Maria’s Succubus power had already been fully recharged. And so, it was best to liberate this pent-up desire which had accumulated in her reservoir before it filled up and overflowed. Indeed — compensation was necessary, even for professional artisans. Regardless of whether that was the smiles of customers, words of gratitude, or even payment of some form.

…Unfortunately, that is not how it works in my case.

They were actually happy on the inside, but Mio and the others would never admit that. On the contrary, Mio and the others would actually get angry at Maria. Understanding that there was a flipside to their shyness, Maria smiled as though it was fun, and she didn’t necessarily want anything in return. It was because what she did to those girls was out of unconditional love. Indeed, just like the Virgin Mary who shrouded everything in love — but as a Succubus. Having said that, it was also true that she didn’t always want to get hit by lightning magic or fists. So, Maria sometimes gave herself a reward. It was just like how a working office lady would reward herself with sweets and beer after doing some hard work. It was a good thing for herself. That was why she had already gotten into the mood that it was her payday.

“—I’ll give myself a generous serving this morning too.”

As Maria declared that, she left Yuki and Kurumi’s room. And then, as she walked down the corridor barefoot

“Ufufu, please wait, Basara-san.”

Indeed — it was the room of the only male in the house, Basara. Although she had gone to Mio, Kurumi and the others to release her pent-up desires

…It’s been a long time since there was situation where Basara-san and I were alone.

Ever since they began living together with Yuki and Kurumi, there were many more opportunities for lewd acts, but the opportunities for just Maria and Basara had decreased. Of course, it was exceptionally fun to participate in situations where Basara subjugated Mio and the others. It was incredibly fun, but it was definitely different to when they were alone.

…Indeed. I always give those opportunities to Mio-sama and the others.

Under normal circumstances, Maria’s position was that of an extra. Therefore, it was fine for her to enjoy some time alone with Basara once in a while.

…Now then, what should I do?

In front of the door to Basara’s room, Maria began to ponder. Previously, she had slipped herself into Basara’s T-shirt.

“Umm…I guess this time it should be his underwear huh.”

Basara wore boxer shorts, but if she stretched the waistband to the limit, she could probably just fit herself in. Mio and the others wouldn’t have been able to fit into Basara’s T-shirt, so at times like these, Maria was quite proud of her loli body which allowed her to make the impossible possible. Besides, morning was the time at which a boy’s physiological phenomenon was at its peak. Basara was still a first-year high school student. He was at the pinnacle of his puberty. In order not to hurt his delicate heart, she had to wake him up gently. Indeed.

[Basara-san, please open your eyes…look, it seems like your crotch already woke up a while ago.]

Perfect consideration. But there was more to it than just that. If she took off her clothes after entering the room, it was possible that Basara would be awoken by the rustling sound of her clothes, so Maria cheerfully decided to take her clothes off on the spot. However, if she left her clothes out in the corridor, it would be troublesome when someone found out. Whilst holding onto the clothes that she had taken off under her arm

…Well.

In order to ensure that Mio and the others wouldn’t be able to come immediately, she had left them with quite a pleasant feeling and underwear which was soaked wet. When they awoke, they would feel embarrassed, so they’d get changed and then think of a way to secretly hand-wash their underwear in the dressing room or bathroom. This gave her more than enough time.

“During that gap, I’ll squeeze the most that I can out of Basara-san.”

As the excitement boiled up inside of her, Maria swiftly opened the door to Basara’s room and snuck in.

“Wha—…?”

However, she quickly froze up. Although Basara was still in bed, he was already awake. —But, what surprised Maria wasn’t just the fact that Basara was awake. There was another person on the bed aside from Basara. It was

“Zest-san—…”

Maria muttered in astonishment. Indeed — it was Zest who was on the bed together with Basara. In addition, Zest was wearing only her underwear as she sat on top of Basara so that they were face-to-face with each other. And as Basara strongly sucked on her ample breasts, her pupils seemed to melt with pleasure.

“Haah…Basara-sama…aah, Basara-samaa…♥”

With an euphoric expression, Zest moaned gleefully as she shook her hips. She hooked her left hand further around the back of Basara’s neck. And at the same time, her right hand — was inserted into Basara’s boxer shorts. 

Zest felt someone enter Basara’s room. But, with her back facing the doorway — she was unable to glance towards the entrance of the room. Although she felt guilty about tasting this happiness with Basara by herself, what overpowered that was her total love for Basara who was in front of her. Whilst drowning in the pleasure that he gave her, she couldn’t stop herself from servicing him either. —There was a reason why Zest was indulging in an obscene act with Basara. Yesterday, Zest came to the Toujou residence along with Basara and the others when they returned from the Demon Realm. However, because all of the rooms were already full, she decided to sleep in the living room last night. As the kind Basara was worried about Zest, he got up early in the morning and went downstairs to the living room to check on her. Although she was happy that Basara showed such concern for her…at the same time, Zest felt guilty about the fact that she had bothered him, and thus she fell into a state of aphrodisia as a result of the Master-Servant contract. Basara held Zest softly whilst she was in that state and brought her up to the bed in his room — and thus, they had reached the present situation. —However, she wasn’t satisfied by being only on the receiving end of the pleasure. Zest was Basara’s maid. It was both her responsibility and raison d’être to serve him. Therefore

“Fuaan…haah, Basara-samaa…”

Whilst Basara sucked on her large breasts, Zest squeezed the part of Basara which had grown long and hard in her own hand. His boxer shorts had fallen down and allowed that part to be exposed, and a sticky liquid overflowed from the tip of his stiff and tense rod. Lewd sounds were generated every time Zest adjusted the motion of her hand. Then, Basara suddenly removed his mouth from Zest’s nipple that he had been sucking on

“…Zest…!”

When he called her like that, his already hardened shaft which Zest squeezed in her hand grew even harder. And so,

“Mmm…please, let it out Basara-sama…”

Zest accelerated the motions of her hand at once and began to plead for it with an alluring voice. Then

“——”

In the instant that Basara tensed up even further — a large volume of hot liquid spilled onto Zest’s right hand. This was the reaction which occurred as Basara climaxed. The cloudy-white liquid which was vigorously ejected spurted onto the region which spanned from Zest’s tan-coloured breasts, all the way up to her face.

“Aah…mmm…♥”

Even so, Basara’s rod still continued to pulsate within the grip of her hand. His repeated, obscene squirts were an indication of the pleasure that Basara had felt.

—I was able to serve Basara-sama properly.

Zest trembled with joy at having been able to fulfil her duty as a maid.

“—Zest.”

Unexpectedly, Basara whispered her name into her ears — and in the next moment

“—Fuuaaaaaan ♥”

Zest raised her sweet voice as she let out a moan, and she arched her upper body backwards. Her ears, which were her weak point, had been nibbled on by Basara, which culminated in an enormous climax for her.

Part 2

Maria stood there in shock as she watched the entire episode unfold before her very eyes.

“—Aah, I accidentally recorded them!?”

When she realised, she had already recorded the acts of Basara and Zest with her video camera. Besides, after stripping off her clothes out in the hallway, the clothes that she had held underneath her arm were now placed neatly on the floor. The instinct of a Succubus was rather fearsome given how her body had moved instinctively so as not to miss out on such an opportunity.

…Hmm, how strange.

Maria felt a sudden urge of discomfort. Even though she had added this new sequence to her treasured movie collection, she didn’t feel excited.

…I’d normally feel happier about this….

—Maria tilted her head as she tried to wonder about why this was happening, while Basara put his boxer shorts back on and placed Zest down on the bed since she had lost consciousness after climaxing from having her ear nibbled.

“I don’t know about the others, but…what are you doing Maria?”

He asked, slightly embarrassed.

“No, I don’t really understand myself either…”

Maria replied.

“As a reward for myself, I tried to slip into Basara-san’s room, but when I snuck into the room, Basara-san and Zest-san were already in the midst of an erotic act. Before I even realised, I was already recording with my video camera. I’d say that I did a good job, but for some reason, I just don’t feel that happy…”

Maria continued to ponder as she tilted her head.

“Basara-san…do you know what this means?”

“After listening to your explanation, I don’t know what to say.”

He responded with a fed-up expression.

“Is that so…that may be so.”

Maria said as she tried to recollect herself.

“Then, Basara-san — could you go back to sleep for a while?”

“What? Why?”

“Yes, I just want to invade your underwear a little bit…”

“What!?”

He cried out with a loud voice.

“Shh~, you’ll wake Mio-sama and the others up.”

She rushed over to the bed and put her index finger over Basara’s lips to silence him. And then

“Ah geez, there’s no time to explain…!”

Maria used her Succubus sleeping magic on Basara.

“Wh…you, wha…t—…”

The element of surprise made it work. The eyes of Basara which had widened in surprise instantly became drowsy, and as Basara reclined onto the bed as if the thread holding him up had snapped, he began to breathe calmly.

“Fufufu, good night Basara-san — even though it’s morning.”

Maria giggled as she grinned, and moved on to the execution of her original plan at once. Her plan to infiltrate Basara’s underwear. She pulled on the elastic waistband to make a gap between the underwear and Basara’s body so that she could first slide her right leg in — and then slide in her left leg through the holes where Basara’s legs already were. Following that, she would tuck her bottom in.

“Okay…I guess I’ll try doing my left leg first huh.”

It was more cramped than she imagined. The level of difficulty was much higher than compared to when she had entered his T-shirt. And so, after putting her left leg in first, Maria reached backwards to grab the front of his underwear so that she could pull it up.

“Phew…mmm, it looks like it’ll work somehow…ooh, it does!”

Maria had succeeded in tucking her bottom in, and she began to feel overjoyed at the fact that her mission was somewhat successful, even though it should’ve been quite impossible. Then

“Wow…this is an unprecedented level of contact.”

Within the boxer shorts, the space between Maria and Basara’s crotch areas was completely non-existent.

…Ah….

Maria suddenly noticed that Basara’s dick was gradually becoming stiffer. It was possible that the phenomenon was caused by the Succubus Maria’s nude skin rubbing across his sensitive regions. Maria giggled to herself.

“—Even though he just came, he’s like this again already…I guess it can’t be helped, Basara-san.”

The instant she said so — something suddenly fell onto Maria’s head.

“…It looks like you’re having quite a lot of fun in the morning, Maria.”

The voice which was accompanied by a cold smile from behind her caused Maria to begin sweating coldly.

“No way…how did you get here so quickly under those circumstances?”

Maria asked as her body trembled.

“That was pretty careless…certainly, I did want to wash my wet underwear, but Yuki is in the dressing room, and Kurumi-chan went into the bathroom first, so that means I have to go after the two of them.”

She said with a cold voice.

“Now way…why didn’t you wash yours together with them? If you don’t clean it up quickly, it’ll leave a dirty stain there you know? Is that okay with you!?”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll throw it away!”

As she yelled that, Maria was dragged out from Basara’s underwear in an instant. Although Mio had such a cute and erotic sleeping face just earlier, a vein popped out from her temple as she stood there and she shook Maria from side to side in the air whilst holding onto her head.

“Mio-sama…your grip strength has increased so much.”

“—Yeah, it’s all thanks to you.”

As she said that, she looked at Basara and Zest on the bed.

“Seriously, it seems like you involved Zest as well just because you wanted to make an erotic movie…I’d feel bad about waking Basara and her up, so we’ll continue your punishment slowly in our room.”

As she said that, she tightened her grip even further on Maria’s head as she began to drag her away with her heightened grip strength.

“Aah, it’s a terrible misunderstanding! Hey you two, stop sleeping and explain this properly to Mio-sama please! All I did was use magic to put Basara-san to sleep so that I could slip into his underwear!”

However, Maria’s pleas did not reach Zest whose consciousness had drifted far away as a result of her intense climax, nor Basara who was lost in a dream from the sleeping magic. And after returning to their room — Maria was thoroughly chastised by Mio. —Although this was only natural, it was also the first time that it had happened in a long while.

Part 3

“Ugh…that was a terrible false domestic charge.”

After recovering from Mio’s punishment, Maria complained to herself as she walked down the stairs. And then, as she opened the living room door so that she could head towards the kitchen

“…—Eh?”

She widened her eyes in surprise when she saw that breakfast had already been prepared on the dining table. A colourful salad, freshly baked bread with a fragrant smell, and omelette which had been fluffily pan-fried to perfection. Although the menu consisted of basic western-style dishes, the quality of each dish was exceptionally high. It already looked delicious even before she had savoured the taste of it. It was also served beautifully, such that the arrangement and balance of each seemed perfect. As Maria stood there in awe of what seemed like a totally professional job

“Oh, this is amazing…”

“It’s like breakfast at a luxury hotel.”

The voices of Basara and the others came from behind her one after the other as they expressed their admiration.

…Whose cooking is this?

The answer that Maria wanted was in the kitchen.

“—Sorry to have kept you waiting. The soup will be ready in just a little longer.”

The person who said that with a gracious tone was Zest, who was wearing a pretty apron as she stood in front of the gas stove to finish off the soup.

“No way…since when did you know how to use the kitchen in this house?”

Despite having arrived just yesterday, Zest had been able to make full use of the Toujou residence’s kitchen. She replied to the stunned Maria

“Before I was entrusted to the Moderates faction under Sheera-sama, I stayed here for a while until I was picked up. Though, I was only watching at that time…so that I could properly serve when the day came.”

She had learnt how to be a maid from Sheera and Lucia in the Demon Realm, and she had probably wanted to make use of her skills in the Toujou residence — no, she probably dreamed about serving Basara.

“I see…thank you.”

In response to Zest’s words, Basara revealed a gentle smile.

“………”

Maria made a complicated expression.

…B-But, how…?

The first question arose. And that was the matter of ingredients. —Since they were away from the house for such a long time when they went to the Demon Realm, Maria had planned out the meals so that she used almost all of the ingredients in the refrigerator. Therefore, this morning, a combination of foods which were easy to preserve such as ochazuke and grilled rice balls would have been all that were possible before she went out to the supermarket in the morning to go shopping. But, the breakfast that Zest made clearly couldn’t have been possible with the ingredients which were remaining in the Toujou residence. In other words

“No way, you went shopping…?”

“Yes. The supermarket in this world sure is convenient. It’s wonderful how ingredients can be normally purchased even so early in the morning.”

After being asked that, Zest frankly replied. Calculating the time it would take to prepare such an elaborate menu, it seemed impossible unless some preparation had already been completed before she went to wake Basara up. Given the late sunrise in winter, it probably meant that Zest had gone shopping alone before the sun even rose.

“But, what about the money…?”

Yuki suddenly asked the simple question which had also been on Maria’s mind.

“T-That’s right! Zest-san shouldn’t have any money in this world. Don’t tell me you threatened the people in the store for ingredients—”

“—There weren’t any problems in that regard.”

Zest then took out a single card and placed it down on the table.

“A b-black card…!?”

It was the ultimate credit card which was only supposed to be given to individuals who passed strict criteria, and Maria shuddered in astonishment upon seeing it.

“Aside from taking care of Basara-sama in this world, I am also indebted to Mio-sama. So Lucia-sama gave this to me.”

Zest explained without hesitation.

“Hey…this couldn’t possibly be a counterfeit card, right?”

Kurumi also seemed to be in disbelief.

“There is no need to worry. If someone were to do something so conspicuous, and with a large impact on the human world such as obtaining a vast sum of money through counterfeiting or magic, it is possible that it would attract the ire of the Hero clan who could take action. That would also further complicate the position of Yuki-san and Kurumi-san.”

Zest smiled as she continued

“This is due to your achievements in the battle against the Current Demon Lord faction. Ramsas-sama and Klaus-sama transported the highest purity gold which was mined from the Valiant Gold Mine in the Demon Realm to this world, and had it exchanged into currency so that they could prepare an account for this card.”

That was — the same method that Wilbert had used when those two people had been entrusted with the task of becoming Mio’s adoptive parents. It was the same way that they had been given funds to live in the human world. However, it was because Wilbert took safety measures like this to reduce the risk to Mio that the demons and Hero clan never noticed. But this time, Mio had chosen to live as a human, which meant that the reward was for Basara. Considering the positions of Yuki and Kurumi that Zest mentioned just earlier, this difficult method was probably chosen as it was the least likely to draw attention. Maria understood and believed that it was the correct choice. But

“W-Why did onee-sama give it to Zest-san…if they’re meant to be living expenses, shouldn’t it have been me?”

Maria puffed out her cheeks as she didn’t seem convinced.

“Lucia-sama said that if she gave it to you, then it was possible that you would buy many indecent items and would needlessly waste money.”

“Ah—…”

“W-What’s with that convinced look on your face, Basara-san! I’m trustworthy as well. I buy fancy eroge and adult goods in order to enhance the subjugation training of Basara-san and the others. I verify reviews on the net beforehand, and I only choose them after playing through the trial version first. I’ve never done anything that’s wasteful!”

Maria fumed in outrage.

“Okay okay, I get it. Anyways, let’s have breakfast…okay?”

After Basara said that, everyone sat down at their respective seats and Zest placed a bowl of soup down in front of everyone.

“…I hope it is to your liking.”

Zest said lightly, seeming slightly anxious. —But, everyone aside from Zest understood that such worries were completely groundless. The taste of Zest’s dishes were even better than they looked.

“Delicious…”

“This is really amazing…”

Voices of praise were sung. Maria also placed some of the omelette into her mouth, and

“T-This is…!”

It was frustrating to her, but it was truly tasty — it was fluffy, and the surface was smooth and moist. It wasn’t just the heat. This kind of result would be impossible without a full understanding of the frypan’s material.

“………”

Feeling defeated, and just as the depression began to sink in to Maria—

“What is it Zest? Hurry up and sit down too—…”

Basara began to speak before he suddenly stopped as he realised. Just as there weren’t enough beds, there weren’t enough chairs either. At the beginning — the chairs placed at the dining table of the Toujou residence were only enough to seat four people. That was intended for when Jin, Basara, Mio and Maria were living together. However, because Jin was frequently away from the house, Yuki was able to make use of Jin’s spot when she began to live together with them, and when Kurumi came to live with them as well, they had gone out to buy more furniture.

…That was careless.

Toujou Basara realised his own blunder. He should have realised when Zest was missing a bed last night. Since Zest would be living in this house from now on, furniture for her such as a bed would be essential. Of course, it wasn’t a problem that had to be completely solved the day after returning from the Demon Realm, but if he had known, it would’ve given them the option of eating in the living room this morning, or having breakfast outside.

“Please don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

Zest said as she smiled.

“It’s because it would also be rude for a maid to have a meal at the same time as her master…”

As soon as he heard that, Basara shook his head.

“That’s no good Zest. Although that may be correct for a maid, you will eat together with us from now on.”

“But…”

Although Zest was concerned by that

“You think of me as your master, but I’ll treat you as a family member just like everyone else…if you’re going to live together with us from now on, then you’ll have to follow the rules of this house.”

With that, he clearly conveyed his thoughts.

“I understand…if that is what you command, Basara-sama.”

“This is slightly different from an order. This is just normal for a family…well, I think you’ll get used to it little by little.”

“Yes…”

Hearing this, Zest showed a bright smile.

“We’ll need furniture for Zest, but this house has certainly become a bit more cramped now…”

This house was rented in mind for four people to live in it. In other words, Jin, Basara, Mio and Maria. In addition to the four rooms for each person, Jin’s camera equipment, files and work materials were kept in a study room as the house had a 4LDK+S layout. —But when Yuki and Kurumi began to live together with them, the room allocation was changed again. While the rooms that Basara and Jin used were left as is, the remaining two rooms were divided up so that one was for Mio and Maria, and the other was for Yuki and Kurumi. But even in that state, they were full. Last night, he had told Zest that she could use Jin’s room, but she had firmly refused because she seemed afraid of intruding into that room. However, it was no good for her to sleep in Basara’s room either, as they were of opposite genders. Basara was mindful of imposing on the other girls as well, and Zest had also said that she couldn’t possibly make things inconvenient for Basara. In the first place, sleeping in the same room as Basara would be…would certainly have been rejected. —However, there wasn’t any other room. Just as Basara contemplated over what to do

“So Basara-san, how about looking for a new house right now?”

Maria clapped her hands together as she asked.

“With the current number of rooms that we have, we might just be able to make enough room to have a living space for Zest-san. However, if Jin-san finds the mother of Basara-san who has gone missing at the moment, then the capacity of this house will eventually be exceeded once that couple comes home together.”

Moreover

“Compared to the time when Jin-san stayed with us in this house, our relationship has changed greatly. In my view, if Jin-san was in the house, you might be able to enjoy a little thrill, but you would have to be mindful of keeping your voices and any noises down. However, doing so all the time would be somewhat inconvenient.”

Maria continued

“Since Jin-san already knows about the special Succubus-type Master-Servant contract that Basara-san has with Mio-sama and everyone else, I imagine that he is aware of what we’re doing, but…the story is somewhat different when he could be seeing or hearing such things in the first person. Mio-sama and everyone else may not be able to submit to Basara-san with peace of mind either.”

“With ‘peace of mind’ you say…”

Although she didn’t affirm it with absolute positivity, Mio’s cheeks still turned bright red at the thought.

“Besides, Basara-san, you’d probably feel embarrassed to dominate Mio-sama and the others if your father Jin-san was present.”

“Of course I would…”

Rather than embarrassing, it would just be plain awkward.

“Well, if you want the love affairs with your own girls to be seen by your father, say if you have a fetish for such things, then that’s a different story.”

“Don’t worry, I don’t have any such fetishes.”

Basara immediately asserted.

“But…there’s definitely some truth in that.”

“Indeed! Being watched makes you feel turned on, right?”

“Stop with the fetishes. I’m talking about the house.”

Even though the problems with the Demon Realm had settled down, it was not possible for Basara-sama and the others to dissolve their Master-Servant contracts immediately because there was still a risk that there would be trouble in the Demon Realm. They had to carefully determine whether peace had been established between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, as well as observe any changes in the situation with the other factions. Therefore, taking into consideration that Jin would return, it was undeniable that the amount of space and the structure of the house were unsuitable.

“—Having said that, as minors, it’s not something we can really do on our own…”

There was also the issue of finances. In that regard, it was possible to manipulate the minds of real estate agents with magic, but since they had just begun to live with Zest, it was best to avoid such things so as not to alert the Hero clan. Then

“—How about using the money in the account that I keep?”

Zest uttered her proposal rather reservedly.

“This money was given as remuneration for the achievements of Basara-sama and the others, as well as living expenses for Mio-sama. If you don’t want to go ahead without Jin-dono’s permission first, then you could tell him about the current situation and then check with him if there are any issues with finding a new house.”

“That’s…well, that might work.”

It was certainly possible since he was in possession of a mobile phone which had a special magic chip, so Jin could be contacted even if he was in the Demon Realm.

“What do you think? Do you think it’s okay?”

Basara asked Yuki and Kurumi about Zest’s suggestion. About whether the <<Village>> would have a problem with that — when asked about that possibility, Yuki thought about it briefly before replying

“It’s probably okay…there isn’t any direct harm to other people.”

“It’s not something that will have a significant impact on society either.”

Kurumi also shared the view that there wouldn’t be a problem.

“I see…”

In that case, it was probably worth considering. As Basara looked around at everyone, the eyes of Mio, Yuki, Kurumi and Zest all seemed to indicate that they had ‘no objection’ to it. Only one person — Maria seemed to have a somewhat dissatisfied face.

“What’s wrong Maria…weren’t you the one who suggested we start house hunting? Are you opposed to it after all?”

“No, not really~? The thought never crossed my mind to object to this, okay?”

In response to the question, Maria seemed to put up a façade.

“It doesn’t look like that at all though…but, I guess we’ll start taking a look for some good properties after this.”

Toujou Basara said as he let out a deep breath.

“Leaving aside what we’ll actually do for now — I guess it’s not a problem if we just start doing some research.”

Part 4

On top of being late to wake Basara up in the morning, she had also been outdone with a perfectly made breakfast. Although she had raised the idea of renting a new house, she had been told not to worry about the finances, and topics had been discussed with calm and collected opinions.

“Ugh…this is as if I’m just a clown~”

Therefore, after breakfast — Maria voiced her complaints in Yuki and Kurumi’s room.

“Hey! Are you listening properly, Kurumi-san?”

“Well…w-when you said that you had something to say, I…yet, w-why are we…doing this in the morning…fuaan.”

Being embraced from behind, Kurumi was gasping lewdly. —Maria was currently comforting her own injured heart on top of Kurumi’s bed. Because the clothes that she was wearing as well as her bra had been stripped off, Kurumi’s figure was essentially nude aside from her underwear.

“But that’s because there’s nothing else for me to do…Zest-san cleaned up the entire house in the middle of the night, and even the laundry got done whilst we were having breakfast, right?”

Rather than a clown, it was more correct to say that she was like a lost dog. The only way for Maria to stave off her boredom and pass the time now was to fondle Kurumi’s breasts, and occasionally lick her sensitive armpits. Maria also slid her hands into Kurumi’s underwear as she continued to lick at her armpits. At the same time

“Yaa — fuaaaaaaaaan ♥”

Kurumi’s entire body trembled as she let loose a sweet moan. In an instant, the inside of her underwear grew wet as Maria’s hand slid in. It was a special reaction that women showed when they were in a state of climax. As she rode atop the wave of pleasure, tears formed in Kurumi’s eyes which had already been moistened by the gradual foreplay. In response to such a reaction, Maria went around in front of Kurumi and gleefully embraced Kurumi’s body.

“Kurumi-san…did you cry for me?”

“…Haah, that’s not it…Mari…aa…mmm”

As Kurumi exhaled heat-filled moans…Maria silenced her by fondling her ass within the now hot and soaking wet underwear which she was wearing.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility and wash up the underwear and bedsheets that you get wet, Kurumi-san! That’s a bit better, isn’t’ it? Thanks to my mother, Kurumi-san seems to have become rather close to Zest-san, isn’t that right? But I won’t lose either.”

With aroused eyes, Maria licked off Kurumi’s tears as well. Then

“—How about you join us, Yuki-san?”

On the bed that lay opposite to them — she half-jokingly asked Yuki, who was sitting on the bed while she leaned her back against the wall on the other side of the room to read a book. Indeed — Yuki had been in the room ever since Maria started coming on to Kurumi. However, she had left them alone all this time. It was just as if she was watching Maria deepen her friendship with Kurumi — though in reality, she had been reading her book the entire time and wasn’t paying attention to them.

“Me too…?”

Yuki then raised her face from the book, and alternated her gaze between Maria and Kurumi.

“……I understand.”

She said so as she promptly closed her book, and then stood up and approached them.

“O-Onee…?”

She never would’ve imagined Yuki joining in. Kurumi let out a puzzled voice as she looked toward Yuki behind her. However, Maria was just as surprised. Yuki hadn’t even batted an eyelid at them prior to this, so they thought that she would not get involved. But what surprised Maria the most was how Yuki nonchalantly came up to their bed and then quietly stripped off her clothes. And once she had gotten down to just a pair of underwear

“But Maria…will there be enough time for us to go out?”

Yuki asked as she crawled onto the bed.

“We’ll be fine…we’re going in the afternoon.”

Maria replied as she nodded. After breakfast — Basara had confirmed things with Jin over a mobile message, and the reply that he received was ‘do as you wish’. With that obstacle cleared, Basara and the others were currently making a list of well-known real estate agencies which were nearest to the station. Although they had tried to look up property listings on the net, they were unable to find anything that matched their preferences. So they decided to go out after having lunch — their afternoon activity. However,

“Zest-san will be making lunch anyway. So I’ve decided to feast on the delicious Kurumi-san until noon. Yep, I like to have my sweet dessert anytime!”

“I see…then that’s fine.”

After Yuki said that, she made her way behind Kurumi so as to sandwich her between Maria and herself.

“Yaa, o…onee..?”

“It’s alright…because I’m Kurumi’s onee-chan.”

From behind, Yuki — placed both of her hands over Kurumi’s shoulders as she began to gently caress the breasts of her embarrassed younger sister.

“…Maria, you too.”

In response to Yuki’s prompt,

“—Got it!”

Maria nodded with a delighted look as she brought her lips close to Kurumi’s armpits. Although Kurumi anxiously tried to resist, it was impossible when she was being pinned down by two people at once.  

“Yaa…you two, noooo…aaah, waaaaaaaaaah ♥”

Kurumi climaxed again as she let out a high-pitched moan while Maria had fun licking her armpits.

Part 5

After that — Kurumi was thoroughly pleasured by Maria and Yuki until it was close to noon. Because it would’ve been a shame if she was the only one being pampered, Kurumi teamed up with Maria halfway through so that they could attack Yuki together. Maria restrained both of her hands, while Kurumi fondled her bottom endlessly, causing Yuki to climax. From there, both the older and younger sister attacked each other’s weaknesses as they obstinately tried to pit their pride against each other. The repercussions of the pleasure was so intense that Kurumi was unable to move from her bed, meaning that she was unable to have lunch together with everyone else, and she also declined to go out and look for property with everyone else. Thinking that she might have gone overboard, Maria was rather apologetic, but Kurumi sent Maria off without getting angry so that she could tag along with Basara and the others. The emotions that Maria was currently going through were something that Kurumi had also felt in the past. When she came to visit Basara at the Toujou residence along with Takashi and Shiba, she was confronted a similar situation. And — when she went to the Demon Realm, she embraced Zest’s feelings. It was something that couldn’t be resolved unless they faced the person directly. That was why

…It’s okay.

Kurumi thought about Maria. She was able to overcome that on her own…so Maria too had to do the same. She was proof of it.

…Basara is here.

When Kurumi was going through those painful emotions, Basara came to Kurumi’s rescue every time. That was why Maria would surely be fine. And now — having chosen to stay home, Kurumi was currently soaking in the bathtub. Thanks to Maria and Yuki, her body had been covered in sweat. —However, Kurumi wasn’t alone in the bathroom. Yuki stayed home as well, and she sat on top of a stool in front of the shower as she silently washed her body down with a sponge. Upon seeing Yuki like this

“Onee…why didn’t you go together with Basara and the others?”

Kurumi asked as she glanced at the side of her face. If it was the usual Yuki, she would do anything so long as she could remain together with Basara. That was even truer if Mio was involved. …Moreover, it was strange that she chose to go along with Maria’s mischievous ploy. —Needless to say, she had always followed Yuki. When Kurumi came to the Toujou residence as Yuki’s support, though she didn’t enter into a Master-Servant contract with Basara, she was still pleasured together with everyone else at the guest house before their battle against the Current Demon Lord faction in the Demon Realm. However, aside from the times when Maria unleashed her Succubus instincts, Yuki only acted like that with Kurumi when Basara was also in the equation. Why — as that question circled around in Kurumi’s mind…

“—Kurumi, what are you planning to from now on?”

Yuki asked.

“What…I thought I’d just take it easy for a while.”

Because they had spent a long time in the Demon Realm, Kurumi still had remnants of the heavy magical energy that she had been exposed to over there. This was an effect of her low resistance to magic, unlike Yuki who had formed a Master-Servant contract with Basara through Maria’s magic. Of course, Kurumi had also received training as a member of the Hero clan to resist magic, so there weren’t any major problems in terms of day-to-day life. But having returned to this world, a little more time was still needed for the magic to be fully detoxed from her body. In addition to cleansing her sweat, this bath was also meant as a purification ritual. But, Yuki’s question was slightly different to the way that Kurumi interpreted it.

“—Mio has given an answer on how she wants to live.”

Yuki’s voice resounded quietly within the bathroom.

“———”

“When we went to the Demon Realm, Mio decided how she would live differently from the other demons…so, it’s our turn next.”

Yuki continued as she looked at her

“As a member of the Hero clan, and as human beings — this is about how we get involved with Basara from now on, and how we decide to live our lives.”

“Onee—…”

Kurumi held her breath involuntarily. —She felt as though Yuki was quietly staring into the depths of her heart. Basara was important to her. And she also thought of Mio, Maria and Zest as friends now. …But, she was a member of the Hero clan. She couldn’t run away from that forever. Mio was beginning to master the power that she had inherited from Wilbert, Zest had joined them as someone who would be classified as having S-class strength, and the <<Village>> would not remain silent forever. At the moment, even Maria would be classified as having a strength of A-class or higher. To live together with Basara meant the same as living together with Mio and the others. Mio and the others had already chosen how they would live together with Basara from now on. They did not hesitate. —That was basically their current situation. Basara had gone off in search of a new house to live in along with Mio, Maria and Zest — and thus, Kurumi and Yuki were left in this place without them.

“…Most likely, Basara will also soon determine how he lives from now on. So, we should make our decision before that.”

Yuki continued

“Depending on our decision, there is a possibility that this will affect that path that Basara takes. At the very least, I don’t intend on actualising what Sheera-san worried about.”

“But…depending on our decision, we may also cause Basara to go down that other path.”

Kurumi mentioned another concern. If Kurumi and her sister chose to live with Basara, this would inevitably cause trouble to their parents who were still in the Village. Because of that, Kurumi and Yuki were still unable to fully decide on what to do yet. However, Basara cared for Kurumi and the others, and they had to think about how to keep him away from that possibility.  

“That may be so…but, I don’t want to regret anything anymore.”

Yuki emphatically said.

“At the time of the tragedy five years ago, I couldn’t do a thing…Basara saved my life, and all I could do was watch on in silence as Basara was exiled. I want to protect what Basara wants to protect…and for that reason, I decided to become strong after being separated from him. I was chosen by [Sakuya], and put in charge of Mio’s surveillance, and then somehow managed to see Basara again…”

But

“One mistake, and it may be too late…and that can mean that both you and I will never be able to see Basara again.”

“That is—…”

Kurumi was unable to retort to the possibility that Yuki had brought up.

“That’s why I’ll decide on my way of life before Basara this time…because I absolutely don’t want to be too late and have to regret something.”

And then

“Kurumi, I don’t want you to repeat that same regret either…so”

A decision on how to live — for both Nonaka Yuki and Nonaka Kurumi. In response to Yuki’s words

“……I understand.”

Kurumi returned a firm nod.

…That’s right.

That tragedy five years ago wasn’t just a loss of their clan members and their friends. They were only able to silently look at Basara’s back as he left the Village — it was also an unbearable amount of suffering for themselves. Such regrets — they didn’t want a repeat of that.

Part 6

The aim — to search for a new dream house in which lewd acts and training can be done without worry. However,

“I’m sorry, at present we do not have any properties which satisfy your desired requirements…”

The conditions that Basara and the others wanted primarily was a house similar to the one they had now, but with a larger size as they wanted to reduce the risk of other people getting involved in case anything happened. And Maria wished for a house where one room could be allocated to each person, and a bathroom and bathtub that was big enough for everyone to be in. But

“Because you have already taken a look at the property listings on the net, you should probably understand…it will probably be difficult to find even for the other agencies.”

“N-No—…”

Maria let out a disappointed voice in response to the agent’s reasoning. —Currently, the Toujou family was a large household. Even if they didn’t consider Jin for the moment, and they looked for another house in which they could allocate individual rooms to each of the six people, a 6LDK layout was necessary. But — there were none within walking distance of Hijirigasaka Academy, and even if they extended the range to the area where a bus journey would be feasible, there were no rental houses which had a 6LDK layout. For houses in this area, a general layout of 4LDK was most common, followed by 3LDK and 5LDK. However, once they went up to 6LDK, the number of properties available drastically decreased.

…Surely, this must be the influence of the declining birth-rate in this place….

Apparently the situation in this country was more serious than had been imagined. Being confronted by reality, Maria began to wonder just how severe the issue was.

“Now now, there’s no need to feel so down, Maria…”

Basara said as he put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Beside him, Mio

“Is that so…5LDK is fine, if you want your own room that much then you can have your own room, and with the bath you just have to be patient—”

“That’s no good then!”

Mio misunderstood her intentions — no, Maria misunderstood as she cried out unexpectedly

“Maria…?”

In response to the exaggerated response that she had shown, both Basara and Mio looked at her strangely.

“…Sorry, I raised my voice.”

Maria apologised for having become emotional. —She herself didn’t care about anything like privacy. When Maria spoke about the necessity of individual rooms, she had Mio and the others in mind.

…Because.

In order for Basara to advance even further with Mio and the others, it was definitely better if they could spend time alone in a single room. If such an environment was created, there was a possibility that corresponding feelings could be forged, and beyond that…they would be able to do things that would otherwise be impossible in a shared room. Things that they could not do because they were currently too embarrassed to without a room of their own. Now that Basara had allowed all of them to recall the taste of intense pleasure, Mio and the others had begun developing sexually and they now knew what the pleasure of being a woman was. Therefore…sooner or later, if they didn’t have some ‘alone time’, Mio and the others would begin to feel frustrated! Feeling hot and flushed as they quietly thought to themselves about Basara…there would be some nights like that. And — if they had the environment which could make it possible, Mio and the others would grow to become even lewder adults.

…With something like this, unless I carefully ….

Naruse Maria thought of it as a mission for herself in a sense. She was the only one who could help them in that regard. Delicious food came from the sum of its ingredients, and was a path to the heart. The situation Maria faced was that the ‘alone time’ of Mio and the others was meant for masturbation. Nonetheless, this wasn’t just to satisfy the instincts and aspirations of Maria as a succubus. Of course, it wasn’t as though she had absolutely no desires at all either

…I’m not at the point where I can stop yet.

Indeed — even though the immediate problem in the Demon Realm had been solved, not all of the risks were mitigated. Besides the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, there were still various other forces in the Demon Realm. Some of them might not be comfortable with the alliance between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction which was currently progressing. Ramsas and Leohart had said that they would be discussing things with the other factions quietly as well.

…To settle all of the issues, we still need more time.

Since the battle with the Current Demon Lord faction was over, Mio had finally been released from the political reaches and fate of the Demon Realm, but it was still possible that the other factions would aim at the key positions of the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction, as well as those related to them. Given such circumstances, there was still a limit to how far they could take things since it was necessary to avoid the risks that could arise from crossing over the final line. But even so — if they weren’t satisfied with the amount of strength that they had now, there was still room for them to grow. If they were unsatisfied with the current situation, they simply have to seek a more greedy approach.

…Even if Zest-san is superior to me in overall housework.

Basara as well as Mio and the others — everyone in the Toujou residence shared the feeling of not wanting to lose. Therefore, Naruse Maria didn’t want to simply move to a house with more rooms. Aside from the number of rooms, a large bath that was big enough for all six of them was also essential so that they could further enrich their naked relationships from now on. Just as Maria held this secret ambition within her mind

“—In that case, what about the property that we can purchase?”

Zest, who had kept quiet up until now quietly made such a proposal. 

“Purchase…you mean to buy a house?”

Mio questioned the meaning of what Zest had said

“T-That is also an option…”

Maria’s expression brightened up again — however,

“Yes. If we disregard those for lease, we may be able to expand the range of properties available…and I have a considerable margin in terms of funding.”

Zest said.

“………”

Soon after that, Maria’s expression clouded and she hung her head down.

…Maria…?

Not only Mio, but also Basara and Zest seemed to notice the strange way in which Maria was acting. As all three of them began to look at her with worried expressions

“—If that is the case, our agency can also provide some advice!”

 The agent seemed to pick that up and sprung onto the business opportunity without reading the atmosphere.

“If you don’t have a budget to worry about, there are certainly some properties which are 6LDK or more…for example, how about this place?”

After saying that, they presented them with a tablet PC.

“Huh…umm — err?”

Mio froze up as he shifted her gaze from Mio to the tablet screen. It was because she saw the property which was being displayed on it. However, the person in charge ignored Mio’s expression as they continued

“The site area is 100 tsubo, and the living space is 120 tsubo with a 9LDK layout. If it’s here, then I think it’ll be more than enough room even for six people.”

“The price is a hundred million yen…that’s quite affordable.”

In response to the agents words, Zest began to nod, and thus

“No no no, wait a second Zest.”

Basara quickly waved his hands in a panic as he tried to stop her.

“Hmm? I’ve already told you how much money is in the account. If it’s this much, then I don’t think it’s a problem.”

“No, that may be the case, but…”

“…That’s not the issue.”

Although Zest simply stood there with a vacant expression, Mio and Basara were both lost for words. Certainly, the amount of money in Zest’s account that she had received from the Moderates faction had three more digits than the property that Mio and the others were looking it. That money was meant to be remuneration for Mio and the others, so it was actually meant to be divided up between six people, but even so, it was a ridiculous sum of money. It would be easy to purchase a vast block of land and build a mansion upon it with that much. …But, if they started to live with such a large amount of money, that would make them diverge away from the ordinary daily life that they wanted. Zest was not to blame given that she had been through Zolgear’s mansion, Wildart Castle and Lundvall Castle in the Demon Realm. She was probably just thinking about Basara, and about serving Mio who had been born as a member of the royal family, so that they could live in a house without any inconveniences.

…We’ll have to teach her about the common sense of monetary values here.

Since they would be living together, it was only natural that they should teach Zest about common knowledge in this world. Therefore

“Umm, excuse us…”

Mio and the others left the real estate agency after letting the agent know that they would consider it after returning home for the time being.

Part 7

After leaving the real estate agency, Basara was somewhat lost in terms of what to do afterwards. There were a few other real estate agencies that they had listed down, so if they went to take a look, it was possible that they could be lucky to find a 6LDK property. …But, as he stood in front of the crosswalk at an intersection, Basara glimpsed to his side as he waited for the signal to change. Standing next to Basara, Maria clearly seemed to be deprived of her usual energy. Mio and Zest who were standing side-by-side behind them had stopped talking a while ago after reading the odd atmosphere that surrounded Maria. An awkward silence hung around Basara and the others. —Maria was the most enthusiastic of them all when she the proposal for a new place of residence had come up. And even though it wasn’t a rental property, they had still found a place where they could allocate one room to each person, something that Maria had been eager for. Basara, Mio and Zest all stopped to think. Considering Maria’s personality, she was usually the one who would advocate ‘we should buy it’.

…Dear me.

Basara wondered to himself about what had happened. The strange thing about Maria that he had noticed was that she had withdrawn to Yuki and Kurumi’s room along with them after breakfast, though the reason for that was somewhat obvious. Mio probably had an inkling about it as well. Zest had also noticed that Maria was acting strange, but she didn’t seem to understand the cause of it all. Although they could tell her, it wasn’t something that they could openly speak about in front of Maria. And even if they told Zest about it, given her personality, it could become even more troublesome than Kurumi’s time if the matter wasn’t handled well. And so, as they stood amidst the crowd, Toujou Basara thought. Maria and Zest — what was the best solution for both of them? It was right at that moment. On the other side of the crosswalk — standing amidst the crowd waiting for the signal to change was the face of a young man that Basara was familiar with.

“Takigawa—…”

As Basara uttered his name, Mio and the others also seemed to take note of Takigawa’s presence. Then

[——]

Standing on the other side, Takigawa showed a smile as he directed his eyes at them. When the signal changed, a flow of people walking in opposite directions was initiated. As Basara and his group advanced forward, Takigawa simply stood on the spot and waited for their arrival.

“—Yo Basacchi, are you on a group date? As expected of the star of the Moderates faction, it’s great for you.”

As they approached him, Takigawa spoke in a light-hearted manner.

“Takigawa…the fact that you’re here means…”

Basara asked as he guessed about his current situation.

“Yeah…let’s head in somewhere and talk for a bit. I don’t really want to be stuck here talking under this freezing cold winter sky.”

Takigawa Yahiro revealed a wry smile as he shrugged. And so, Basara and the others went into a nearby café. It was the same shop that Yuki had brought Basara to on that day that he transferred to Hijirigasaka Academy. It was afternoon during the holiday period, so the inside of the store was quite crowded, and there was a queue at the ordering counter.

“—We’ll order, so you three can find a table first.”

As Basara told them that they’d handle the payment and bring the items back to the table, Mio chose blended coffee, while Maria chose a café latte and went into the back of the store to search for a vacant table where the five of them could sit down. Zest was the only one who didn’t seem to want Basara to handle the chore since he was her master, but she continued to follow Mio after convincing herself to accept Basara’s words as an order ‘Well, it’s the same as an order from Basara’. And so when Basara and Takigawa were left alone,

“I suppose the Moderates faction and Current Maou faction have made a decision on how to deal with you…”

“Yeah, I’ll be continuing with my surveillance role with agreement from both sides…however, this time, all of you are included, not just Naruse.”

They began to talk to each other without a care for the other customers around them. People — wouldn’t be interested in what others around them were talking about.

Things like overhearing a vital conversation only happened in movies, games and the like. It was something that didn’t really exist outside of fiction. There wasn’t anyone who would actually believe that Takigawa was a demon.

“Given that it was only yesterday…that was a very quick conclusion.”

It was just yesterday that the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction had their first high-level talks regarding peace in Wildart. It was the same day that Basara and the others had returned from the Demon Realm  — just yesterday. Then, as Takigawa advanced a spot in the queue while they waited to order

“What are you saying…it’s your fault that it turned out like this, Basacchi.”

“—Mine?”

Being told such a thing, Basara frowned. —He was unsure about whether to feel wary or not. When Basara fought against Leohart and unleashed his power, it was revealed to both the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction that the blood of a Demon Lord flowed through him. —However, he didn’t think that it was a problem for both sides. Even if the Current Demon Lord faction believed that it was a problem, the Moderates faction — Basara knew that Ramsas would move to suppress it. Then — why were both the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction cautious of Basara? As their turn came, Basara ordered drinks together with Takigawa from the store clerk. After finalising the payment together with Takigawa , they moved along to the collection counter.

“Could it be — during the talks, did they think that I was the one who did that to Belphegor?”

While waiting for their drinks to be ready, they continued their conversation. Before the decisive battle between the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, Basara had secretly assassinated Belphegor. The only person who actually knew how Basara did it was — Takigawa, who had lent him a hand with arranging the perfume and telling him the location of Belphegor’s playground. Of course, it was impossible to stop people from speculating about it. He had a feeling that Jin knew about it, as well as Leohart, based on how he had acted when they last met in Wildart. But — Basara didn’t leave behind any evidence that it was something that he did. As for Mio and the others, he had acted separately from them during the battle against Leohart’s group, but he explained that to them by saying that he had been testing the medicine that Sheera formulated. …Anyway, it was actually true that Basara tried Sheera’s medicine whilst he was acting on his own. The activation of his demon blood that he had inherited from his mother Sapphire was the trump card that he would’ve liked not to use if possible, considering the risks of its aftereffects. He had thus decided only to use it in a situation where he had been absolutely cornered. Given how close things would be, Basara chose not to recklessly proceed unless he had tested to confirm whether or not it worked. He had received several of the medication to activate his demonic blood from Sheera, as well as the drug to suppress it — since he had received the drug that could return him to his original form, Basara  tried it out beforehand. He had ensured that he would definitely be able to use it as a trump card, and then explained the circumstances to Mio and the others afterwards. The explanation was also effective with the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction. So even if he was suspected, it was something that could only remain as speculation. No matter how much Basara tried to confront Ramsas, he had no choice but to withdraw.

…Moreover, Jin wouldn’t go out of his way to put his own son Basara at risk by revealing such details, and as for Leohart, even if Basara was the one who eliminated Belphegor — he wouldn’t publicly admit that a member of the Moderates faction had done so. In order for the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction to advance their relations from a temporary truce to a military alliance, it was best for the truth to remain shrouded in darkness. It wasn’t just for Basara — for the Moderates faction and the Current Demon Lord faction, the truth behind Belphegor’s death was an inconvenient truth. It would be a different story if someone were to testify that it was Basara who did it, but Basara didn’t think Takigawa would do it, even though he was the only one who knew about the circumstances. If he outed that information, it could come to light that he himself had assisted Basara. Then

“Don’t worry…it doesn’t seem like the topic of Belphegor came up during the meeting, and I’m not so careless that I’d let it slip from my mouth.”

Takigawa said as he sent a chuckle towards Basara.

“It’s just — after that battle, I couldn’t escape from the suspicion of Leohart’s sister. She was rather insistent on getting me to tell her about the relationship between you and I.”

“———”

Basara took a deep breath as he listened to what Takigawa said. Basara had met Leohart’s older sister just once — he came face-to-face in the room where she had massacred all of the other Council members aside from Belphegor. He only learned that she was called Riara and that she was Leohart’s sister afterwards. Certainly — if it was her, then it wouldn’t be surprising if she was able to arrive at the truth behind Belphegor’s death. It was also a possible explanation as to how Leohart had suspected it being Basara’s work when he went to Wildart for the meeting. What he didn’t understand was

“Hey — what on earth is she?”

In the room after that horrific slaughter had been carried out, the tremendous aura that she exuded when she confronted Jin was superior even to that of the Demon God Chaos. That was already — no longer in the realm of a mere person. Then

“Who knows, I’m not sure about the details either…I wonder when she appeared.  In any case, because of the problem with her appearance, Riara-sama was unable to succeed the duke, and it seems Leohart was an orphan who was taken in and raised to be the successor.”

Takigawa added.

“It seems as though his parents gave a lot of their blood to Leohart via transfusions so that no suspicions were raised. Leohart was chosen from among many orphans, and they had also checked beforehand to confirm if the blood of his parents would cause any kind of rejection response. Even though those bastard parents of his only cared about maintaining their status, Leohart seemed happy when told this…because ‘it is as though me and my sister have truly become family’.”

And then

“Riara-sama dotes on Leohart as well…she demonstrated her full-powered aura, just like she did when she got rid of the Council members when she questioned me ‘Would you happen to the boy who killed Belphegor?’. I seriously thought I was going to die then.”

“And…what did you say, Takigawa?”

“That’s obvious…I dodged the matter about Belphegor, and I just confessed to her about my relationship with you to some extent, Basacchi. Stuff like you’re the son of Jin Toujou, you can use a special elimination technique, we had grilled meat together, and that we teamed up to get rid of Zolgear.”

“Huh? Was she convinced with your story? If it’s just information like that, then the Current Demon Lord faction would’ve already known about it.”

“Yeah. I think she probably already heard about it all from Leohart…but somehow, she seemed quite amused to hear about all of it.”

Takigawa continued.

“But I seriously felt scared when she said that she would’ve wanted to participate in the decisive battle if she knew that someone like you was going to be there, Basacchi.”

“…I agree. I’m glad that wasn’t the case.”

If it came down to fighting against Riara, Basara was unable to imagine himself being able to come out on top with his current strength. Even if he was able to effectively use the Gravity Slash which he had used against Leohart, he was completely unable to imagine himself defeating Riara. Just as Basara thought about how lucky he was to escape with his life intact

“Anyway, I wanted to get away from the Current Demon Lord faction, and Leohart offered me a mission to monitor you guys…so here I am after fleeing from there.”

Takigawa spoke in a seemingly honest manner as he received his own American coffee from the store clerk. And then Basara said with a bitter smile

“I see…I’m sorry for giving you all that trouble, Takigawa.”

After receiving his own drink, and the drinks for Mio and the others, he and Takigawa walked back over to the girls who had gone ahead to find seats first. Takigawa Yahiro went along with Basara to the table where Mio and the others were seated. As Basara handed the drinks over to them, Mio and the other girls thanked Basara as they received their cups. And then, when Takigawa and Basara eventually sat down next to each other, facing opposite the girls

“So — Lars, why are you here?”

Zest instantly gave him a cold glare as she asked him that. With a troubled look, Takigawa replied

“I’ve already told Bassachi the reason why…I don’t want to repeat the same thing twice, so you can just hear it from him at your leisure later.”

Even though Basara had been told, Mio and the others made up their minds that it was up to them to decide.

“…Is it something bad that you can’t tell us directly, or is there some kind of inconvenient secret that you’re hiding?”

Although Mio stared directly at him with a clear resolution, Takigawa simply shrugged his shoulders.

“Hey come on…can you not just hear it from Basacchi? I’m surprised that you can’t trust the words of your master even though you’re a servant under a Master-Servant contract.”

As he returned the provocation

“—Stop it, Takigawa.”

Basara quickly stopped Takigawa. If Mio thought that her own remark was an act of betrayal, then the aphrodisiac curse would activate. But

“Oh, well unfortunately…it’s not that I don’t trust Basara, I’m just worried.”

“Is that so…well that’s fine by me.”

In response to Mio’s question, Takigawa simply smiled as he answered.

…I see.

As expected, her attitude and thoughts only grew even more impudent than before. Given how she had difficulty acting honestly, she had made great progress compared to the time when she was originally overcome by the Master-Servant contract and collapsed at school.

“Having said that…even though it’s cute when girls worry in moderation, it’s just a heavy burden for men when women get too greedy and want to know everything.”

“Wha—…!”

As soon as he said that, Mio’s face became bright red in an instant, and Zest revealed a visibly discomforted expression. Seeing the girls like that, Takigawa sneered as he said

“And if you mistake the meaning of the word ‘worry’ for ‘shackling down’, then things will truly be over…you’d best be careful if you don’t want Basacchi to abandon you.”

“…………………………”

Upon hearing Takigawa’s advice, Mio and the others finally fell into silence as frustrated expressions painted their faces.

…Hmm?

All of a sudden, Takigawa noticed that Maria, who was sitting on the end, had remained silent the whole time. Takigawa and Maria had fought against each other as representatives for the Moderates faction and Current Demon Lord faction during the decisive battle in Lundvall. And at that time, Takigawa had defeated Maria. He had thought that she remained silent because she felt frustrated with herself and was overcome with regret that she had let down Basara and the others, but he was unable to feel any kind of hostility from her even though he was right in front of her. And so when he inquired about what they had been doing before, it was Basara who spoke up instead of Mio and the others this time.

“Hmmm…house hunting huh?”

Having heard about the situation, Takigawa snorted as he said

“So, in order to allocate one room per person, you want a house with a layout of 6LDK or more…as expected of a sixteen year old male, the way you surround yourself with five girls is certainly different.”

“No, the floor plan wasn’t exactly my decision…”

Basara said with a bitter expression.

“Having said that, you’ll probably find something if those are your conditions…but if you’re after something absurd like a bath that you can fit everyone in, then it’s a completely different story.”

And as he said that

“——!”

Maria perked up slightly in response.

“…………………………………………”

Basara and Mio also turned their faces away in embarrassment as an awkward silence drifted in the air. And so, Takigawa said with surprise

“Hey guys, it’s all well and good to be lively…but if you do it too much, then Basacchi might end up exhausting his balls, you know?”

“T-That’s—…”

As Mio let out a high-pitched voice with her bright red face, Basara calmed her down by quietly calling her name.

“Thank you, but I’ll be careful not to do so.”

As he said so, a wry smile floated onto his face. The way that Basara acted and expressed himself showed how he was different from Zolgear and Belphegor who only treated women like objects to be possessed. It was a glimpse of the quiet preparedness that he had to shoulder the existences and relationships of Mio and the others upon himself.

…I guess it’s related to the girls after all huh.

If he was going to continue cooperating with Basara in secret, since he was helpful to have around in case of an emergency, it was probably best for him to remain an ally of Basara. What they had between them wasn’t just some cheap friendship. It was a trust that had been born as collaborators where a single misstep at any moment could’ve jeopardised the other’s position. —Surely from now on, Takigawa and Basara would share secrets which no one else would know, and they would share secrets that no one else could know of. It was different from the Master-Servant relationship that Mio and the others had, it was more like the shared sins that they had would lead them to a common destiny. Therefore, Takigawa Yahiro spoke to Basara — his accomplice. With another wry smile on his face, he said

“In that case — I guess it’s good news that you have me keeping you company right now. As thanks for taking care of me, let me tell you the way to find a new residence.”

Part 8

After leaving the café and parting with Takigawa — Basara and the others went to visit a particular store. Situated in front of the station, it was a large remodelling store with a showroom. —Takigawa’s solution was to extend the existing Toujou residence. Their current house was a rental property, but Zest was good at earth-based magic. So by using her magic, they could restructure the soil and set up a basement. The problem of having an insufficient number of rooms would be resolved, and there wouldn’t even be any additional cost involved. When they asked Zest if it would be possible, she said that she could drill through any concrete and turn it into marble. It also seemed possible for her to build the floor and walls suitable for housing without any problems. Since that was the case, they could simply purchase some wood and wallpaper at a home centre for a DIY job to create the inner walls. Since the water pipes would be made of metal, which was also a mineral, it was still within Zest’s ability. With this kind of approach, there would be no need to move out of their current house, and by using their own hands, they could also create rooms which were closer to their ideals.

Since it was also impossible to notice any changes from the outside, there was almost no possibility of it being a problem. Even if they did move houses in the future, they could simply revert it back to how it originally was without causing any trouble for the owner. For Basara and the others right now, Takigawa’s plan was the best solution. Therefore, they told Yuki and Kurumi about it after returning home so that they could have a group discussion about what kind of basement it would be, before heading off to the renovation store to pick up the necessary materials. Although Zest was a specialist of earth-based magic, she wasn’t a professional designer. Even Basara and the others believed that seeking advice with a more accurate image in mind such as a renovation store would be more beneficial than looking at superficial designs on the net and discussing it. After receiving some information on the designs of basement expansions, Basara and the others decided to take a look around the store since they had gone to the trouble of coming here anyway. There were various exhibits throughout the showroom to demonstrate how an ideal lifestyle could be obtained through remodelling. With a two storey shop space, the layout consisted of various model rooms like those which could normally be found at a large furniture store. Just like the renovation shows on television, it seemed as though it was possible to change everything from the exterior to the interior. A total makeover could be done to make something seem like an entirely different house. There were also guests of various ages roaming the store, from young couples to entire families.

“Wow…it’s amazing.”

As expected, when the girls came to a place like this, they all seemed to enjoy themselves. Mio and the others looked at various kitchens, washbasins, and the like and their eyes glimmered as they imagined themselves in each of the situations. On the other hand, Zest seemed to feel rather happy about the fact that she had been entrusted with the expansion of the basement, and she began to look through various designs with a serious expression. Seeing the two of them act so pleasantly like that, Basara said

“…Maria?”

He suddenly noticed that the young Succubus who had come along with them was missing. As he looked around, he spotted her figure a slight distance away from the washbasin area where Basara and the others were located. Occupying the wall on the west and southwest side was a display area for houses which made an L-shape.

…That does remind me, I haven’t thought about the bath yet.

Thanks to Takigawa’s advice, the issue with the number of rooms had somewhat been resolved, but the bathroom that Maria wanted — especially the large bathtub that everyone could fit in, that still remained an issue. Nonetheless, modern bathrooms often had various different functions now, such as laundry drying. Such mechanical items were truly outside of the scope of Zest’s earth-based magic. Since they were planning to secretly expand into the basement without touching anything else, the bathroom would essentially remain the same as it was now. Since it was a rental property, there would eventually come a time when they would have to return it to the owner…therefore, they couldn’t modify the structure of the house itself. Of course, it was also possible to negotiate with the owner though.

“—Maria.”

As Basara called the name of the young Succubus, he began walking towards her. 

“………”

What Maria was looking at with craving eyes was an exhibit of leisure and resort facilities made by famous high-end manufacturers that were normally installed in luxury hotels and the like. They were enormous ones with jet-bath functions similar to those often seen in Hollywood movies whenever celebrities hosted a party. Considering the average size of houses in Japan, it was rather impossible for such things to be installed indoors. They had gone out of their way to demonstrate them as they were filled with hot water, most likely for the purpose of surprising customers and generating interest with the customers who would consider purchasing them. Aside from Basara and his group, there were several other customers who had stopped to take a look. Although the jet-bath functions were not switched on in order to save electricity, the sheer presence of the tub was rather powerful.

“It’s quite amazing, this thing…”

Whilst surprised by its overwhelming size, Basara stood next to Maria as he read the specification table that was posted on a stand to the side. He was even more surprised that it had close to fifty jet heads.

…A capacity of up to seven people huh…I see.

It completely satisfied Maria’s expectations. So

“—Did you want this?”

When Basara asked that

“………”

The young Succubus nodded and remained silent. 

Naruse Maria knew that what she was asking for was unreasonable. After all, Basara and Mio both shared the idea that they wanted to rely on the reward from the Moderates faction as little as possible, and the bath tub that Maria wanted was like the difference between a cheap and simple car versus a shiny brand new one that cost four times as much. Besides, the size was also around 2m per side, so it would be necessary to expand the bathroom itself if they were to install it in the Toujou residence. And if that happened, their costs would only increase further. …Moreover, the Toujou residence was currently being rented. Although it was still possible to negotiate with the owner about changing the current bath tub, an expansion of the bathroom itself was much more difficult. Such a proposal would also affect the adjacent rooms. That was why — it was impossible. And so, just as Maria was about to give up

“—Then let’s buy it then.”

However, Basara bluntly said that.

“Eh—…?”

Surprised, Maria looked up at Basara with a puzzled expression.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want it?”

He asked curiously.

“N-No…of course I want it.”

But, Maria continued

“A big bath like this in our house would be…”

“It’s impossible with our current bathroom, but with the structure of the basement that Zest is planning to construct, we’ll be able to do whatever we want.”

“Ah—…”

What he had said was true. She stood there stunned by the idea Basara mentioned, which she had not come up with.

“Although there are toilets on the first floor and second floor, it’s no good if there’s only one bath in the entire house…it’s not uncommon for a house to have two bathrooms, , especially given the number of people we have now. It wouldn’t be such a bad idea to build another bathroom just to reduce the waiting time.”

“B-But…there’s the issue of money.”

Maria’s expression clouded as she said that.

“Even if Zest does make a basement, it doesn’t mean we can just use it as is. We’ll have to buy a new bed, bedding, and other new furniture anyway, so it will cost money…we’ll have no choice but to use the reward money that we received from the Moderates faction.”

Basara continued

“I also have the savings that my old man earned, but unlike when we started living together with you and Mio, I was the one who made the decision to bring Zest along. Even though I got his permission for her to live with us, I can’t rely on him so much that I’d even spend his money.”

He continued

“It’s just…I try not to touch that money as much as possible.”

He then asked Maria

“Well, as with anything that’s a luxury, it’d not good to go overboard, but is this tub something that you absolutely want? I don’t think any of the others really disliked the idea…at the very least, I won’t oppose it.”

As he said that, Basara called Mio and Zest over.

“—What do you two think about it?”

Maria believed that Mio and Zest absolutely wouldn’t allow such selfishness on her part, but

“—If that’s what Maria wants, and Basara-sama allows it, then it should definitely be purchased.”

Zest immediately expressed her strong agreement to the proposal.

“Zest-san…”

Contrary to Maria’s surprised look, Zest revealed a calm smile.

“It’s fine…Yuki-san and Kurumi-san probably wouldn’t be opposed to it either.”

“—What do you think, Mio?”

“………”

Following Basara’s prompt, Mio only returned silence as she tried to delay her response

“Uh…umm…”

As Maria looked at Mio’s face, she became afraid that the silence had arisen out of anger.

“I believe that it’s an expensive bathtub, but when I think about it, our house isn’t exactly normal either…if everyone is in favour of buying it, then I won’t oppose it either. Also, if we have another bath, that could be helpful.”

As she said that, Mio smiled and exhaled.

“In the first place…if Maria absolutely wants it, we can’t afford not to buy it. After all, Maria has been the one who has worked the hardest in the house for us up until now.”

“Mio-sama…”

Maria had no words for Mio’s gentle tone. And then

“—See, didn’t I tell you it would be fine?”

Basara placed his hand on Maria’s shoulder to reassure her as he said that.

“Really…it’s not a waste of money?”

In response to her question

“It’s not just for you, it’s something that all of us will share.”

Basara said as he chuckled

“If it’ll make you happy — then it won’t be a waste of money.” 

Although Basara had smiled at Maria, she instantly got upset about it. The young Succubus suddenly began to cry.

“What’s wrong, Maria?”

Surprised at her sudden tears, Basara was compelled to ask her why that was

“Because…”

Maria sobbed in between her tears as she tried to speak.

“I’ve been able to stay together with everyone because I’ve been taking care of all of the housework up until now…but Zest-san did all of the cooking, cleaning and laundry. And even the problem of having insufficient rooms, Zest-san can solve it by building a basement…”

Therefore

“I was afraid…that if everyone continues to rely more and more on Zest-san, then I’ll become useless to everyone.”

Maria was in tears as she said that.

“…………”

“…………”

Basara and Mio simply looked at each other, and then revealed bitter smiles.

“Geez…you’re…”

As Basara sighed, he placed his hand on top of Maria’s head as Mio also smiled and said

“Really, you’re such an idiot…”

As she softly embraced Maria’s small body

“Mio-sama~…”

Maria continued to shed tears as she held on tightly to Mio. At the same time, Basara continued to gently stroke Maria’s small head.

“I was able to stay together with everyone because I was useful, just like how it’s always been my mission to protect Mio…but that’s already long over now. That problem and mission ended when we went the Demon Realm.”

Therefore

“From now on, it’s not about missions or responsibilities. We — we’re together because we want to be with each other.”

And then, Basara continued

“Even if Zest is doing the housework, it doesn’t mean that she’s trying to steal your position from you — that’s not the case, and she’s just doing her part to help out.”

That was the same thing that Basara had told Zest earlier this morning. As Zest revealed a bitter smile, she looked down as she said

“Yes…just as Basara-sama said, it’s because I’m at the bottom of this household.”

“No, I already told you Zest…you shouldn’t think like that.”

It was exactly the same as how Maria thought that she would be useless if she didn’t do any work. Basara didn’t hold back with his words.

“I’m sorry, Basara-sama…—nngh”

As soon as she apologised, Zest trembled and her body became limp. And then, just as she was about to collapse

“—Whoa!”

Basara quickly grabbed onto her waist to support her. A collar became visible on her neck.

“H-Hold on…no way?”

Mio was well aware of the meaning of that collar’s appearance.

“I-I’m sorry…I…the curse again…”

As she remained there, Zest’s eyes became moist as she spoke apologetically.

… I was weak huh.

It was a bad habit of Zest because she was too serious. Even when they formed the Master-Servant contract, and when she visited Basara’s room over her relationship with Kurumi, Zest had blamed herself in the same way to cause the curse to activate. Nonetheless, if this was pointed out to her, Zest would only feel guiltier, causing the aphrodisiac curse to become stronger. Therefore

“Zest, we’re going to live together from now on…there’s no need to panic, so let’s fix your habit of blaming yourself little by little, starting now.”

Basara gently admonished her.

“Maria, I want to relieve Zest…will you help me?”

“Eh…?”

From within Mio’s arms, Maria suddenly popped her face out.

“—At times like these, you’re the most reliable one, aren’t you?”

After he said that to her

“————!”

Despite the surprised look in her eyes, Maria rubbed both of her eyes with the back of her hands to wipe away her tears.

“Yes, please leave it to me, Basara-san!”

Although her eyes were still red from crying, she nodded as she showed a wide smile.

Part 9

“…—Then, I’ll set up the barrier.”

As Naruse Mio said that, she began to set erect a barrier within the store. As they could not afford to move Zest to another place while the curse was active, they decided to make it easier to do so in their current location. Even though the eyes of other customers could be tricked through the use of magic, the security cameras would still be able to record their actions. —In order to avoid this, Mio set up a magical barrier. This was the same kind of barrier as the one that had been used when they fought against the Hero clan in an urban area before. It duplicated the entire space and its conditions — the type which copied space. At the time, they had been able to copy an area that was several kilometres in width by using the spirit spear [Byakko] that belonged to Hayase Takashi as a medium, but this time they weren’t capable of that since it was just Mio. Nonetheless, Mio’s current strength had grown since that time, and it had become possible for her to replicate the entire surrounding area. Thus, when the barrier was erected, the figures of all of the other customers disappeared from their surroundings — to be precise, it was just the four of them who had been pulled into the barrier. And so, once when preparations were complete

“Thank you, Mio-sama…let’s begin then.”

As Maria said that, she took the initiative and they began the act of having Zest submit to Basara. It was certainly possible just to have Zest submit to Basara, but Mio also participated this time — of course, these were Maria’s instructions.

…It can’t be helped.

If she didn’t help, it would seem as though she didn’t agree that Zest was a comrade that they could live together with, and she didn’t simply want to watch as Basara made his move on Zest either. Moreover, even if she did move to another place that was some distance away from them, she would still be concerned about what Basara and Zest might be doing, and that would only serve to make her more worried. Mio herself even gave a reason for her participation in such a naughty act

“—Since we’re here, let’s use this tub.”

With Maria’s unhesitant instructions, Mio and the others were urged to undress. To set an example, Maria herself swiftly and joyfully took off her clothes.

“…………”

Even while Mio’s cheeks turned rosy red, the young Succubus continued to strip off her clothing. Once she had unhooked her bra and all that her figure was left with was her underwear, she looked towards Zest, whose body had been drained of its energy as a result of the curse, which meant that she was unable to remove her own clothing.

“…Don’t force yourself. I’ll take it off for you.”

“…Yes, please…Mio-sama.”

Her eyes filled with arousal, Zest became obedient to Mio. As Zest’s one-piece knit was taken off, it was clear that her body, which was under the influence of the aphrodisiac curse, was already aroused. The tips of her bountiful breasts had perked up, and her underwear was drenched in womanly honey. Droplets of that even streamed down from her crotch to her inner thigh, and when Mio saw the reaction of the woman who was exposed in front of her

“Fufu, Zest-san gets easily aroused huh…”

Having regained her usual energy, and after stripping down to just her underwear before anyone else, Maria had already taken out a video camera to start filming.

“Ah…aah…”

Having her lewd figure exposed, Zest rubbed her thighs together shyly as her face turned red with embarrassment and shame. When Zest acted like this, she actually seemed rather cute while her bra was removed.

“Come on Zest…let’s go to Basara together.”

As Basara invited them to take off his clothing, Zest returned a firm nod.

“…Yes…please excuse us, Basara-sama…”

“—Yeah, please go ahead.”

With Basara’s approval, Mio and Zest began to take Basara’s clothes off together. They took off the shirt on his upper body, followed by the T-shirt that he wore underneath it to reveal his toned chest — and after removing his belt and trousers, they were able to see that the shape of his body part which was already bulging with excitement underneath his black boxer shorts.

“……I’m taking it off okay.”

As Mio gulped, she and Zest both reached out

“You two — if you don’t mind, I’d like to capture an image of you using just your mouth to take it off, and not your hands.”

They received such an instruction from Maria.

“If we only use our mouths, then it’s like…”

If they followed through with something like that, it’d be as if they had become true sex slaves. If they did something like that, they wouldn’t be able to look Basara straight in the eyes.

…No, that’s not true…Basara is…

No matter how dirty Mio and the others became, Basara would surely still accept them. —When she was together with Yuki before, they had already once welcomed Basara home whilst acting like female dogs. At the time, Mio and Yuki licked Basara’s feet together whilst wearing lewd underwear. And now — the relationship between Mio and Basara had already progressed much further than it was at that time.

…Also

Mio glanced at the figure beside her. And then

“…Yes, I understand.”

With an intoxicated look in her eyes, Zest swiftly accepted Maria’s orders. As a maid, Zest had already made a pledge of absolutely obedience to Basara. As for Mio, she lagged behind Zest and Yuki in terms of obedience due to how she had difficulty in being honest. This had been the case since before the decisive battle with the Current Demon Lord faction due to her rigidness. —It was still incredibly embarrassing for her to do anything lewd. However, it was a fact that her feelings for Basara wouldn’t lose to anyone else — that was the truth of Naruse Mio. Yet, she couldn’t place her trust in him…the very instant that thought passed through her mind, she began to feel guilty about Basara.

“No…yaaaaahhh—”

This time, it was Mio who fell into a state of sexual desire due to the curse of the Master-Servant contract.

“Wha…Mio?”

As Mio collapsed onto her right thigh, Basara cried out in surprise.

“Oh dear me, it seems like Mio-sama was overthinking things…”

Maria giggled as if she was having fun.

“That’s no good though…having your curse activate all the time and then making Basara-san relieve you. Since this is a good opportunity, if you would like to be indulged by Basara-san, then you’ll need to pay the price — please remember to properly serve him first.”

“……Mmm.”

Whilst her entire body was affected by the sweet fever of arousal, Mio nodded with fervour. —The truth was that she wanted Basara to mess her up first. Her chest throbbed as it began to grow hot, and she was in the exact same state as Zest who was melting in her underwear. However, having her curse activate like that and then having Basara relieve her was something that Maria thought was even more amusing. Naruse Mio — had already decided to become Toujou Basara’s possession.

“Please excuse me, Basara-sama…”

As she said that, Zest drew her mouth closer to the waistband of Basara’s underwear.

…It’s my job to help relieve Zest….

She was not allowed to fall behind. Therefore

“Onii-chan…”

As if it was a necessity, Mio also brought her lips closer to Basara’s waist. And so the two of them lined up side by side in front of the waist of Basara’s underwear — they pinched the inner part of the waistband with their upper lips, and then gently used their teeth to hold it in their mouths as they began to slowly pull Basara’s underwear down. It was more difficult that they had imagined — since Basara’s shaft had already become so hard, it inevitably got stuck along the way. Whilst it wasn’t impossible for them to pull it off, it was more difficult for Mio and Zest because they were in a state of aphrodisia with reduced strength, and they slipped off Basara’s underwear. —But even so, Mio and Zest used only their mouths until the very end. Something that couldn’t be done alone could be accomplished by two people. Mio and Zest acted in coordination to gradually lower Basara’s underwear from his waist. And once it finally came down to his ankles, Basara moved his left leg and then his right leg through the holes to fully remove it.

…Ahh….

They were able to follow through with it until the end…filled with a sense of accomplishment, Mio trembled as she raised her face together with Zest. There — reality greeted them.

“…………”

A rigid object of unimaginable size looked down upon them with an absolute presence — as Mio and Zest looked up at it while on their knees, they were once again reminded of who they belonged to. And then

“—You did a good job.”

Basara expressed his acceptance of Mio and Zest’s act of removing his underwear with their mouths — and just as he petted their heads while praising them

“———”

Sitting on the floor of the shop like little girls, Mio and Zest both shuddered. At the same time — from their crotches, a slightly wet sound was heard.

…Eh…?

Whilst they were momentarily stunned, a small puddle of water had quickly spread underneath Mio and Zest’s crotches. No…it was a hot fluid that had wet the shop floor, not water. Just because Basara petted their heads, both Mio and Zest had secreted their womanly fluids. The sound that had been heard just earlier was the sound of Mio and Zest’s love juices vigorously pouring out through their wet underwear to reach the floor — before this realisation could touch their minds, Mio and Zest had already lost all reason. When they regained an awareness of themselves, Mio was in the giant bathtub that was filled with hot water, and together with Zest, they sandwiched Basara in between.

“Aahn…onii-chan…chuu, onii-chan…chu ♥”

As Mio stood in front of Basara, he used his left hand to grope her ass while he used his right hand to fondle her breasts and cause her to writhe in pleasure. But even still, she knotted her arms around his neck, and dreamily shared a deep kiss with him as they entwined their tongues around each other’s. Behind him, Zest said

“Basara-sama…mmm, how does that feel Basara-sama…♥”

Whilst pressing her large breasts against Basara’s back, she also reached towards the front with her hands to stroke Basara’s rod and make lewd noises. And then

“——…Ah!”

Just as Basara leaked out a groan, a vigorous hot liquid was splashed onto the area from Mio’s breasts, all the way down to her stomach. The sticky liquid that had been released on her was Basara’s semen. The cloudy-white liquid slowly trickled down and tickled her belly button. Rather than bask in that pleasure, Mio chose to serve the aroused Basara even further.

“Mmm…it’s my turn next ♥”

As she released her lips from Basara’s mouth, she let her tongue slide down his body — as she welcomed Basara’s shaft that was still hard into her mouth, she naturally began to suck on it and perform fellatio. She opened her mouth as far as she could to fully enclose Basara’s rod, and even with the residue of his pleasant ejaculation still on it, Basara’s hardened rod trembled on Mio’s tongue as a sign of his excitement.

…It feels good for Basara….

As she rolled her tongue to lick the underside of Basara’s shaft, she tried to look up so that she could gaze at the expression in his eyes. She wanted him to pat her head while she performed fellatio on him. However

“Basara-sama…chuu, fuu…chuu, haah…fuaaan ♥”

Zest had already closed Basara’s mouth with her own lips once Mio let him go, while Basara used both his left and right hands to caress Zest’s breasts and buttocks without restraint. Since both of his hands were already in use, he was unable to pet Mio’s head. Since that was the case…Mio decided to go back to sucking on Basara’s rod wholeheartedly. Using the saliva in her mouth as a lubricant, she narrowed her cheeks as she sucked on him and even began to deep throat him by moving her head back and forth. She intentionally made lewd noises as she serviced him with her mouth in order to emphasise her existence to him. Basara’s hips soon began to tremble as his cock gradually grew in size and became harder within Mio’s mouth. Mio knew that this was a precursor to a man’s climax. And so, Mio continued to give head as she prepared herself to receive everything that Basara would release in her mouth.

“—Mio-sama, it’s no good to enjoy things alone, you know?”

All of a sudden, she was rebuked by Maria who was filming her act of fellatio from the side. While she continued to suck on Basara’s rod, she glanced at her. And then

“I understand that you can’t bear to hold back on your love for Basara-san…but you should also try to share that happiness together with your fellow erotic servant, Zest-san.”

She said as she admonished her.

…Together with Zest….

As she contemplated over Maria’s words, Mio was able to vaguely remember, despite the pleasure affecting her mind that — although her own Master-Servant contract had activated on the way and caused her mind to become hazy, the original purpose of all of this was to relieve Zest. And Mio was here to help…Mio’s role was to assist Basara in relieving Zest. That was different from the ‘service’ that Mio had been so focused on giving Basara up until now. Especially — due to Zest’s involvement with Zolgear, her serious personality made it easy for her to feel indebted to Mio. As comrades who had entered into a Master-Servant contract with Basara, it was Mio’s role to help relieve Zest since she was technically the senior in the order.

“…………”

That was why Mio slowly removed her mouth from Basara’s dick.

“—Maria, what is a way for me to do it together with Zest?”

Although she was still in a state of aphrodisia herself, Mio supressed herself and asked Maria.

“Please leave it to me — I’ll definitely teach you a way where you can also participate properly, Mio-sama.”

As she said so, the young Succubus gently taught Mio what the ‘correct answer’ was. —The proposal that she whispered sweetly into Mio’s ear was like a devil’s whisper. Following that, Mio faithfully followed Maria’s instructions — which was why

“…Onii-chan, let me help you relieve Zest as well.”

After pleading like that, Naruse Mio told him about the method that Maria had taught her.

“Inside Zest’s underwear…can you insert it there, onii-chan?”

What Maria taught Mio was the same as what she and Basara had coincidentally done in the guest house bathroom in the Current Demon Lord faction’s Lundvall Castle to secretly deepen their relationship while everyone else was asleep that night. To Mio, it was a privilege that she actually wanted to keep all to herself.

…But.

She decided to share the joy that she alone felt at that time with Zest…in a sense, only that would allow Zest to truly share the same position as her. In response to the feelings that she harboured as she made that request, Basara responded with a single motion.

…Ah….

While he continued to kiss Zest — and even though he still used his left hand to fondle her bottom, he gently stroked Mio’s head with his other hand. Being praised by Basara — she felt happy. Trembling in joy from that, Mio moved her left hand towards Zest’s ass, and then slipped her index and middle finger obliquely into an opening near her crotch. In that instant

“———♥”

Whilst still kissing Basara, Zest’s hips quivered. The inside of Zest’s underwear was much hotter and wetter than the hot water in the bathtub — and as Mio spread her two fingers apart to make a gap, she used her right hand to gently usher along Basara’s shaft, leading it into the entrance to Zest’s underwear that she had made. And then

“—Put it in, onii-chan.”

As Mio said that, Basara pushed his waist forward at the same time.

“Ah…hah…fuuuuuuuuaaah ♥”

Before Mio’s eyes, Basara’s enormous and erect rod pushed into Zest’s underwear further and further. Invading from diagonally below — he didn’t push inside Zest herself, but it was Mio’s job to correct the angle so that the pleasure Zest received was maximised. And so, she controlled the position of their waists with both of her hands so that she could shift each of their body parts to rub each other. They sat at the edge of the bathtub face-to-face with each other as Zest and Basara’s crotches joined together.

“Take care with the angle…that’s good, I’ll make you feel good.”

As Mio said that, Basara began to thrust his rigid shaft like a piston. On top of that, he bit down on Zest’s weak point, her ears — and because of that

“~~~~~~Aaahh ——— ♥”

While having her ears bitten down on, Zest also felt the friction against the entrance to the mucous membrane that women were most sensitive to, which inevitably caused her to reach a grand climax as she shook her hips against Basara’s thighs even harder. However — even in this state, Mio still had something to do. Since Zest’s underwear was low-rise, every time Basara pierced forward with his waist, the tip of his enormous rod rose up from the top of her underwear. And with each successive thrust, Zest’s underwear began to slip down a little. So going behind Zest, she inserted her right hand into the same place where Basara’s rod was inserted…she slid her hand in through the opening to Zest’s underwear at her thigh. Mio then squeezed Basara’s rod within Zest’s underwear, and moved her other hand to stretch the waistband as far as she could — she had turned it into a pseudo-feminine hole to ensure that Basara could thrust as deep as he could to obtain the ultimate pleasure. This was also Maria’s idea. And then — interestingly, every time Basara thrust his hips in that state, Zest also climaxed at the same time. As Zest’s reactions increased Basara’s arousal even further, Basara’s rod began to grow even larger as it swelled up within Mio’s hand. And then, synchronising with Basara’s climax

“It’s alright Zest — be happy.”

On the opposite side to where Basara bit down on, Mio…chomped down sweetly on Zest’s right ear. In that instant

“———~~~~~~~~~~~~♥”

Zest reached an extreme climax — all while being embraced by Basara and Mio. 

Zest was then made to cum a countless number of times by Basara and Mio.

…Aah…♥

While her entire body burned with intense pleasure, she felt the back of her chest fill with comfortable warmth. As for the name of that sweet sensation, it was surely happiness. And feeling bad that she was the only one to receive it

“Please…Maria, please teach me as well.”

She pleaded.

“Of course…please be sure to return the favour to Mio-sama in full, Zest-san.”

As the young Succubus said that, she taught Zest how to share the happiness. Since Mio’s weak point were her breasts, Basara inserted his rod into her underwear from behind whilst she remained in a seated position, and at the same time, Zest inserted her right hand into Mio’s underwear to caress Basara’s cock. As Basara brought Mio’s face towards his so that they could entwine their tongues together, he also moved both his hands from Mio’s back to her breasts to fondle them.

“Mio-sama…chu…haah, chuu…”

Zest sucked on Mio’s erect nipples alternately to serve her.

“Fuaah ♥ haah…chuu, mmm…both of you, wait…that’s…aahn ♥ fu…chuu, rero…haah…chuu ♥”

Mio was the subject of much love, and showed a sensitive reaction as she climaxed several times. While Mio was in such an aroused state, Zest beckoned

“Maria…Maria, you too…”

She appealed to the young Succubus with whom she also wanted to share the happiness.

“Alright — the four of us will have fun together ♪ ”

Maria put the video camera down at the edge of the bathtub, and joined them unguarded. However — since Mio had already climaxed multiple times, and Zest was also sensually fired up

“Eh—…?”

It was too late when Maria realised and let out a yelp.

“Fufu, caught you…♥”

“It’s your turn now…”

Having lost her sense of reason, Mio and Zest captured Maria, and then repaid the young Succubus for teaching them how to share the happiness. The source of her power — they gave her a present of pleasure and arousal. And then

“H-Hold on just a moment everyone…c-c-calm down!”

Maria panicked as she flailed her arms about.

“Come…please go ahead, Basara-sama.”

“Onii-chan, insert it into Maria’s underwear.”

As Zest and Mio said that to him, they pulled Maria towards his thighs.

“…Then, just a little.”

After Basara revealed a slight, wry smile — he responded steadfastly to Zest and Mio’s requests.

Part 10

And then, the three of them all gave Maria plenty of pleasure. After everything that she had done up until now, they were able to witness an embarrassed side of her, and at the same time, since they had an opportunity to counterattack, Mio and the others caressed Maria’s entire body. Although Maria had a young figure, she belonged to the species known as Succubus, which meant that her body was even more sensitive than Mio and Zest’s. Even though she wasn’t in a state of aphrodisia unlike them, she still reached immense climaxes as Basara’s shaft rubbed against her opening. In that state, Mio fondled her small breasts from behind, causing the young Succubus’ nipples to become erect. And just as those nipples were rubbed by her fingertips

“…Aah, mmm…haah…yaah, ah — aaaaaahhh ♥”

She looked above Basara into the empty space as the euphoria in her eyes deepened. While she sat on top of Basara’s sturdy thighs, her entire lower body quivered lewdly as she secreted womanly fluids like a waterfall. The climax of the young Maria made Mio and the others feel immorally aroused.

…Maria, she’s so cute….

Mio gulped. Perhaps this was also a characteristic of the Succubus race….Zest didn’t seem like she could hold back either as she slipped her hand into Maria’s underwear to fondle her small ass, while the young Succubus with a girl-like figure arched her back as she repeatedly climaxed. So — with the intense pleasuring from Mio and the others, it was not long before Maria’s consciousness faded. They might have gone a bit overboard…but they themselves were always pleasured until they passed out as well, so they simply lay Maria down over the wide edge of the bathtub. —In truth, that should have been the end. Mio and Zest had both completely submitted to Basara. But — for some reason, the curse mark of the Master-Servant contract remained, and their aroused state didn’t subside. Rather, a more painful sensation than usual swelled up within their bodies.

“N-No…onii-chan, I…it’s too hot…haah”

“I’m sorry…me too, this is amazing…it’s my first time, aaah.”

Mio and Zest were attacked by a sensual eruption that they could not hold back. Their breasts had become enlarged because of how Basara conquered them so many times, and yet they still continued to have desires of Basara using both of his bands to assail their breasts even further. And so, they used their deep valleys to sandwich his hard rod on both the left and right sides.

“Haah…aah, amazing…yaaan ♥”

As they rubbed each other’s areolas and nipples together, the pleasure that Basara felt from that sensation caused his stiff object to grow even harder. Both of them were able to gain satisfaction from serving Basara at the same time, causing their reason to melt, and they became completely absorbed in their roles. Similarly, Basara’s arousal didn’t seem to dissipate either, and from that point on both Mio and Zest climaxed several times. Under such circumstances, Basara’s rod pulsated with an incredible amount of pent-up excitement

“…Ah, I’m coming!”

As he groaned out loud, Basara’s rod trembled with excitement in between Mio and Zest’s breasts — and in that instant

“…Onii-chan, kyaa ♥”

A vast amount of semen rocketed up like a fountain, and completely covered both Mio and Zest’s faces and chests obscenely with the cloudy-white liquid of desire. The cloudy-white liquid continued to overflow from the tip of Basara’s cock as it throbbed, and at the bottom of the valley that had been shaped by Zest and Mio’s breasts, a pool of cloudy-white liquid was formed.

“Ah…aah…amazing, it keeps getting hotter and hotter…♥”

“D-Don’t move…Zest, n-noo…♥”

No longer able to put up any resistance, Zest’s brown breasts bounced up and down whilst still covered in the juices of pleasure, and similarly, Mio also began to move in the same way.

“…Fufufufufu, that’s your punishment for getting caught up in the moment ♪ ”

Accompanied by a mischievous laugh, someone’s voice was heard. The young Succubus who was supposed to have fainted earlier propped her elbows on the edge of the bathtub and used her hands to support her chin as she looked at them with amusement and said

“A Succubus’ love juices are one of the strongest aphrodisiacs…it raises the level of arousal, while the desire to seek out pleasure increases proportionally, making it even more difficult to relieve the curse.”

As she said that, Maria used her right hand to reach over to a certain place. It was a switch to activate certain functions of the bathtub. As Mio saw and understood what Maria was about to do, she winced. Although the power hadn’t been switched on in the original space, the barrier that Mio had created was able to replicate the conditions of the original space. Naturally, electricity flowed from the electrical outlet. That was why — everything became inevitable from that point onwards.

“—Make sure to soak all the way up to your shoulders. I’ll turn this up this to a hundred.”

Whilst saying so with a smile, Maria switched on the jet-bath function of the tub.

Immediately — all fifty of the jet outlets injected a large amount of foam and bubbles into the tub. Both Mio and Zest’s entire bodies were still heavily affected by the aphrodisiac, and they had soaked in the bathtub in order to serve Basara with their breasts while he sat at the edge of the bathtub. There was nowhere for them to escape — so

[~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~♥]

Together, Mio and Zest were instantly drawn into a vortex of pleasure that transcended their fantasies. And then, just as Maria said, they climaxed numerous times as the water soaked all the way up to their shoulders.

Part 11

—And then. They waited for Mio and Zest’s consciousness to recover before dismantling the barrier and bringing their outing for the day to an end. After returning home, and having successfully gained the approval of Yuki and Kurumi to extend the house, Zest began to collect a variety of information from the net and the library by going there to read various things. Sometime after that…a basement had been constructed in the Toujou residence. —They had gained five new rooms as a result of utilising the space underneath the garden. There were two rooms for Maria and Zest, and also two for Jin. One of those rooms was used to store all of the camera equipment and materials that he used for work. Instead of sharing, the four rooms which were part of the original house now belonged to Basara, Mio, Yuki and Kurumi. And — the last room in the basement which had the largest size of them all was a master bedroom and bathroom. Since a promise was a promise, Basara and the others had bought the large jet-bath tub that Maria wanted from the remodelling store, on the condition that it would be used with care. The moving and installation work was scheduled to begin a few days after the payment was made, and once that was over, two double beds which had been purchased from another furniture store would be placed in there side-by-side. After everyone bathed, they could simply walk right over to the bed as they were. Naturally, this was also at the request of the Loli-Ero Succubus.

Chapter 3: Tell Me of the Night We Shared Alone

Part 1

When he got off the train, all that he could see was a town covered in the pure-white of snow. As Toujou Basara stood on the platform, he could feel the cold and clear morning air wrap around him. As he paused on the spot, he naturally looked up towards the empty sky.

…It feels a bit like the air of the <<Village>> in winter.

The place where Basara once lived was surely also covered in snow at this time. —However, there was a clear difference between where he was now, and the <<Village>>. There existed an air of liveliness around him from the footsteps and conversations of the many people who passed by. This was the fate of any famous sightseeing location. From the train that arrived at the station, there were a large number of tourists aside from Basara who descended onto the platform and made a crowd as they all headed towards the ticket gate. And, having stopped his movements amidst the flow of people, he was left standing there on the spot as if they had left him behind.

“—What’s wrong, Toujou? We should also get going.”

And then, ‘she’ took Toujou Basara’s left hand. Accompanied by her slightly upbeat voice, she exhaled a white breath which was clearer than the snow. She was the beautiful school nurse who had invited Basara to this place — Hasegawa Chisato. Seeing Hasegawa like that

“————”

Just like the other people who passed by her, Basara once again felt fascinated by her.

…She’s beautiful.

In preparation for the cold weather in this region, Hasegawa wore a white long-coat today, as well as a warm-looking mouton fur scarf that suited the image of a snow-covered region. Her appearance always seemed so refreshing no matter how many times he looked at her.

“Hm? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, no…I’m sorry. Let’s go.”

As she tilted her head slightly with a puzzled look on her face, Basara thought to himself about how Hasegawa seemed a bit different than usual today. As he quickly lowered his head in a panic, he began to walk towards the ticket gate along with Hasegawa.

Today was the Saturday of the third week of Janurary, and Toujou Basara had been invited to this place by Hasegawa.

—When Basara and the others returned from the Demon Realm, it was just a few days after the third trimester began. Although Maria and Zest told them that they could use magic to alter their teachers’ memories and records, Basara and the others refused since they had to refrain from such actions, lest the Hero Clan take notice of them. Whilst they were in the Demon Realm, they had used a mobile phone with the same special magic chip in the battery as Jin’s to contact the school. They informed the school that they ‘had troubles while travelling abroad, and would return home a bit late’. As a result, even though they went back to school a few days after the opening ceremony, there were fortunately no major problems with their teachers or classmates.

The exception was — the half-vampire Tachibana Nanao who knew about Basara’s circumstances, and became worried when told that they were returning late…upon his safe return to school, the caring Nanao greeted him teary-eyes. On the other hand, Takigawa, whom they recently saw in front of the station just the other day, had also recently returned to Hijirigasaka Academy. However, since he returned to the Demon Realm before the Sports Festival to infiltrate at a different time unlike Basara and the others, he had used magic to alter the teachers’ memories. It seemed as though he had also used that to clear away all of his winter homework so that that there wouldn’t be any issues with his academic progression. Nonetheless, since the memory alterations on the faculty members were restricted to the minimum amount necessary, it was the judgement of Yuki and Kurumi that the Hero Clan would not see it as a serious problem.

While they began to return to their normal everyday lives, Basara went to the nurse’s office…he went to visit Hasegawa. —Before he went to the Demon Realm, Basara had received some good advice from Hasegawa that he kept in mind during the trip. Her advice was not to become short-sighted and to try thinking flexibly — that was why Basara was able to see the big picture without getting caught up in the situation. He came up with a strategy to secretly take Belphegor out before the decisive battle with Leohart, and turned it into a reality. Therefore, since her advice had greatly helped him, Basara went to thank her in person. Hasegawa on the other hand suggested that if he felt a debt of gratitude to her, then it was possible for him to do her a favour in return.

[Say Toujou, let’s go to a hot-spring inn — just the two of us.]

She had said so with a sensual smile on her face. Ever since the Sports Festival which was held in autumn, Basara had started a special, secret relationship with Hasegawa. It was a forbidden relationship between a male student and a female teacher — it was a relationship between a man and a woman, with the only condition being that they could not cross the final line. Even before he left for the Demon Realm, Basara had been forcibly invited by Hasegawa after the Student Council party to visit her apartment bedroom. Hasegawa had been lonely during the entire winter vacation since she was unable to meet him, and he couldn’t possibly refuse when he was asked by her with such craving eyes — that was why Toujou Basara was currently in this place.

Part 2

The first place that Basara and Hasegawa went to after going through the station’s ticketing gates was the tourist information centre which was located on the station premises. They didn’t go there to ask for directions — it was so that they could drop off their luggage. As soon as they paid a thousand yen together to make it easier to walk around, Hasegawa immediately entwined her arms around his.

“After coming this far, you don’t have to worry about what everyone else thinks now…you don’t mind, right?”

She sweetly leaned her body against Basara’s arms. Almost immediately, Hasegawa’s sweet fragrance tickled his nostrils.

“N-No…of course not.”

Because there were many slopes in this area, Hasegawa wasn’t wearing her usual high-heels today, and instead wore low-heeled boots. Therefore, her eyes naturally gazed up at Basara from a slightly lower angle when she stood next to him and they looked at each other’s eyes. This instantly doubled Hasegawa’s allure. Basara nodded as he blushed, while Hasegawa seemed elated about the fact that they were acting like lovers. After they intertwined their fingers, they left the building — and headed out towards the front of the station.

“So, what are we going to do now, sensei?”

The region which flourished as a hot-spring town was approximately thirty minutes northeast by train from their current location. Of course, there were also some hot-spring accommodations within the vicinity of the station, but this particular neighbourhood was more famous for its sightseeing spots such as historic shrines, world heritage-listed temples, and its lookouts which provided majestic views of natural scenery. It was the first time that Basara had been here, but he knew about the kind of place this was. Since they had purposely dropped their luggage off, there was probably a certain place that Hasegawa wanted to go see. Basara had asked her that question as they stood in front of a roundabout.

“That’s right…there are several places that I want to visit with you, but before that…”

After saying that, Hasegawa tugged Basara’s arm as she lead him towards the right — into a souvenir store that was next to the station.

“First off, let’s tried the fried manju here. They seem to be rather famous and delicious.”

Hasegawa said with a smile. When he looked at it, he recalled that it had been introduced on a famous television program before, and one of its features was its easy-to-find location. Hasegawa handed over some small change to the female clerk who was selling them to buy one. And then

“Here, Toujou.”

The fried manju which was still piping hot in its white wrapping paper was brought towards Basara.

“Well, I’ll have a bite then.”

As Basara said that, he reached over to the fried manju with his hand. However, Hasegawa was a bit sulky as she said

“Idiot…open your mouth.”

She said as she peered up at him. He unconsciously gulped.

“—Or, would you rather I use my mouth?”

After being asked that, Basara decided to open his mouth, and Hasegawa’s hand brought the fried manju towards him. As he took a bite, the soft and fragrant scent came first, followed by the sweetness of the dough which had a bean-paste filling, while the outer layer which was made with soy milk and bean curd skin had a crispy texture.

“It’s delicious…!”

While Basara was impressed by the flavour which had been featured on television and in magazines…

“Fufu, you got some of it on you…”

Hasegawa said as she picked up the small piece which had gotten stuck to the edge of Basara’s lips with her fingers. She then brought it to her own lips instead and lightly kissed it before putting it into her mouth. Perhaps it was because they were away from the public eye and didn’t have to worry about being seen that she wanted to try acting like lovey-dovey couple today to see what it felt like. Then…Basara asked

“—Would you like me to feed you?”

As soon as those words were uttered from his mouth, Hasegawa’s expression filled with delight.

“Well then, please do…”

As she said that, she handed the fried manju over to Basara, and then drew her mouth close while holding the right side of her hair back. She bit into the same place that Basara had. After chewing for a bit and then swallowing, Hasegawa seductively licked her glossy lips and revealed a charming smile upon her face.

“Mmm…it certainly is delicious.”

Even though she simply took a bite of the manju, why did it seem so erotic? The faint colour of Hasegawa’s lipstick was left behind on the manju’s wrapping. Basara was slightly hesitant, as he was ashamed to feel shy about it, so he maintained a calm expression as he ate the rest of the fried manju. And then — Hasegawa suddenly kissed him.

“—?”

It wasn’t his cheek. It was a lip to lip kiss. Although Basara froze up in surprise, Hasegawa continued to kiss him passionately without any regard for the store staff and other customers. And then, Hasegawa gradually released his lips.

“W-What are you doing all of a sudden…?”

“Because your face seemed to say that an indirect kiss was nothing, I wanted to test if you’d be fine even if it was a direct kiss.”

“…It’s good you got an answer then.”

He was a student, and Hasegawa was a teacher. That was something which wouldn’t change. Even so, when it was just the two of them, sometimes it felt as though he had the initiative.

…No.

Most certainly, he was in the centre of Hasegawa’s palm and under her spell. In such a way, Basara was able to indulge in the temptation and appeal of an adult woman. It was something that Mio and the others lacked, and that was why when Basara was faced with Hasegawa, he had this uncontrollable urge to see how much he could get away with. This resulted in a sense of exhilaration and pleasure in testing how far he could go. However, no matter how reckless Basara became and no matter how unreasonable he acted, Hasegawa always forgave him with her usual sultry smile, and even responded to him with delight.

“—Well then, I suppose it’s time we go.”

Basara nodded in response to Hasegawa’s words — and they started to move. 

Their choice of transportation means were a bus, taxi, or even a rental car. When Basara asked what they would do, Hasegawa chose the taxi.

“Since modern cars have navigation systems, it’s rare for people to get lost nowadays, but it seems inevitable that the tourist spots will be crowded on weekends.”

Since they had limited time, there was nothing more valuable than a local driver well-versed in knowledge such as the nearest parking spot at a destination, or alternate routes to avoid traffic jams, or even dropping a customer off and waiting in another place. Such things couldn’t be found in guide books. Therefore

“If we can afford to do so, it’s best to reserve a taxi for a fixed period of time so that we can enjoy sightseeing without having to worry about various things.”

He had no objections to Hasegawa’s proposal. They rented a taxi which had stopped in front of the station until the evening, and thus Basara and Hasegawa began to travel around to various different tourist locations. They made use of the time in the morning to see natural scenery such as the lake to the west, and the large waterfall that was situated in the surrounding area. It was currently winter, and the lake surface stood at an altitude of over a thousand metres above sea level. The water surface rippled with the mountain wind that gusted down from the surrounding hills, and the tree branches beside the lake which became wet were completely frozen. The appearance of the area was like a fantasy scene resembling an ice chandelier. The taxi driver that they had hired was an old man, and when they told him where they wanted to visit during this season — he showed them how to arrive at a scenic spot perfect for today’s conditions.

“It’s so pretty…”

Hasegawa cuddled close to Basara as she murmured so, and as Basara followed the direction of her gaze, he forgot about the cold in the face of the beautiful scenery which spread out before his eyes.

“Would you like me to take a commemorative photo of you two?”

The driver said. He had probably helped to capture the memories of other lovers who had visited this area until now. Hasegawa glanced toward him as she said

“…Toujou, shall we indulge in the kind offer?”

“Of course, let’s take one.”

Basara had decided that to do whatever he could to indulge Hasegawa during this trip. When he agreed to it with a smile, Hasegawa gladly opened the camera app on her phone and handed it to the driver. She then walked over to Basara’s side.

“Thank you…Toujou.”

She whispered in a voice that only Basara could hear. So, in order to respond to those feelings of hers, Basara wrapped his arm around Hasegawa’s shoulder and pulled her closer to himself.

“——”

Hasegawa seemed momentarily surprised by his reaction, but she quickly became happy about it, and leaned in close towards his chest.

“—Alright, I’ll take it now.”

The two of them smiled in response to the driver’s call. And once the mobile phone was returned after the photo, Basara and Hasegawa couldn’t be seen as anything else but lovers in the photo.

“………”

“………”

The two of them gazed at the photo, and as they raised their faces from the screen, they realised how close they had gotten to each other. The picture was a reflection of reality. Therefore, when they looked at themselves objectively in the photo, they became even more conscious of each other than before. Moreover, the expression and atmosphere that the photograph captured of Basara and Hasegawa this time was wondrous — and so, the mood between Basara and Hasegawa changed after that point.

“Sensei…over here.”

“…Yes.”

Since they were away from their usual area, there was a low chance that they would be seen by any acquaintances, so Basara held Hasegawa’s waist in the back seat of the taxi, and they cuddled together. As a veteran of the profession who was able to read the mood, the driver refrained from interrupting them, and no longer talked about the scenery or different points of interest. He simply left those two alone in the back seat. And when they visited the large waterfall which was known as one of the three largest in Japan, the driver remained in the car to wait for them since there was an entry fee for the elevator to get up to the observatory. They walked over to the elevator hall after buying tickets from the reception counter, but there was a long queue in front of the two elevators since it was a weekend. As one elevator came down for a round trip, all of the people who had lined up just in front of them entered, filling it up to capacity…customers spilled out of the adjacent elevator as they had just returned from the observatory. Since there were no other customers behind them, it ended up being just the two of them in the elevator — Basara and Hasegawa. So — as soon as the elevator doors were closed by the staff

“Toujou…mmm, chuu.”

With moist eyes, Hasegawa kissed him, and Basara assertively ensnared his tongue with hers. Although they could be seen in the control room via the surveillance camera, they didn’t care. It would take sixty seconds for them to reach the observatory — and there would be a lot of tourists waiting at the observatory. Nonetheless, Basara held Hasegawa’s waist with his right hand, and used his left hand to lower the zipper on the front of her coat. And then, while he continued to kiss her, he unreservedly slipped his hand into Hasegawa’s clothing and began to fondle her breasts while Hasegawa joyfully twisted her hips.

“Aah…Toujou, chuu…haah, Toujou…mmm ♥”

She sought an even more passionate kiss from Basara. So when Basara poured plenty of his saliva into her mouth, Hasegawa gulped it all down with a lewd noise. They wanted to progress even further than that if possible. However, the elevator was almost about to arrive at the observatory.

“—Sensei, it’s almost time.”

“Mmm…I know, we’ll continue later.”

They understood. So as they reluctantly parted lips from each other, they got out of the elevator as if nothing had happened. —A huge waterfall could be seen from the observation deck, and it certainly lived up to its reputation of being one of the three largest. They looked out from the observation deck at the majesty of the large waterfall and the rapidly falling water from a height of around a hundred metres. As with the previous lake, this waterfall greeted them with a special appearance that could only be seen in winter. A myriad of smaller waterfalls were supposed to run side-by-side like the planks in a blind around the large waterfall — but they had frozen under the low winter temperature and spread like a bird’s wing. Basara was fascinated by the artistic form that nature had created with the beautiful blue ice.

“Umm~…excuse me, could you please take a photo for us?”

The voice of a young woman resounded suddenly as she and her female companion gazed at the waterfall from beside them. Although they appeared to have a selfie-stick for their mobile phones, it seemed as though it was too crowded for them to make use of it.

“Alright, I’ll take it — now.”

As Basara conveyed the timing to them, he pressed the shutter button on the screen. Just in case, he took a few pictures and made sure that they checked so that there weren’t any problems.

“Wow~ you’re a good photographer!”

“So true…it’s like you’re a professional photographer.”

As he was praised by the two women, Basara simply said “Thank you…” as he bowed lightly.

…They seem happy.

In addition to the joy of being able to see someone happy as a result of his actions, he felt pleased that he had been praised more than anything else, since it was in the same vein as his father who was a talented photographer. —Suddenly, Basara could feel words being traced on his back. Although he was wearing a coat, he could understand that the words written were ‘cheater’ and ‘idiot’. She was teasing him again…Basara thought, but as he turned around

…Huh….

But, Hasegawa was not smiling. She was glaring at him with a disapproving expression in her eyes.

“…………”

Her eyes were the same as on that Christmas night — in the elevator of Hasegawa’s apartment, when she had told him an unforgettable truth. It was a feeling named jealousy.

“——”

Basara immediately tried to think about where he had gone wrong, but he had already failed. The way she didn’t say anything but instead just stared up at him was rather cute…without regard for the other tourists in their surroundings, he was tempted by an urge to embrace Hasegawa and kiss her. But….

“Ah, sorry…if it’s okay with you, would you like me to take a photo of you two?”

As the woman said so apologetically, Hasegawa entwined her arm around Basara’s as if to assert her presence. After a photo of the two of them was taken with the waterfall as the backdrop and they looked at the beautiful sight of the winter waterfall once more, they got on an elevator to head back down to the ground. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t able to be alone on the way back down, and the elevator that they entered was crowded.

“—Sensei, over here.”

To prevent other men from touching Hasegawa, Basara guarded her.

“………”

Hasegawa moved and tightly embraced him in silence. And then

“Toujou…during this trip, you are mine.”

“…Yes, I’m sorry.”

Basara embraced her in return as he apologised to the somewhat sulky Hasegawa. When they arrived at the ground level and returned to the taxi, it was already lunch time. When Basara asked the driver for a store recommendation, he also listened to their desired schedule for the remainder of the afternoon and then took them to a popular soba restaurant that was known to both tourists and locals. —And so, from afternoon onwards, they explored the art that was crafted by human hands, rather than the art of nature. They went to see a shrine that was registered as a world heritage site.

Part 3

The place where they headed to was a world heritage site which was frequently visited by many tourists. Although taxis were permitted to enter the site which consisted of two shrines and a temple, Hasegawa requested that the car head over to the southeast side — they went around to the front entrance on foot, and crossed over a culturally significant vermillion bridge. And once all of their sightseeing was over, they planned to contact the driver by phone so that he could wait for them nearby. With that, they slowly began to walk around.

“——”

Although he had already been aware of it when the taxi drove to the lake, when they started crossing the bridge, the surrounding air felt clear and fresh again. Originally, the land around this area was a place where spiritual forces were said to be strong, a supposed ‘sanctuary’, but the spiritual density seemed even stronger now that they had come here. As Hasegawa walked beside him

“—Toujou, do you know about the difference between a shrine and a temple?”

“Well, I’ve heard about it once, but…”

As someone born into the Hero clan where some members borrowed power from the spirits or divine beasts, the minimum amount of necessary knowledge had been hammered into him from a young age. To put it into terms which were easier to understand, ‘a place with a torii is a shrine, and where graves are it is a temple’. Although they shared several commonalities, that was simply a rough ‘way to distinguish them’, rather than their actual differences. Therefore

“I have some knowledge about the various theories, but…to put it in rough terms, it is said that shrines belong to Shinto, temples belong to Buddhism, and a shrine is the place where gods reside.”

And then

“Although a temple houses Buddhist statues and the like, and it’s basically not where gods live, it’s more like a place for monks to train…it feels that way.”

Nonetheless, for the gods who bestowed their power upon the Hero clan in ancient times, it would also be incorrect to say that they lived in shrines across various parts of Japan. Of course, there were many spiritual beings in a shrine, and it was also a place where beings of worship could descend. However, they were ideological existences which were invisible to the eyes of human beings, though Basara and the others could somehow feel their presence. The existence of the gods who gave their ancestors power, and the existence of spiritual beings and divine beasts were ‘more humanlike’ or ‘more animal-like’. But those who were once exiled from the gods became demons. Considering them as pairs, it was easier to understand that their existences were closer to human. Nonetheless — among the Shinto gods, there were many human-like existences that appeared in Japanese myths and the like.

Some members of the Hero clan also revered weapons with the same name as a Shinto god, such as Yuki’s [Sakuya]. That was because its existence was rooted in mythology and religion, and many people throughout history had recognised it, thus it easily obtained spiritual power. In other words, the [Konohanasakuya-hime] of Japanese mythology was not exactly identical to the spirit [Sakuya] that dwelled in the sword which chose Yuki as its wielder. However, since it was akin to the origin of its existence, it wasn’t entirely unrelated either…having recognised a clan, there were still some practical problems. Although shrines might allow such spiritual existences to be felt, they also acted as a measure to preserve the spiritual beings so that they weren’t destroyed in battle again demons, stray devils, or disasters. The same also applied to temples. Although the common conception was that they were a place for monks to live as Basara mentioned to Hasegawa earlier, in most cases, they were actually important places involved with the terrain. Like shrines, they often played a role in protecting the land, and acted as a means to prevent ‘impurity’ and to protect the location. That was why when they fought against Takashi’s group who had the spirit spear [Byakko] — it was not in the forest or the mountains where there were few people, but within a boundary which replicated the space in front of the station.

It was similar to the Hero clans in other countries where they reconstructed the existences which appeared in myth and religion, and transferred that to the area of weapons and abilities for battle. They were also responsible for conserving churches, temples, ruins and the like in various places aside from their duties in fighting against demons. In essence, the gods who resided in the Divine Realm and rarely left created existences which could fight against demons in the human world by giving them the ability to recognise spiritual existences and energy which was impossible for ordinary humans. In other words, this was the Hero Clan which the gods had bestowed special abilities upon. Nevertheless, during the previous Great War, it was believed that there were also some gods who made an appearance before a limited number of Heroes. However, there had not been a single report of their appearance after the Great War ended. And so, after crossing the bridge and while climbing a flight of steps up the mountain towards the world heritage temple, Hasegawa suddenly asked as she walked ahead

“Then, since beings such as gods exist…but they don’t show up to help people and animals in this world when they suffer, what do you think, Toujou?”

Basara was unable to peek up her skirt from below since he followed closely behind her on the sloped path, and he was unable to see Hasegawa’s facial expression either. He could only try to infer what kind of expression she had based on the tone of her question. But even so

“Well…there are various theories about that too, but I think if such existences do exist, they must have various circumstances. We may not be aware of it, but I’m sure there have been many times when they’ve surely helped and protected us.”

That was Basara’s reasoning. He raised his face and looked at Hasegawa’s back as she continued to walk in front of him.

“There are also times when some people aren’t aware that others have helped them, right? So, even if they might be invisible…I’m sure that they’re watching over us and helping us without us noticing. It’s just like how the Hero Clan does things — they protect the world from demons and stray devils.”

“……Is that so?”

Hasegawa muttered in a low voice without looking back as she continued walking ahead.

“…Do you think that’s wrong?”

In response to her somewhat melancholic question, Basara seemed slightly worried as he said

“No, that’s not the case…it’s just that I thought you were thinking about something like that.”

As she reached the top of the stairs, Hasegawa turned around and revealed a gentle smile. Hasegawa’s expression was the same as usual — that prompted Basara to pat his chest in relief as he stood next to her again, and Hasegawa once more linked her arms with his. At the same time—

“——”

Hasegawa’s lips seemed to open and close slightly, but Basara was not able to hear what she said.

Part 4

Having reached the world heritage site, the first place that they chose to visit was the large shrine that a general who survived the Warring States period had dedicated to the gods for the sake of the unification of the country. It was a grand structure which had been designed with feng shui and yin yang in mind, but there were also many intricate engravings which depicted various animals and spiritual beasts. There were three famous monkeys and a sleeping cat, as well as a portrait of an enormous dragon painted on the ceiling of the shrine hall. There was also a string of hyoushigi which hung underneath it and produced a mysterious reverberation when struck. The two of them enjoyed their sightseeing side-by-side in the place which was a popular tourist destination. And then — the next place that they made their way to was the shrine which had been built next to it. As they approached the next shrine via a straight path which was lined with cedar trees, they passed through a torii before they arrived at the shrine which had an old history of over a thousand years. Basara and Hasegawa then cleansed their hands and mouths with water at the site.

“…Sorry, but please accompany me for a while.”

Upon being asked that, Basara nodded in acknowledgement. The main deity of this shrine was known as the ‘god who relinquished the land’. They were also famous for a story where they helped a white rabbit which was in pain.

…If I recall correctly, it had something to do with having many children.

There were various different theories, although the most prominent one was that he supposedly had as many as a hundred-and-eighty children between six goddesses who were his wives. The number six was a strange commonality that Basara shared with this male god. Although they weren’t his wives, he did have a deep bond with five people — Mio, Yuki, Maria, Kurumi and Zest. …And, if Hasegawa was also included, that would make it six people who had a deep relationship with him, which happened to be the same number as this male god. Nonetheless, in some other texts and theories, it was stated that he actually had seven wives, and there were also some books which stated that the number was even higher. It was well within reason that this commonality they shared had no particular meaning.

Aside from Basara and Hasegawa, there were many other tourists present, though most of them appeared to be women or couples. The male god was famous for being connected to many goddesses, and also said to command the lands of the world. This was why he was also revered as a god of marriage. Since Hasegawa enjoyed the feeling of being lovers with Basara, perhaps this was the reason why she wanted to visit this place with him. Basara then arrived at the main hall together with Hasegawa, where there were two cedar trees which stood together like a couple. This was where they prayed to the married trees. In terms of desires, there were many things that he wanted to wish for, however—

“—”

Hasegawa’s facial expression as she closed her eyes and held his hand was serious as far as he could tell, so he decided to wish for Hasegawa’s wish to come true. And — once they finished visiting that shrine, they encountered a certain group of people. There was a wedding ceremony. In this world heritage shrine, a solemn Shinto-style wedding ceremony was being held. A male priest and a shrine maiden led the groom who wore a decorated hakama, as well as the bride who wore a shiromuku. Following behind them were two pairs of men and women who seemed to be the parents. Hasegawa seemed entranced as she watched them, and she leaned her body against Basara’s as she uttered

“How enviable…”

There were many appropriate ways in which he could have responded to her. However, he did not want to say anything irresponsible to Hasegawa. Therefore

“…Indeed.”

Basara simply tightened his hold on Hasegawa’s waist just a little as he said that. As the two of them watched the wedding ceremony take place, it seemed as though the groom noticed them as he stared back.

[———]

The groom had completely turned his face toward them and looked like he was bewitched by Hasegawa. Noticing that, the bride sulkily pulled on the groom’s ear.

“—Well, since we’ve finished praying, should we move on?”

It was cruel that the groom was at fault simply for taking a careless look at Hasegawa. When Basara asked if she was ready to leave, Hasegawa seemed satisfied.

“Ah, you’re right…let’s go.”

After Basara nodded in response, they left the shrine. 

Afterwards, they made their way towards the other temples which were classified as important cultural assets, but they were unable to complete their tour as the opening times in winter were shorter. Thus, they gave up on seeing the rest and went back to the taxi which waited for them in the parking lot. They headed back towards the first lake that they visited. It wasn’t because they had forgotten anything. They went to visit a building which sat on the bank of the lake.

“This is an amazing place…”

Basara murmured as he marvelled at the scenery which he could see through the window of the taxi. After passing through the welcoming gate, the area which spread out in front of them had a land size of three-thousand tsubo. Built upon this site was an extremely luxurious inn which was run by a famous resort management company. In front of the entrance to the building, women in traditional Japanese clothing who seemed to be employees awaited them. As soon as the taxi which Basara and Hasegawa travelled came to a stop, they opened the rear car doors.

“—Welcome, we are pleased to see you even in this cold weather.”

Their actions and voices didn’t rest for even a moment as they immediately bowed. After paying and thanking the taxi driver for chauffeuring them around for the day, the female staff members guided them into the inn where they sat down at a sofa and table in the lobby. As soon as they sat down at the sofa, another woman brought them tea. It was an expensive-looking green tea set which was accompanied by a variety of colourful sweets. However, they hadn’t been brought there simply to have tea. As evidence of that, as soon as Basara and Hasegawa took a small sip of their tea—

“Welcome — sorry to interrupt your relaxation, but would you please be able to check-in?”

After saying that, the women presented a notebook with a leather cover and a fountain pen to Hasegawa. Hasegawa then elegantly wrote down her personal information. After Hasegawa finished filling out the required information and returned the notebook and pen, the woman respectfully bowed.

“Thank you very much. Now, we shall guide you to your room if you would like — this way please.”

After saying that, she invited them towards the back of the building. The quietness of the Japanese-style hall had a certain tranquillity about it, and only their footsteps could be heard as they slowly advanced over the tatami floor through the corridor. Soon, they reached a particular room. It was more spacious than the entire size of the Toujou residence, and the most luxurious suite in the entire inn. There were two Japanese-style rooms situated next to each other, along with a living room and two western-style bedrooms. There were also two wash areas, basins and toilets in the bathroom, which gave it the potential to accommodate up to six people at once. As they sat down at the Japanese-style chairs and cushions at the table, the lady who had guided them thus far poured them tea. She then placed a cup each in front of Basara and Hasegawa.

“Once again, we welcome your stay with us tonight. I am the proprietress of this inn.”

She said as she lowered her head with a deep bow while kneeling on the floor. As Basara looked at the proprietress, he thought

…It’s good that I got some experience in the Demon Realm before this.

Since Basara had received a similar level of hospitality in Wildart along with Mio and the others, he didn’t feel shaken by the luxurious rooms or the generous hospitality of the proprietress. Sitting calmly across the table from him, Hasegawa asked

“And our luggage that we sent ahead of time?”

“Yes. We received them earlier and they have been placed over there.”

The proprietress pointed towards the living room where they could see the luggage that they dropped off at the train station earlier. What the two of them paid for was not simply luggage storage — it also included a delivery service that could send their luggage to their accommodation. Indeed — this wasn’t simply a day trip. Basara and Hasegawa would be staying overnight at this inn.

“Umm…if you don’t mind me asking, is today an anniversary or a special occasion?”

“Yes. Please do allow us to treat it like one.”

After Hasegawa answered the proprietress’ polite question, she took out a small envelope from her handbag with a smile. It was most likely a gift envelope containing a tip. As soon as the proprietress noticed, she said

“No…I cannot receive something like that. The service of our inn is covered for by our accommodation fees, and we have already received more than enough from you, Hasegawa-sama.”

“This is separate from that. If you are confident in your services, then it should not be a problem. And, so long as you provide the best hospitality that you can, then it’s fine.”

When Hasegawa put it gently in that way, the proprietress conceded.

“…Then, I gratefully receive it.”

She said as she received it. After putting the envelope away into her pocket, her expression became serious again.

“Now then…as I mentioned earlier, I will do my utmost to provide our best service.”

The proprietress said as she began to explain the various facilities available at the inn.

“—Please feel free to make use of our facilities.”

After lowering her head towards the floor with her hands placed in front of her once again, she quietly exited the room. Thus

“Phew…”

Basara finally let out a deep sigh as he looked across the room. Not only was it spacious, but it also had a gorgeous view of the lake at sunset which could be seen through the window. That was why he thought

…I’d like to bring them here someday.

He suddenly thought about Mio and the others whom he had left behind at home. —When Basara told them about the fact that he would be staying overnight, as expected, Mio and the others seemed reluctant. It wasn’t because he had told them about Hasegawa. In the first place, his relationship with Hasegawa was a secret from them. He had told them that he would be spending a night away in order to take a rest from the fierce battles in the Demon Realm. Mio and the others were purely worried about his safety since he would be alone. From their perspective, they probably wondered about the reason why they couldn’t accompany him. However — Mio and the others didn’t say anything, and simply saw Basara off. The things that Takigawa said when they met in town the other day “And if you mistake the meaning of the word ‘worry’ for ‘shackling down’, he might abandon you” was probably stuck in their hearts. Although they could find each other’s locations using the Master-Servant contract in case of an emergency, Mio, Yuki and Zest hadn’t covertly done anything like following him. Although he did not have a Master-Servant contract with Maria and Kurumi — Basara was currently capable of discerning their locations as well.

…It’s all thanks to Sheera-san.

Basara dropped his gaze to the mobile phone which he had taken out of his pocket. Just like how Mio and the others were worried about Basara — Basara also cared for them and worried about them. Sheera understood his feelings, and among the souvenirs that she gave Basara back when they parted, one of them was a special chip that could track the magical energy of Maria and the dark elemental that Kurumi had received. Once inserted into a mobile phone, it became possible to track the two of them like points on a GPS. Currently, those five girls were definitely in Tokyo. Basara was able to confirm that with the GPS on his phone, and they were also able to grasp his location via the Master-Servant contract. In fact, he had also sent them a few emails whilst he was with Hasegawa. Since Mio and the others knew what his location was, and they also had correspondence from him, they probably weren’t worried. That was what Basara thought.

“—Even when you’re with me, you’re thinking about other women?”

Hasegawa playfully said as she leaned over the table.

“You spent a number of nights overseas with Naruse and the others over the winter vacation. During that time, I was thinking about you, all alone. Of course, I don’t mind if you contact Naruse and the others to give them some assurance while you’re staying with me like this…but you should otherwise think only about me.”

In response to her graceful and sensual smile, Basara simply said ‘yes’ as he nodded. And just as he was told — he thought only about Hasegawa during the time that he was with her.

Part 5

There was still some time until dinner. That was why Basara and Hasegawa decided to head into the hot springs first. Although there was a traditional cypress wood bathtub in their room, the large public open-air bath was the true highlight of the inn. Although there were yukatas in their room, the proprietress had mentioned to them that some had also been prepared in the changing rooms of the large public bath, so they left the room as they were. Because the building was so spacious and vast, the hallways were shrouded in a calm silence.

“—Alright, I’ll see you later.”

“Yes…”

As they said that, Basara and Hasegawa walked towards the male and female baths separately. And so, Basara proceeded through the curtains to the male bath where he took his clothes off in the changing room, and put them into a locker. He attached the wristband with the key to his wrist, and then opened the door to step into the large public bath.

“…This is amazing.”

He spoke aloud to himself. White steam drifted above the entire hot spring bath, and it was so spacious that he gazed it the space in admiration. Although the size of this bath alone was already magnificent, there was supposedly also an open-air bath. Basara had the male bath all to himself.

…It’s this empty even on a weekend.

It did seem like a rather luxurious inn, and that was likely why there were few people who stayed here. Or perhaps, people who stayed at such inns preferred to use their private baths instead of the public one. While such thoughts crossed Basara’s mind within the large Japanese-style bath, he sat down on a stool in the washing area close to the wall to wash his body down first. Suddenly — someone’s presence could be felt from the changing room. Apparently, there seemed to be other customers who also wanted to enjoy the large public bath aside from Basara. Basara stroked his chest in relief as he continued to wash his body, but that customer came into the bathing area shortly afterwards. It was Hasegawa.

“Eh—…?”

He couldn’t help but leak an exclamation of surprise. The person with a towel wrapped around her head to keep her hair together, and with a bath towel around her body was undoubtedly Hasegawa Chisato. Upon finding Basara in the washing area, she said

“Did you wait long, Toujou…?”

With a smile on her face, she approached him while treading across the hot water which had spilled onto the floor.

“W-What are you doing, sensei!? What if other customers come in—”

Basara had sensed that Hasegawa looked forward to bathing with him, but he did not think that she would go so far as to follow through with it in the large public bath, rather than the private one in their room. He was glad about her feelings, but there was a serious risk that her bare skin could be exposed to the eyes of other men. However

“Don’t worry. No one else will come in — no other customers, and of course, not the staff either.”

Hasegawa swiftly declared.

“I’ve reserved this place, for both today and tomorrow.”

“This large public bath?”

Could she have done that? — Basara wondered.

“No…this inn.”

Without hesitation, Hasegawa let that response slip from her mouth.

…Now that I think about it.

It wasn’t just the changing room or the large public bath. Ever since he set foot in this inn, he hadn’t seen any other customers at all. Moreover, before the proprietress left their room, she had said things like — “Please feel free”. Normally, it should have been along the lines of “Please take your time”, or “At your leisure”. —However, the proprietress permitted this ‘freedom’. When Hasegawa tried to give her a tip, she said “we have already received more than enough”. Perhaps that wasn’t just out of politeness and humility to a customer.

…Seriously?

Just how much did it cost to completely reserve a luxury inn for the weekend? As Hasegawa stood before Basara’s eyes, she undid the knot on her bath towel to reveal her nude body. She then sat down in the stool next to his and began to use hot water from the shower to wash her body down. Basara had bathed with Hasegawa and did various other things with her after having a delicious meal prior to the Sports Festival, and there was also that time when he was indulged in her bedroom on Christmas night. Being reminded of those occasions, Basara reacted involuntarily. And then, Hasegawa noticed his condition.

“…Fufu, you’re certainly fast.”

“No, this is…”

Basara’s words got jumbled up as he spoke while narrowing his eyes in delight. Hasegawa opened the bottle cap of the body soap and slathered the contents onto her own chest. And then, once the liquid overflowed and trickled down from the valley of her breasts, she rubbed her breasts together with her hands, and her nipples also began to grow erect. As he understood what Hasegawa was doing, Basara called out to her

“S-Sensei…”

“If that doesn’t go down, then we won’t be able to have dinner…so leave it to me.”

Hasegawa then revealed a seductive smile as she circled around behind him. She pushed her large breasts which were covered in foam against Basara’s back, and she stretched both of her hands around towards the front of Basara’s body. There was still plenty of body wash left on her hands. The next moment — Toujou Basara’s erect rod was in the custody of Hasegawa’s hands.

“Incredible…you’ve gotten bigger again. Toujou…mmm.”

While sliding her foamy breasts against his back, Hasegawa squeezed and stroked his cock with lewd movements, and it was clear that they were both feeling aroused. The truth was

“…During the winter vacation, various things happened…”

Thanks to the effects of the tonic that Sheera had given him in the Demon Realm, perhaps that was why Basara had grown bigger there. As Hasegawa serviced him lewdly with her hands, Basara leaked a pleasant moan.

“Is that so…then, I’ll be sure to make it plenty big tonight.”

Hasegawa giggled as she said so, and accelerated the motion of her hands.

“Uh…ah……!”

As Basara’s sensation of pleasure increased, he channelled strength towards his lower half.

“You don’t have to hold back…release yourself, and enjoy it.”

Hasegawa whispered into his ear with hot breath, and she heightened the intensity of her hand movements — that was why Basara allowed himself to be indulged by Hasegawa’s words. He unleashed the torrent of pleasure that he had been holding back into her hands. Not all of it could be contained by Hasegawa’s hands, and the cloudy white liquid from Basara spurted onto the upper half of the tall mirror in front of him. As a result, Hasegawa’s face which was reflected in the mirror was dirtied by the white liquid, and her hands which had been holding onto Basara’s rod tightly became gentle.

“Hmm…fufu, you certainly came a lot…”

Hasegawa giggled as she seemed satisfied with it. Perhaps out of regret that he had done that with her, Basara gently glanced behind to try and understand what her intentions were.

“The expression on your face…it’s still before dinner.”

Although she chastised him like that, Hasegawa seemed to have forgiven Basara. Therefore, when Basara reached towards Hasegawa’s breasts with his hands and gently fondled them

“Aahn…♥”

A sweet moan instantly leaked out from her mouth. In response to Hasegawa, Basara said

“…Isn’t this all because of you, sensei?”

Basara then lewdly moved his hands, and squeezed the tips of her pale pink nipples.

“——Fuaan.”

Hasegawa was so sensitive that her body trembled just because of that — Hasegawa’s reaction further heightened Basara’s excitement, and he put his arms around her waist to bring her body closer to himself.

“Before dinner…let’s both climax once.”

Held in his arms, Hasegawa seductively responded to his proposal with

“—I understand.”

As soon as she replied to Basara with a nod, he fully immersed himself in the sensation of her breasts and buttocks. Whilst he massaged her breasts and butt at the same time with both his hands, Hasegawa’s pleasure instantly increased, having already become aroused by servicing Basara earlier — she gradually began to move her hips with lewd motions, and Basara sucked on Hasegawa’s nipples, causing her to climax lightly. While she tightly embraced him, Hasegawa’s sweet moan echoed within the bath — and once her sensation of climax subsided, she gazed straight into his eyes.

“Haa…Toujou…mmm, chuu…♥”

She kissed him as her eyes wandered into delirium. In response to that, and before he even realised, Basara had pushed Hasegawa down onto the floor of the large public bath — they lustfully entangled their legs together, and dreamily became infatuated with each other.

Part 6

Ultimately — even though it was only supposed to be once each it ended up being three times each. Somehow realising that any more than that would have been bad, they managed to calm their raging excitement, and they changed back into yukatas in the changing room so that they could return to their room. Hasegawa had tied her hair up when she put on the yukata, and her skin was flushed from the pleasure of the bath while the nape of her neck was stained with a cherry-blossom colour.

…This is bad.

Basara had become incredibly aroused by her sex appeal, and he shook his head as his desperately tried to calm himself down. And, when they arrived back at their room, they were just in time for the dinner that had been prepared for them. On top of the large table, a variety of tasty-looking dishes were lined up. There was a pot of shabu-shabu oysters, assorted horse sashimi, and steamed turtle in an earthenware pot. An ordinary man would be somewhat taken aback by such a menu, however, the loli-ero succubus who was in charge of the Toujou residence’s kitchen had made many similar dishes, and so Basara wasn’t particularly concerned.

“It’s quite luxurious…”

“We are humbled by your words…the chef of this inn did his best to create this.”

As one of the staff members who acted as a waitress said so with a polite tone, she slowly bowed to them.

“However, I apologise for how unsightly it looks on the table…”

And then she apologised. There were a large number of dishes laid out on the table, and just as she said, the table surface did seem somewhat tightly-packed. Hasegawa shook her head lightly as she replied

“I don’t mind…even though you don’t offer room service, you’ve already fulfilled my impossible request.”

On the contrary, it seemed as though Hasegawa chose to have this kind of high-class kaiseki cuisine delivered together with the next course, which was western-style so as to cherish the time between just the two of them. —And so, the complete meal was ready shortly afterwards. Although the dishes had originally been placed so that they could be eaten face-to-face, they were arranged so that they sat side-by-side at Hasegawa’s request. When Basara inquired about her intentions, Hasegawa simply whispered sweetly into his ear

“It’s easier to eat with each other if our bodies are closer, right?”

After the staff finished the preparations for their meal, they bowed and retreated, allowing Basara and Hasegawa to begin their meal. As expected of a luxurious inn — all of the ingredients were first-class, and their work was both diligent and precise. The taste was elegant, and it was also delicious on Basara’s tongue. Although they were aware that it was poor etiquette to do so, they fed each other and poured sake for each other, just as Hasegawa wanted, and that made her truly happy…she intentionally flirted with him using her breasts, demanded a kiss from him in the middle, and she seemed pleased when Basara responded in kind. Hasegawa’s expression conveyed pure joy. After they finished their meal, Basara sat on the western-style sofa, with Hasegawa on his lap while he held her waist from behind as they took a break. As they gazed at the scenery outside the window, Hasegawa leaned in and left her body in his care.

“What would you like to do after this? Would you like to use the cypress wooden bath in our room, the large public bath again…or would you like to try the women’s bath this time?”

She asked him as she looked over her shoulder — therefore

“Sensei…before that, there’s something that I want to ask.”

“Yes, what is it?”

In good spirits, Hasegawa prompted him to continue. 

“Yes — sensei, I want you to tell me what you know about my birth.”

With a calm voice — Toujou Basara broached the topic that he had kept silent on all day. However, Hasegawa maintained her smile. She simply narrowed her eyes slightly.

“—While you were over there, did Jin tell you something about me?”

That was all she asked. So in response, Basara shook his head slightly.

“No. When I met my old man again in the Demon Realm, I learned from him that my mother was the younger sister of the former Demon Lord Wilbert. And, the fact that I also have another mother aside from her.”

“If that’s all you’ve heard, then how did you arrive at the conclusion to ask me about it?”

The tone of Hasegawa’s voice didn’t deny it, which meant that it was the truth.

“In order to fulfil my purpose in the Demon Realm, I had to compete against people who were much stronger than me…that’s why I asked a succubus to create a drug for me, so that I could activate the demon blood which flows through me.”

And then

“When I drank it, a part of Brynhildr’s memories flowed into me. I guess it’s because of the evil spirit that possesses the demonic sword. When I activated my demon blood, my synchronisation with the demonic sword Brynhildr was enhanced.”

That was when Toujou Basara found out.

“The reason why demonic swords and spirit swords can possess a user is because of the link that is made when one is chosen by the spirit or divine beast that resides in the weapon. But, the way that I became the wielder of Brynhildr is totally different to how Yuki was chosen by Sakuya.”

Because he saw that tragedy from Brynhildr’s point of view, he understood.

“At the time of the tragedy five years ago…my power went out of control, and I erased everything in my surroundings except for Yuki and Brynhildr. But, I was only trying to protect Yuki at that time, and I couldn’t afford to protect Brynhildr as well. Even so, Brynhildr remained without disappearing because it escaped inside me. And from then on, Brynhildr has continued to live on, inside me.”

And, on the day of the Sports Festival.

“Ever since I met Mio and the others, my life has been in danger when I’ve fought in battle several times, but at that time — when I was defeated by Sakazaki, I temporarily drifted to the boundary of death. If I died as the host, then Brynhildr also would have disappeared. Brynhildr instinctively realised that it was a crucial situation that posed a threat to its own existence, so it manifested when I lost consciousness, and defeated Sakazaki with my body and power…and so—”

“I see…”

Once she heard Basara’s words, Hasegawa muttered as if she finally realised.

“When I stopped Brynhildr who had taken over your body and went out of control — you found out about the conversation I had with Ornis while you were unconscious.”

It was that time when Brynhildr took control of Basara’s body, and used it to overwhelm and attempt to kill Sakazaki. Hasegawa had restrained both Basara’s body and Brynhildr’s rampage. At the time — Basara was still unconscious, but—

…Even though Brynhildr was restrained, it still remained in a conscious state.

In order to return safely from the Demon Realm, Basara had intended to become stronger by synchronising with Brynhildr further so that he could master its strength.

“Rather than Jin telling you, to think that it would be Brynhildr…”

Sakazaki revealed his identity as Ornis and tried to kill him. That was why Hasegawa didn’t hesitate to use her form and power as one of the Ten Gods, Afureia, to destroy Ornis. Basara wasn’t aware of the exact circumstances or situation of her conversation with Ornis, and most of what he understood was mere fragments. But, having been born and raised as a member of the Hero Clan, he undoubtedly knew of the meaning and existence of the divine race and the Ten Gods. …Moreover, after learning from Jin in the Demon Realm that he had two mothers, he was able to derive the truth by gathering the various pieces of information together. And Basara noticed — the door to reach the truth, as well as its key, lay with Hasegawa. As Hasegawa sighed and slowly blinked, her demeanour and facial expression turned into that of a bitter smile. She could no longer deceive him — so, Hasegawa Chisato slowly began to speak.

“…I made a promise to Jin. Aside from if he told you himself, if you found out on your own, then it was up to my discretion on whether or not to tell you the truth. But, knowing how much you adore and respect your father, even if you did find a way to find out more of the truth beyond what you heard from him, I didn’t think you’d pursue it…what made you change your mind to ask for my support?”

“Indeed…certainly, if I was still the same as I was a while ago, I would have accepted my father’s decisions unconditionally, and wouldn’t do anything unnecessary.”

However, Basara continued

“But right now, I have something that I want to protect…something that I absolutely cannot give up. Of course, I may never be able to surpass my father when it comes to battle. But, I don’t want to remain an existence who’s always just protected by his father. —So, please tell me.”

That was Basara’s way, and his determined words to leave the protection of his father.

“—As a woman who is precious to me, I want to know what your raison d’etre is, sensei.”

And so he asked again. Therefore

“……How much did Jin tell you?”

“During the previous Great War against the demon race, he and mother — he met Wilbert’s younger sister on the battlefield.”

Up until that point, Jin’s words could be trusted. So, Hasegawa turned towards the front as she began to talk about the details that Basara wanted to hear about.

“This is a story that I heard, but…one of your two mothers is a demon woman named Sapphire. She was an excellent commander who led troops on the battlefield. Among those who fought on the frontlines during the Great War, she was one of the best when it came to battle.”

That also meant that she had killed many of those from the Hero Clan, but Hasegawa didn’t mention that.

“I guess she had a strong sense of responsibility…late in the war, I heard that she volunteered for a vital role when Wilbert began marching his troops in the Demon Realm.”

That was how — their fateful encounter was born.

“Around that time, Jin and his comrades had been pursuing and launching attacks on the demons…Jin and her had already encountered each other on the battlefield before that, and they had already fought against each other several times already.”

“Several times…that means—”

“Yes. It seems that as the younger sister of Wilbert who was called the strongest Demon Lord, she had the ability to fight on equal footing against Jin. And this time, she wanted to quickly withdraw her subordinates from the area while Jin wanted to avoid the risk of harm to his comrades, so it soon became a one-on-one fight. There were no other heroes or demons who could have stopped them.”

Hasegawa then changed her tone.

“However…as the two of them began to fight on the battlefield, there was one person who joined to stop both of them.”

After taking a breath, she said ‘her’ name.

“That other person was the one who would eventually become your other mother, my cousin — Raphaeline.”

She was a goddess who had previously been dispatched from the Divine Realm to watch over the Great War between the Hero Clan and the demon race. Raphaeline had become one of the Ten Gods before Hasegawa.

“The holy sword Balmung that Jin used during the Great War was something that Raphaeline had secretly given to him after observing and evaluating him….”

However, while she lent power to the Hero Clan, Raphaeline loved peace, and she looked favourably upon Wilbert’s decision to bring his army in to create a truce — therefore, she also intervened in the battle between Sapphire and Jin. However

“They were in an abnormally tense state due to the battle, and because they saw Raphaeline as a nuisance, Jin and Sapphire-dono attacked her separately.”

Although Raphaeline first attempted to persuade them, she gradually became emotional towards both of them.

“—Before they realised, it had become a three-way battle.”

Hasegawa bitterly smiled. Jin was touted as a God of War, Sapphire was able to fight evenly against him, and even one of the Ten Gods, Raphaeline, had joined their clash. The shockwaves generated by the all-out clash between the three parties was tremendous, resulting in a huge dimensional distortion that all of them got caught up in.

“The dimension that they fell into was like an absolute prison that was isolated from the flow of time. Although they argued for a while, they eventually began to work together to escape.”

 Hasegawa didn’t know how much time they actually spent in there. But, it was no surprise that special emotions were born as they mutually acknowledged each other. While the three of them lived there by themselves — they faced serious problems.

“That space was…the nest of the ancient dragon Fafnir.”

Dragons were special creatures that belonged to a higher order, and were completely separate from both gods and demons. Among them, Fafnir was classified as one of the strongest evil dragons, and also one of the oldest dragons. Fafnir attacked Jin and the other two as they were intruders on its territory.

“—In the end, it seems that they were somehow able to repel Fafnir. Moreover, by defeating Fafnir, they were able to cause cracks in the dimension, and from there they were able to create a portal to return to their original world. But—”

While they tried to return to their original world — there was an existence that prevented their escape.

“Fafnir had more than one body…”

The dimension that Jin and the others entered was a nest that belonged to Fafnir, which meant that all of the other bodies which remained pursued them in order to avenge their comrade. There were twenty of them — it wasn’t an extraordinarily large number, but it was more than they could handle. That was why they couldn’t escape from the dimensional hole to the outside world. If they tried to, they wouldn’t be able to close the dimensional hole, and the swarm of Fafnir would be let out as well. So when Sapphire and Raphaeline gave up on escaping and tried to close the dimensional hole instead, they were roughly pushed out and returned to the outside world — to their original world. It went without saying who had done that.

“And — Jin was the only one who did not escape.”

That decision was made for the sake of preventing Fafnir from reaching the outside world. That was why Jin destroyed the dimensional boundary from the inside after Sapphire and Raphaeline escaped, and he alone remained inside the dimensional along with the swarm of Fafnir. Stunned, Raphaeline and Sapphire joined forces to rescue Jin, and they desperately tried to reopen the corridor to that dimension. However, although it was possible for them to make a tunnel to that dimension, they couldn’t open a tunnel to the one that Jin was in unless they had his power as well, since he was with them when they all first entered.

“But — the two of them still cooperated, and continued to combine their powers.”

Raphaeline was eventually able to detect the aura of the sword Balmung which she had given him, and she continued to discern the exact location of the space that he was in while Sapphire produced distortions in space using her gravity magic.

“At that time, they didn’t care about their status as goddess and demon…they wholeheartedly just wanted to rescue Jin.”

And so, they finally succeeded in creating a route to the dimension that Jin was in. The two of them instantly rushed into the dimensional boundary in an attempt to ascertain whether Jin was safe. They did so with absolutely no regard for their own lives.

“But…after the two of them rushed in, Jin had already defeated all of Fafnir’s body by himself.”

Raphaeline and Sapphire stood there in shock as Jin said “Yo, are you okay?” while he smiled. That was why they couldn’t hold back anymore.

“When Raphaeline and Sapphire returned with Jin to their original space…they became tied to each other as both of them desired Jin.”

As a result of connecting with each other, Sapphire soon became pregnant with Jin’s child. —If the existence of a child between a hero of the Hero Clan and the younger sister of the Demon Lord was to be discovered, it would be a major problem. On the other hand, if raised carefully, he had the potential to become the hope of the next generation. However, it was impossible for Saaphire to give birth to the child of a hero in the Demon Realm.

“So — Raphaeline took over the task of carrying you, and she decided to give birth to you in the Divine Realm.”

As one of the Ten Gods who held great power in the Divine Realm, she could give birth to a child. In this way, it also became a child that belonged to all three of them, and that made her happy. So, Basara was transferred from Sapphire’s womb to Raphaeline’s, and they had decided to split their roles up after taking their respective situations into account. After they finished discussing what to do, they made a promise to meet again before returning to their respective worlds. Jin returned to the human realm, Sapphire to the Demon Realm, and Raphaeline to the Divine Realm.

—Soon afterwards, a truce was reached between the Hero Clan and the Demons. Jin secretly entered the Demon Realm, and was successfully able to establish a cooperative relationship with Wilbert and Sheera through Sapphire, which helped in arranging an early truce. Everything had proceeded well up until that point. However, there was one person who had failed to keep their promise. It was Raphaeline. She had lied to both of them. Even if she was one of the Ten Gods…no, precisely because she held such a high position, the act of having the child of a demon as well as a human was absolutely forbidden. Even so, Raphaeline gave birth to their child, and after spending a short time together…her actions were punished as a first-class crime, and the sentence handed down to her was an erasure of her memories, as well as the freezing her soul.

“Aside from myself, there were two others who sided with Raphaeline, but all of the others agreed with her punishment…there was nothing that I could do.”

As a result, Raphaeline’s soul was extracted from her body, and bound to an eternal prison in the Divine Realm — in front of Hasegawa’s eyes.

“And, I brought you to the human realm and entrusted you to Jin. I told him about what had happened to Raphaeline, and also told him about her will.”

Raphaeline understood what kind of man Jin was. She knew what would happen to herself, and that was why she wanted to stop Jin from going to the Divine Realm. —However, there was a possibility that they would lose their child of hope if he did that.  

Please cherish a future together with that child where humans and demons no longer fight — that was Raphaeline’s wish. Hasegawa looked back at Basara as she told him a single fact.

“Toujou…your name, Basara, was one that Raphaeline chose.”

After being entrusted with his child Basara by Raphaeline — Jin did not want to betray her will. However, Hasegawa still clearly remembered the red stream of blood that flowed out of the fist that Jin had clenched so tightly at the time, as well as the sound of his molars as he clenched down so hard.

“Afterwards…Jin secretly travelled to the Demon Realm and told Sapphire-dono about Raphaeline’s will that I told him about. She had been looking forward to reuniting with him and secretly living in the human realm with everyone together, but she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy happiness with Jin by herself, so she chose to live alone in the Demon Realm, and it seems that she even disappeared from Wilbert. Taking into account that she was connected to a member of the Hero Clan and one of the goddesses, she probably didn’t want to be a danger or a hindrance to Wilbert.”

After talking about all of that, Hasegawa let out a long sigh. She knew that the day when she had to tell Basara the truth would eventually come, and she had thought over how to tell him this story over and over again. Realising that one of her key responsibilities was now over, she glanced up.

“…………”

There was a single thing that overflowed and streamed down from the left eye of the boy that Hasegawa held most dear to her. Quietly, Basara was crying. When she saw that, Hasegawa was driven by a thoughtless urge to embrace him. However, she held back the right arm that she had extended and endured it. Having deceived Basara, she was no longer qualified to do such a thing. However, there was still more to the story.

“Even so, Sapphire-dono had promised Jin that she would come to both you and Jin in an emergency. And — she proved that those words were not a lie.”

Hasegawa continued

“After the tragedy five years ago… Jin left the <<Village>> with you and began to live in the city. At that time, you met her for just a while.”

“Eh…?”

As Basara raised his face to look at her, Hasegawa smiled as she said

“It was around that time when Jin had just started out as a photographer. At the time, you were still unable to recover from the shock of the incident at the <<Village>>, you locked yourself up at home, and didn’t go to school. Worried about you, Sapphire-dono was no longer able to endure. To be honest, it seems she actually wanted to rush to your aid immediately when problems occurred in the <<Village>>, but it was not possible for her to enter the village of the Hero Clan as a demon. However, she could secretly meet you if you left the <<Village>>. That was why she came to check on you in the form of a human. While you continued to suffer and blame yourself for the tragedy, she remained by your side. But, she decided to return to the Demon Realm once you settled down a bit, and she used magic to erase the memories of your meeting with her.”

The rest was just as he knew, Hasegawa said.

“Jin tried to get in touch with her while Wilbert’s plan to reform the Demon Realm was underway, but her whereabouts had become unknown…there’s no need to worry though. If Jin gets serious, he will surely be able to find Sapphire-dono.”

So — her own role was now finished. Hasegawa faced the front again as she said

“That’s everything…the story that I told you.”

Her body seemed to become weak as she said so.

“——That’s a lie, isn’t it?”

Basara quietly spoke as he declared so.

Part 7

Toujou Basara gently wiped his tears away with the back of his left hand and kept his eyes fixed on Hasegawa’s as she sat on his lap. Her expression was a mix of confusion and surprise.

“I’m not saying that the story you told just then was a lie…but, there’s still something that you’re hiding from me, right sensei?”

“What are you saying…”

“—There’s more to that story than what you just told me about my father.”

Basara interrupted Hasegawa. However, it wasn’t just that.

“Have you forgotten? I already know about the conversation between you and Sakazaki that Brynhildr heard. But, you should have known about that a while ago, sensei…and the story about my old man is something you wouldn’t want to lie about anyway.”

However

“You loved the mother who gave birth to me like a sister, and you blamed yourself for being unable to stop the heavy punishment that was equivalent to losing everything that was precious to her…and that’s why you didn’t mention it.”

After a pause.

“You also — protected me in exchange for the status and power of the Ten Gods.”

“………”

The silence of Hasegawa was confirmation of Basara’s words. It was only natural. The topic had come up during the conversation between Hasegawa and Sakazaki — therefore, Toujou Basara continued.

“Moreover, when you mentioned that my demon mother was worried about me after I had just left the <<Village>>…it’s probably true that she was still worried about the <<Village>>, me, and my old man at the time. It would have been difficult for my mother as a demon to stay at our house.”

If her identity as a demon was discovered, that would have put Basara in danger. Sapphire probably had to make a difficult decision when she went back to the Demon Realm. But — just as Hasegawa said, it was also true that Basara’s mental state had slowly begun to settle down, and Jin was busy with his work. If that was the case, then

“On behalf of my demon mother, the one who stayed by my side until I completely settled down was you wasn’t it, sensei? If you’re a goddess, then you would have been able to lie about your identity to the Hero Clan. And since you were there, my mother was able to return to the Demon Realm without having to worry.”

Because

“After you brought me to this world…you mentioned that you didn’t return to the Divine Realm. You protected me even though you had to abandon your position as one of the Ten Gods, and you’ve helped me up until now with your advice and blessings. Even though you entrusted me to my father, you remained in this world. I don’t think that you simply stood by and did nothing in this period of fifteen years, and that’s because you cherish my other mother who saw me as a beacon of hope more than anyone else.”

The lie that she most likely told was that rather than staying close to his mother, she thought that staying close to Basara would bring her more salvation. That was the case for Hasegawa Chisato — Afureia of the Ten Gods. She had continued to think dearly of Basara up until now.

What Basara said to Hasegawa was the truth.

“——”

Hasegawa Chisato felt surprised as she gazed into both of Basara’s eyes. They were the same colour as her own — and, also the same colour as Raphaeline’s. The eyes which Basara had inherited from the wise Raphaeline saw through and exposed the truth which she tried to hide as she gently touched her left earring — something that she herself had inherited from Raphaeline.

“……I’m sorry.”

Hasegawa offered those few words of apology as she hung her head and muttered. —Hasegawa Chisato had kept quiet about her own identity all this time while interacting with Basara. Hasegawa had her own circumstances, but those circumstances had absolutely nothing to do with Basara. It was clear that the story of Jin, Raphaeline and Sapphire was something that she could never lie about. However, Hasegawa thought that there was no need to insert her own existence into that story, and that there was no room for her in it. That was only natural. In that story, Hasegawa — Afureia of the Ten Gods was only able to watch on as Raphaeline, someone like an older sister to her, received a sentence that eradicated her existence…and, that was everything. At the very least, all she could do was lessen Basara’s pain by a bit. So when she told the truth about Jin and the others — she had interwoven falsehoods about herself. However, that was something Hasegawa had chosen to do. From Basara’s point of view, weaving in lies into an important story was akin to dishonesty and betrayal.

…However, Hasegawa was okay with that. For her current self, Basara was an existence more important than anything else. Just as Basara decided to do things for the sake of Mio and the others, Hasegawa likewise decided that she would do anything for Basara’s sake. Even if — that meant lying to Basara. That was why Hasegawa had been able to build up a relationship of trust, and a bond with Basara that was different from Mio and the others as the school nurse — that was an undeniable truth. There were times when Basara sought her advice on important things. There was also the time when Basara had made her aware that she was a woman. There was also that time when they completely lost their reasoning and they wildly desired each other. Every time, Hasegawa trembled in delight as she responded to him. Being someone needed by Basara was Hasegawa Chisato’s everything. …But, that everything would soon be lost. While it was possible for her to modify Basara’s memories, the way he smiled at her — the way he desired her, all of that would vanish. Although she long been prepared for this day, when Hasegawa thought about her relationship with Basara ending, energy simply vanished from her body.

“…?”

All of a sudden — a gentle arm embraced her from behind. And so, while sitting on top of Basara’s lap, Hasegawa turned around so that they were face-to-face.

“—Please don’t misunderstand.”

While holding onto her waist, he spoke with a gentle voice and expression.

“Did you forget…I asked ‘sensei, I want you to tell me what you know about my birth’ didn’t I?”

Basara continued

“I also said ‘As a woman who is precious to me, I want to know what your raison d’etre is, sensei’.”

“Yes…that’s why I…”

Basara smiled bitterly as he looked at Hasegawa in front of him.

“But, you only told me about my parents, sensei. Of course, I’m grateful that I could hear about things that I hadn’t known until now, and I’m also happy to hear that I was cherished by all three of my parents, but…that wasn’t what I wanted to hear the most.”

So what was it supposed to be then? Basara’s words drifted around in Hasegawa’s head as she tried to discern his true intentions.

…Ah….

She finally let out an astonished exclamation. She realised something. —Basara wanted Hasegawa to tell him about what she knew of his birth. —Basara wanted to know what Hasegawa’s raison d’etre was, as one of the women that he held dear to him. Basara didn’t ask to hear about Raphaeline or Sapphire, he wanted to know what Hasegawa felt as she embraced him.

“It seems I made you misunderstand, but…it’s good that I know what you true feelings are, sensei.”

After Basara said that, he quietly embraced Hasegawa tightly again.

“Thank you…for thinking about all of us until now.”

He said so with a tone of certainty. However

“…………”

Hasegawa suddenly couldn’t find anything to say in return. She didn’t understand why either. What he wanted to know was not the truth about his mothers, but about Hasegawa’s true feelings. Therefore

“Why…?”

As she asked that in surprise, Basara smiled as he said

“Please don’t think of it as something strange. You’re the one who’s in front of me right now, you’ve protected me many times up until now, and you’re also someone precious to me right now — it’s no one else but you, sensei.”

As if it was only natural, Basara spoke the truth. So — she understood the meaning of Basara’s words. No, the moment she understood

“………………………”

Hasegawa was no longer able to hold back the tears which had begun to moisten her eyes. She was relieved that Basara didn’t hate her. Moreover, she felt rewarded for everything that she had done for Basara up until now — as soon as that thought arose in her mind, tears continuously and unstoppably overflowed from her eyes.

“Sensei…”

The moment that Basara gently wiped her tears with his finger, Hasegawa Chisato — Afureia could no longer hold her own feelings back. So — she entrusted her entire body to Basara in that moment. Both Hasegawa and Basara’s bodies were bathed in a dazzling golden glow. 

“S-Sensei, what is this?”

“The beginning of a contract ceremony…between you and me.”

Hasegawa replied in response to the surprised Basara. It was different from the Master-Servant contract that Basara had tied with Mio and the others. It was a contract for Hasegawa as a goddess to lend her power to someone whom she deemed to be worthy. Still wearing her yukata, Hasegawa had returned to her original appearance as Afureia, a goddess with blonde hair and blue eyes.

“You will feel that all of your senses become elevated at once…right now, this entire building is in a barrier to become the place of our contract.”

And then

“Right now, I can still exercise my power as one of the Ten Gods for your sake — so”

“No, I know that…but, why?”

Basara seemed puzzled by the sudden change in the situation, but Hasegawa said

“Didn’t I tell you?”

She then continued

“Right now, I am someone who exists for your sake…if you think of me as someone precious to you, then I want to be of even more use to you. Even though the problem with the demons has settled down for now, it’s not a perfectly good or worry-free situation. In case you run out of trump cards when you go to the Demon Realm—”

After a pause

“—I want to give you a new trump card using this contract with me.”

She had said those words at such a close distance that Basara could feel her breath against his skin, and Basara unconsciously inhaled her breath. —Indeed, contracts were relatively popular among the members of the Hero Clan. They way that Kurumi borrowed the power of the spirits was a form of contracting with them, and Yuki had also been selected as the wielder of [Sakuya] through a contract. The Hero Clan itself was a group of human beings who had been granted power by the gods, and some of them had succeeded in contracting with gods in the past. However

“But, a contract with sensei is…”

Essentially, in order to forge a contract, it was necessary to face the subject of the contract for a long time in order to recognise them as a suitable entity for a contract — that was a contract ceremony. Of course, the length of time required to be recognised increased in proportion to the strength of the target. Among those who engaged in reckless contract ceremonies, it was even said that some spent their entire lives on it, and were still unable to complete it. Moreover, Hasegawa was a supreme being among the divine race — she was one of the Ten Gods. It was on a whole new level compared to all of the contracts that he had formed so far.

“Don’t worry…there is absolutely no way that a contract between you and me would fail.”

“Is that so…?”

When Basara asked that, Hasegawa said ‘yes’ as she nodded.

“I started this contract ceremony because I wanted to be of use to you…but the magnitude of the power that I can lend to you via the contract depends on how far you can mentally push me.”

“As one of the Ten Gods, you’ll be my opponent…”

It seemed unreasonable, and almost impossible. Basara’s expression distorted slightly, but his lips were suddenly sealed.

“Mmm…chuu, haa…Toujou…”

Basara froze up due to the sudden kiss, after which Hasegawa gently parted from him.

“You’ll be fine…although it’s a contract with me, it’s essentially the same as the Master-Servant contract rituals that you’ve performed with Naruse and the others. You don’t have to think so hard about it.”

She smiled gently as she continued

“—In any case, haven’t you already done things like this with me several times?”

“That’s…no, please wait.”

Basara was stunned.

“Then, when you said that you wanted to establish a secret relationship with me, is this what you anticipated, sensei…?”

“I thought that if you forgave me…but when I think of you, it also becomes painful as a woman. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have forgiven me, right?”

As she said that, a flirty smile emerged on Hasegawa’s face. Hasegawa had been waiting for this for a long time. Therefore

“——”

Toujou Basara felt as though the shackled emotions which he had desperately suppressed were released. —Hasegawa wasn’t the only one who had been patient so far. Of course, there were times when his reason left him and he lusted for her, but up until now, Basara had never tried to conquer Hasegawa like Mio and the others. The intent of his secret relationship with Hasegawa was not meant to hurt her. …But, while he thought of Hasegawa as someone precious to him, he had repeatedly wanted to make her belong to him at the same time. Even so, Hasegawa was an older woman, and Basara had been obedient and sweet to her up until now, believing that it was what she desired as well. However — things were different now. The Hasegawa before his eyes…Afureia of the Ten Gods strongly desired to be subjugated by Basara. If he responded to her feelings, and could also borrow an amount of power from her at the same time, Toujou Basara no longer had any reason to hold back. He would relentlessly force Hasegawa Chisato to submit to him.

“It seems like you’re in the mood now…so come over here.”

The colour in Basara’s eyes changed, and Hasegawa leaned over as she took his arm and invited him to the adjacent room which lay behind a set of sliding doors. And over there, a futon had already been laid out, most likely because she had asked the staff to — and the moment she stepped into the room…. The appearance of Hasegawa who had been leading him by hand reverted back to her original appearance as Afureia.

“…Sensei?”

Hasegawa Chisato directed a gentle smile to Basara’s confused face.

“You don’t have to worry…once the contract ceremony begins, even if you subjugate me while I have this appearance, it won’t stop me from lending you my power.”

So, when Hasegawa lay down on the futon, she spread open the top of her yukata so that her chest lay bare. At the same time, Hasegawa undid the hook of her bra. Her large breasts had become stained the colour of cherry blossoms, and they bounced out as they became exposed before his eyes.

“——”

Hasegawa seemed happy that Basara gulped upon seeing her figure.

“Rather than my appearance as Afureia of the Ten Gods…it would be easier for you to subjugate me with my usual appearance, wouldn’t it?”

While her naked body was lewdly illuminated by the indirect lighting of the lantern which was placed on the floor, her seductive smile was incredibly provocative to him. Naturally, it was in order to make Basara’s desire to subjugate her even stronger. However

“That’s not the case…but I’m relieved.”

As Basara stood at the entrance of the room, his expression was gentle.

“Now that I know the truth, I was worried that you might quit being a teacher, and you’d interact with me as one of the Ten Gods from now on, sensei.”

“Why would you think that…?”

Relief and worry — when Hasegawa interrogated the meaning of Basara’s words that she hadn’t been able to understand, he said

“Because…well, it would mean that the relationship, trust and memories that I built up with you until now would become naught, sensei.”

However, as soon as Basara approached Hasegawa on the futon, he lowered his body and aligned his gaze with hers.

“If you continue being the way you’ve been up until now, sensei…then we can move on without having to give up on anything that we’ve built so far.”

Basara accepted Hasegawa’s lies and everything that she had from before. And as for what Hasegawa cherished the most, he also cherished that and didn’t want to lose it — he had said that there was no need to give it up. Those words were enough to send Hasegawa’s emotions into a spiral.

“Wha — sensei!?”

When Basara suddenly raised a puzzled voice, Hasegawa had already pushed him down on the futon, stripped off the yukata that he wore, and also dragged his pants down in order to insert his rod in her mouth. —She understood that she had to have Basara subjugate her. However, her strong feelings for Basara overflowed and she could no longer hold back. So only at the beginning — just this once, Hasegawa voluntarily performed fellatio on him so that she could convey that.

“Hmm, chuu…chuu, haa…Toujou, slurp…Toujou…chuuu ♥”

Being the first time that she had forgotten about herself, Hasegawa obsessively sucked on Basara’s rod, and that quickly caused it to become stiff and sturdy within her mouth. As she had already mentioned to Basara, their senses were dramatically elevated within the barrier, and that heightened pleasure applied not only to Hasegawa, but also to Basara. While moving her head up and down, she slowly sucked on his rod while making lewd sounds, and stroked his shaft with her left hand as well. In the blink of an eye, Basara was almost about to reach his limit — but.

—I want Toujou to feel even more.

Such feelings overflowed from her and she was unable to stop them, so Hasegawa moved her right hand underneath Basara’s butt. During the winter vacation, she had learned how to give Basara the utmost pleasure. And just this one time, she could unilaterally express her feelings for Basara — that was why Hasegawa Chisato performed that erotic technique. She gently inserted the middle finger of her right hand into his butt just as Basara leaked a groan, and she used her fingertip to stimulate his prostate by rubbing against it. In that instant—

“——!”

With a silent exclamation, and a shudder that was brought on by the sudden bounce of his hips, Basara ejected a hot load right into Hasegawa’s mouth. He had shown such a reaction just from a light stimulation because all of his senses had been elevated within the barrier. However, the same could also be said for Hasegawa — Hasegawa experienced a sweet ecstasy as Basara’s cock rampaged and pumped a load into her mouth as it rubbed against her tongue and throat.

“Mmm~~~~~~~~~~♥”

Hasegawa rapidly shuddered all the way from her buttocks to her back. As she swallowed his load, she began to drown in happiness. Womanly nectar began to overflow from Hasegawa’s secret place as she soaked her underwear so much that her juices then overflowed from the side and slid down the inner side of her thighs. The contract ceremony between Hasegawa and Basara — began with the climax of both of them.

Part 8

After that fierce climax — when Basara opened his eyes, he found himself on top of a bed.

“This place is…”

Morning rays perforated into the familiar room while a naked Hasegawa lay beside him. Toujou Basara recognised that the place he was in was the bedroom of Hasegawa’s apartment.

“Wh—!?”

He was certain that he was just in the bedroom of the inn. It seemed unbelievable that the contract ceremony ended just like that, after Hasegawa attacked him and he lost consciousness — as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Basara jolted up.

“Relax Toujou…our contract ceremony isn’t over yet.”

As Hasegawa cosily lay next to him, she opened her eyes and giggled.

“The room that we stayed in had capacity for six people, and it had two main purposes…in other words, it was too big for just the two of us. There were two bathrooms inside the barrier, so I made a duplicate of my apartment in the room after that door. However, because the space itself hasn’t moved from the inside of the inn, there’s no problem even if Naruse and the others check on your position with the Master-Servant contract.”

“Creating a duplicate space…why?”

Basara was unable to understand the situation that had been thrust before him.

“By forming a contract with me, you want to obtain as much power as is possible. As I have said already, you have to push me mentally…but, I was a bit careless and just caused you to lose consciousness. That’s why I lowered the flow of time within this barrier to one thousandth of its original speed. It’s already morning within this barrier, but in reality, not even a minute has passed since then.”

Hasegawa then showed him the screen of her mobile phone. As he looked at the LCD screen, the time displayed on it was still just nine in the evening of the night before.

“Since there is such a large difference in the flow of time here to that of the outside world, it’s almost as if time in this space has been stopped…but our perception of time remains unchanged, so we will still grow older within the barrier. When you get used to it and return to the outside world, it is possible that your mind and body may not be able to bear the load of acceleration, and in the worst case, there is a risk that your very existence may not be able to endure. In order to avoid such risks, it’s best to stay at the current speed.”

“I see…thank you.”

Basara pat his chest in relief that the contract ceremony with Hasegawa was still intact.

…In other words.

Basara instantly calculated how much time was left. The check-out time for the inn was noon tomorrow. At worst, if they declined breakfast and he gave Hasegawa the minimum amount of time to groom and prepare herself, it meant that they had until eleven in the morning, or about fourteen hours. Multiplying that by a thousand would make it roughly fourteen thousand hours — or about five hundred and eighty three days. As Basara silently carried out those calculations in his mind, Hasegawa seemed to misunderstand.

“Don’t worry. If you don’t want to spend that much time, we can return to normal speed at any time.”

“Ah, sorry…that’s not the case.”

It wasn’t that he disliked the notion of spending time alone with Hasegawa. In order to form a successful contract with one of the Ten Gods, it was something that was normally impossible within a lifetime, and could even be impossible with further generations. If so, five hundred and eighty three days was too short, and by factoring in the amount of time that Hasegawa spent watching over him — far from just five hundred and eighty three days, it was more than fifteen years. She had been waiting for an incredibly long time, and Basara wanted to respond to her feelings by forming a contract through which he could borrow more power from Hasegawa. However, there was a major problem in that.

“—What about meals and everything else?”

Because the space inside the barrier was a replica of actual space, there was still food in the kitchen of the inn, as well as in the refrigerator and cabinets of Hasegawa’s apartment, but there were limits to how much was there.

“That’s why I duplicated the space within my apartment…other than us and our mobile phones, I’ve made it so that everything else in the space is restored whenever we cross between the inn and the apartment.”

In essence, whenever they returned to the inn, the apartment would return to its original state, and if they moved from the inn back here, the space on that side would also be reset. In this way, they didn’t have to worry about food, washing, or cleaning. Everything could be solved just by travelling back and forth between the inn and the apartment. In other words, the inside of this barrier was designed to be a space where they could simply engage in their contract without having to worry about anything else.

“In a contract with you, there’d be no reason for me to make such an elementary mistake, right?”

Hasegawa smiled as she told him that everything was fine. There were no problems in the space within the barrier. It was also possible for them to return to their original flow of time at any time. It was such an elaborate setup that he couldn’t hope for any more — after coming this far, it was no longer possible for him to back down. Therefore

“I understand…then, let’s continue the contract ceremony as is.”

As Hasegawa approached his face, she smiled as she pressed her index finger against his lips.

“There’s no need to rush…let’s have breakfast first. Besides, while I’m a bit reluctant about it, don’t you think it’s necessary for you to make a phone call to Naruse and the others?”

“…Y-You’re right.”

Mio and the others had said that they wanted to hear his voice over the phone, and not just receive text messages from him. Hasegawa made a wry smile as she said

“I’ll return the speed of time here to the same as the outside just once. But, please do finish while I cook breakfast, okay? Even ten minutes multiplied by a thousand would be equivalent to a week.”

Hasegawa said as she kissed his cheek and then left the bedroom. Basara then used his mobile phone to make a call to the Toujou residence’s landline. The phone was picked up immediately—

[—Yes, Basara-sama.]

A woman answered the phone with a respectful tone. In addition to waiting for Basara’s phone call, they probably recognised his number on the LCD screen as soon as it was displayed. Realising that, Basara laughed as he said

“Zest, sorry for calling so late…how are things going over there?”

[Yes. Everyone has been waiting for word from you since a while ago, but we took turns bathing, and now Mio-sama and Maria are in the bath. I’ll pass you over to Yuki-san and Kurumi-san now…. —Hello, Basara?]

After a brief interval, Yuki’s voice was heard. She sounded a little uneasy.

“Yuki, sorry for worrying you…did anything happen while I’ve been away?”

[It’s okay. There haven’t been any problems.]

The tone of Yuki’s voice on the phone seemed to soften as she felt relieved upon hearing his voice. After continuing to talk with her for a while, the phone got passed over to Kurumi. Basara once again apologised for contacting them so late, and then let her know that he had safely arrived at his accommodation.

[Well, we were able to figure that out based on your mobile GPS signal and through Mio-sama and the others, but…it seems like you’re staying at a really expensive inn.]

“—Yeah, even I think it’s a little too extravagant…”

He couldn’t say that Hasegawa was the one who made the arrangements, so Basara made sure to be careful with his words.

[Well, that’s good once in a while, right? Even Maria bought a large bath…and especially you, since you’ve always been fighting, Basara.]

Kurumi gently said.

[How are things over there? That place is famous for its spiritual leylines, so the air must feel different there.]

“Yeah, that’s right—”

Basara nodded as he spoke to Kurumi about how he felt after coming here. —Then, Hasegawa returned to the bedroom after she finished preparing breakfast. Hasegawa wore a ‘naked apron’ as she carried a single plate with enough food for the two of them into the room. There were various items such as French toast, ham, eggs, salad, and so on. When she noticed that Basara was still on the phone—

“………”

She looked at him with disapproval. Panicking slightly, Basara checked the time on his mobile phone screen and realised that he had already been talking on the phone for more than fifteen minutes. Hasegawa walked up to him without saying anything, though it seemed clear that she was losing patience. She then placed the large dish with breakfast on it down on the night table that was at the side of the bed. As she gently crawled up onto the bed, Hasegawa began to slide her tongue down his side.

“——”

[Basara? What happened?]

“No…it’s nothing.”

As soon as Basara answered Kurumi, he sent a reproachful gaze down towards Hasegawa, but she simply revealed a mischievous smile in response. She slowly glided her tongue from his side to his stomach — and the proceeded further down.

“(W-Wait, sensei…?)”

“(It’s your penalty for taking so long on the phone…if you don’t be quiet, they’ll find out.)”

After she quickly whispered that to him, Hasegawa lightly kissed Basara’s shaft. She slid her tongue up and down it, slathered it with her saliva, and then used both of her hands to stroke it, causing his erection to become even stiffer. Since his senses were elevated within the barrier, he instantly jerked his hips even though he had suppressed his voice.

[Ah, wait a minute — Mio’s come out of the bath so I’ll pass it to her.]

After Kurumi said that

[—Hello, Basara?]

By the time that Mio had picked up the phone, Toujou Basara was already in the midst of receiving a full-on blowjob from Hasegawa.

“Mmm…chuu, haa…slurp…hmm, chuu…mmm…chuu ♥”

While moving her head up and down, she sucked on his rod with lewd noises. As Basara looked down, he placed one hand on top of Hasegawa’s head. Perhaps out of joy that she was making him feel that way, Hasegawa intensified the motions of her hand and mouth as she gave him a blowjob.

“——”

Despite his best efforts to endure, he was unable to stop himself from feeling the pleasure — Basara decided that it was impossible to hold back any longer, and so he blew his load right into Hasegawa’s mouth. Then

“Mmm ♥ mmm…mmm…chuu, haa…chuu…♥”

Hasegawa gulped as she swallowed all of Basara’s semen, and it seemed as though she found it delicious. And so, Hasegawa then licked up the cloudy white liquid that overflowed from Basara’s tip gently with her tongue.

[Basara…hello, can you hear me?]

“…Yeah, did you just get out of the bath?”

[Eh? Yes…but…]

Mio replied to his question with a hint of shyness.

[It’s a hot spring over there, right? It’s amazing isn’t it?]

“Yeah…it’s amazing, really…”

Basara subconsciously gulped as he nodded and replied. Hasegawa had started performing fellatio on him again, even though it was difficult for him to finish the phone call.

“Chuu…slurp, mmm…haa…chuu, chuu…haa…chuu ♥”

She continued to suck on his cock with her hot mouth, and she also entwined her tongue lewdly around his rod. This caused Basara to unconsciously jerk his waist.

[The hot springs sound nice…Basara, let’s go together with everyone next time.]

“Yeah, that’s right…together next time…!”

While he spoke to Mio, he released his load into Hasegawa’s mouth again.

“Hmm ♥ mmm…mmm…haa, hmm…chuu…mmm ♥”

Hasegawa received everything that he released in her mouth and she drank all of it while making a sweet moan. 

After Basara promised to go to the hot springs together with everyone else next time, he said to give his regards to Maria who was still in the bath before hanging up. It was because he felt as though the succubus Maria would probably see through his act. Hasegawa then removed her lips from Basara’s cock and looked up at him.

“…The breakfast that I prepared is getting cold.”

“I’m sorry…but please stop being so reckless, sensei. What if Mio and the others find out?”

“Don’t worry. Right now, only my contract partner can hear my voice.”

Hasegawa said. The flow of time within the barrier slowed down again.

“As expected, you’re really nice to Naruse and the others…if I want to get the same special treatment, should I do this as well?”

As she said that, she held Basara’s right hand. And then

“Eh—?”

A familiar crest emerged on the back of Basara’s right hand. He blinked his eyes in doubt, and the crest quickly disappeared — instead, a collar appeared around Hasegawa’s neck, and she moaned sweetly ‘mmm… ♥’ as her hot breath tingled his skin.

“Sensei, don’t tell me…?”

“Yes…I analysed the energy of the Master-Servant contracts within you that you made with Naruse and the others. The spell that will be tied between us will have the same characteristics. With this, you won’t be able to leave me alone, right…?”

“You’re…being so reckless again…”

Basara seemed to put the blame on himself as he said that to her.

“It’s alright. Until we form a Master-Servant contract through the ceremony, I can be connected to you with two bonds…”

Hasegawa said so happily.

“Besides, this isn’t even reckless at all. Surely you don’t think that I would yield to a mere curse like this, right?”

That was certainly true. Even if Hasegawa, one of the Ten Gods, was subjected to the effect of an aphrodisiac, and the curse placed a burden on her both physically and mentally, there was no risk of danger to her life. However

“……………”

Basara remained silent. The Master-Servant contract magic that had been used with Mio, Yuki and Zest was more than effective on them, and while it had put a burden on them, it had also become an important bond that had saved them time and time again since it increased their combat potential. Of course, Hasegawa had said that there was nothing to worry about. However, he didn’t find it amusing that she had thought so lightly of it. Therefore

“—I understand. After we have breakfast, there’s something that I’d like to try.”

After Basara declared so with a smile, the two of them began to eat the breakfast that Hasegawa had prepared. And after breakfast — Basara lead Hasegawa back to the space in the inn. Although the time inside the barrier was equivalent to morning, the darkness of the night had remained the same behind the sliding doors of the Japanese-style room. Hasegawa only wore a single pair of underwear so that they didn’t cross the final line, and she sat on the futon that had been restored to its original laid-out state. Basara took a small vial out of his luggage in the living room, and then drank the contents of it in front of Hasegawa.

“Fufu…is that what you said you wanted to try?”

“Yeah…so, let’s get started.”

Hasegawa still seemed somewhat calm as she smiled while Basara sat down in front of her and then pulled her into an embrace as he forcefully sealed her lips. He slipped both of his hands from the back of her waist down into her underwear. Since Hasegawa was in a state of aphrodisia due to the curse, the inside of her underwear was so hot that it seemed like she would melt. Basara then roughly caressed her butt

“Mmm…chuu, haa…chuu…mmfuu…aah…mmm ♥”

Hasegawa sweetly twisted her waist as she entwined her tongue with his, and she also used her hands to begin servicing his crotch. While Hasegawa’s hand made his shaft grow bigger, Basara removed only his right hand from her underwear and bent his index finger into an upright ‘V’ shape as he inserted it into the side of her crotch. And as he pulled his finger which had been swallowed up towards himself, lewd sounds were made. After making a gap in the side of her underwear, he said

“—I’m going to put it in.”

After briefly declaring so, Basara inserted his rigid shaft into Hasegawa’s underwear. Having Basara’s rod inserted into her underwear, Hasegawa’s sensitive region was rubbed by Basara’s shaft.

“Aah…mmm…haaaah…♥”

It had only been a slight movement, but she raised her voice and her buttocks trembled as she flung her arms around Basara’s neck and clung onto him. She was sitting face-to-face with Basara on top of his lap when his right hand dove into her underwear again front the backside of her waist. Once he had grabbed onto Hasegawa’s butt with both hands, he began to pound her up and down from below.

“Haaa, mmm…yaan, Toujou…aah…haaah ♥”

Hasegawa matched the movements of her waist to Basara’s movements. Her long black hair swayed chaotically due to the intense pleasure at her crotch that almost felt as though it was burning, most likely because she was in a state of aphrodisia. As a result of the pleasant sensations, the fact that Basara had ingested some kind of drug completely disappeared from Hasegawa’s mind — but

“Yaa — fuaaaan ♥ Wh…!?”

By stretching both of his arms around her back, Basara was able to gently fondle her breasts, and Hasegawa arched back and looked up at the ceiling due to the unexpected pleasure. Then

“…Tou..jou…?”

Basara was the one who was there. All of a sudden, something had happened and she no longer understood what was going on.

…Something like that, but….

When she looked in front of her, Basara was certainly the one who was there inserting his rod into her underwear while fondling her butt — however

…Ah….

She saw the smile that emerged on Basara’s face in front of her.

“It couldn’t be…the drug from earlier…yaa, aaaaaaaaahhh.”

Hasegawa wanted to say something, but her words were drowned out by her own cries of pleasure. From behind, a hard object pushed its way into her underwear, and it began to rub against Hasegawa’s opening. At the same time, both her front and rear openings were stimulated as they rubbed against him.

“Yaa, mmm…no…haaa…how, two of…haaaaaah ♥”

While in a state of aphrodisia, Hasegawa was pushed towards a climax, causing her womanly juices to pour out like a shower. At the same time, the two Basaras sandwiched her in between them and released their loads, filling Hasegawa’s underwear up with plenty of their hot and milky fluids. While resting her chin on the left shoulder of the Basara who was in front of her, she said

“Yaa…uh…mmm, haa…ah…Toujou…this…?”

While Hasegawa drowned in the lingering sensation of her fierce climax, she finally realised the truth. She was sandwiched in between two of Basara — and there were also four other Basaras who stood around her.

“It’s a souvenir that I received from a lady succubus in the Demon Realm. A drug for when Mio and the four others all need a partner at the same time…but, no one said that I couldn’t use it on a single person.”

While embracing the stunned Hasegawa, the Basara who was in front of whispered into her ear with a tone that made her feel powerless.

“Now let’s continue, sensei — our contract ceremony that is.”

As soon as he said that, the six bodies of Basara surrounded and towered over her.

Part 9

At around midnight, the staff went to the room that Basara and Hasegawa were staying in so that they could start to clean up the dishes from dinner. It was only because Hasegawa had asked in advance for them to arrive so late in the night. —Hasegawa had wanted them to clean up quietly, and at a time that wouldn’t be a disturbance to them. There was a significant amount of food in the various different dishes, yet both Basara and Hasegawa had somehow managed to completely finish all of it off, leaving the plates bare. In relief, the staff members immediately returned to tell the chef about it.

“—But, they’re incredible guests, aren’t they?”

Someone murmured. They couldn’t believe it when they received a notice from their headquarters a few days ago which stated that the entire place had been reserved for both today and tomorrow. Since it was a well-known luxury inn, celebrities from various different fields had stayed here before, but it was the first time that a customer had reserved the entire place. In addition, since the inn accepted reservations well in advance of the date of stay, it would’ve been natural if their reservations for the weekend already filled up. They also had some regular VIPs and others. Although the inn was reluctant to accept the inconvenient decision that was handed to them from their headquarters, headquarters had already settled on the fact with the guests in order to reassure them. Since there weren’t any direct disputes against them, there probably weren’t any major issues. They didn’t know how much the woman named Hasegawa had paid, but it was certainly enough for all of the staff members to receive a large bonus. In order to avert disapproval from their regular customers, money had probably been spent to soothe them as well — it simply meant that she had enough money to do so. The proprietress had also given them a strict order to provide perfect service. That’s why they were as quiet as possible… the staff had made arrangements to tidy up the dishes and divide their labour while also trying not to approach the futon that they had laid out in the room next door, as well as the bathrooms or bedrooms. After putting all of the empty dishes in the room into a cart that they had stopped in front of the room, they quietly shut the door and left the room. After the staff left the employee’s office, quietly cleaned up Hasegawa’s room, and returned to the kitchen to drop off the dishware, it was almost twelve-thirty. —At that time, over four months had passed within the barrier.

However — the contract ceremony was still ongoing. In a corner of the men’s public bath that was filled with rising white steam, a single young woman stood in the midst of a group of boys who all shared the same appearance.

“Aah, mmm…chuu…haa ♥ chuu, fuu…haa…fuaan ♥”

The woman straddled the waist of a boy who fondled her breasts from behind, and she let out sweet moans as she turned to kiss him over her shoulder. Every time she lewdly twerked her white butt up and down, lewd wet noises were emitted from her crotch. The boy behind her had inserted his own hardened rod into her underwear, and he was stimulated by each and every movement of the woman’s hips.

“Mmm…haa, mmm…chuu…mmfu, aah…chuu…haaa ♥”

While the woman kissed the boy and drowned herself in pleasure, she extended both of her hands out at the same time towards the boys who stood on her left and right. She stroked their cocks with both her left and right hand. As she used the tips of her index fingers and thumbs to stimulate their shafts with lewd noises, they gradually began to swell up. So, the woman accelerated the movements and obscenity of her hand motions even further.

““Uh…ah…kuh!””

The boys on both her left and right ejaculated at almost the same time, and the woman in the middle was sprayed with a cloudy white liquid which covered her skin all the way from her chest down to her navel. As she felt the warmth of his semen on her skin, she felt comfortable.

“Aah ♥ mmm, aah…haaah ♥”

The woman quivered sweetly with an expression of pure ecstasy, and the boy behind her who had been thrusting from below said

“H-Hasegawa-sensei…me too, I’m almost…!”

He yelled out with a loud voice — so

“Mmm…aah, Toujou…again, come as much as you want…”

Hasegawa responded as if she was pleading him to do so, and she slid both of her hands away from the Basaras who stood to her left and right, inserting them into her underwear instead. She wrapped her fingers around the shaft of the Basara who was behind her with both hands and began to stroke it intensely. Every time she stroked Basara’s rod up and down with both of her hands, the tips of her thumbs rubbed against her own sensitive womanly regions. At the same time, the Basara who was behind her unleashed a powerful ejaculation of semen that spurted up like a fountain.

“——Aaaaahh ♥”

Hasegawa’s sensuality also surged at once, and she secreted love juices from her womanly opening. Then, the Basara who was behind Hasegawa gently embraced her while fondling her breasts.

“Sensei…I think it’s almost time for us to move on to the next stage of training.”

“Ah…aah…mmm, I understand…Toujou…as you wish…haah…chuu ♥”

While immersed in the sweet lingering sensations of a climax, Hasegawa entwined her tongue with the Basara who was behind her as they pressed their lips together. —Basara had taken a drug that produced copies of himself. He could produce five bodies at the most — in other words, it was for Mio, Yuki, Maria, Kurumi, and Zest. Although it was possible for them to have Basara’s true body plus four of his copies, it meant that one of their partners would end up being the real Basara, so he had taken into consideration the possibility that the other four would feel jealous. The copies created were just like Basara himself — however, it was meaningless to use the drug in battle. Although there did exist various abilities to split oneself, the drug was an adult good produced by a succubus to begin with, so there were certainly restrictions in the powers of the copies, and as such these copies didn’t have any fighting power. —However, they were more than enough to provide sexual pleasure.

They had been going strong for around eight hours now, and thanks to the characteristics of the barrier that Hasegawa had created, every time they crossed the between the space of her apartment and the inn, the vial that Basara had taken from his luggage to use was restored to its original state. However, since there was only one of Hasegawa, there was a limit to how many partners she could handle at the same time. Therefore, after a few different trials, Basara judged that it was best to use his real body along with two copies to make a total of three of himself. Even so, in order to force Hasegawa into submission more easily, he could make five copies of himself to completely encircle her — and so, Basara used six of his bodies to single-mindedly make Hasegawa surrender through climaxing.

The place chosen was the men’s public bath. Since the environment would be reset every time they crossed between her apartment and the inn within the barrier, there was no need for cleaning or laundry, though that wasn’t necessarily the case for their bodies. In that regard, since there was a large amount of hot water in the public bath, they could conveniently wash off their sweat, and if they used the outdoor bath, it was also possible for them to cool down there.  When she was brought into the male bath with six of Basara again and made to surrender, Hasegawa’s senses deepened, revealing various things within herself that she had been unaware of. After continuing to carry out various erotic acts for more than four months, Basara had finally said that he would take Hasegawa to the next stage of training today.

And — the next day, Hasegawa was once again trained to advance her sexual service to Basara. Hasegawa entwined her body with Basara’s bodies from morning till night, and she learnt how to serve him in all kinds of ways that ranged from fellatio to titty-fucking, and handjobs to thigh-fucking. She learnt everything from scratch. Hasegawa gradually began to understand how profound it was — every time Basara lead her to an even higher climax, she felt as though she had grown as a woman who could make Basara feel good, and she steadily began to awaken to the true pleasure of sexual service. In doing so, Hasegawa had steadily grown in her abilities to sexually service him, and Basara once again used several copies of his body to subjugate her — however, since Hasegawa’s technique had improved, she was now able to take on four of his bodies as partners. So, Basara used his remaining two copies to suck on Hasegawa’s breasts — and at last, Hasegawa could be trained by all six of Basara’s bodies. Every day that she continued to please Basara’s bodies, she felt truly happy — and by that time, she noticed that the seasons outside the window had already changed from autumn to summer.

Part 10

—From that point onwards, the lustful days that Basara and Hasegawa shared together continued without end. Although she could be overwhelmed and made to yield by six of his bodies, since Basara only had one genuine body, there was no meaning unless she could be made to submit under normal circumstances. Therefore, Basara stopped using the drug from that point on, and he began to train her with just his real body. By that point, every part of Hasegawa, from her breasts and buttocks to her lips and tongue had transformed into something obscene that had the sole purpose of making Basara climax faster.

“Mmm…chuu, haah…Toujou…chuu ♥ chuu…chuu, mmfu…mmm, chuu…aah…chuu…chuu, hmm…slurp…chuu ♥”

Even if she was simply praised for her service and her cheeks or hair was stroked, she raised her voice. Every time she saw Basara climax, she felt such pleasure that she trembled. While she lavishly performed the techniques which she had used on six bodies on a single man, she wholeheartedly expressed her love for him. Hasegawa had completely become a captive of sexual subservience to Basara. And then…

…I can’t believe I’ve really been dominated and controlled by Toujou to this point….

Within the barrier, snow piled up outside the window of the inn on a certain evening — she had completed her training for the day, and so Hasegawa rested her head on his arm while they lay upon the bed of a western-style room. She gazed at the side of the boy’s face as he lay next to her.

“…Sensei, you can’t sleep?”

Basara suddenly noticed her gaze on him, and he seemed concerned as he asked Hasegawa that.

“Yes…that’s why I was watching you.”

A smile emerged on Hasegawa’s face. It had almost been a year since they began to spend time alone in the barrier…Basara’s face had become somewhat more assertive, his body had matured, and his both his hair and height had grown as well.

“—Would you like me to help you fall asleep?”

He said as a smile floated onto his face, and that alone made Hasegawa’s body begin to heat up.

“Yes…please do, Toujou.”

Hasegawa pleaded to him with moistened eyes, and she leaned on his lap and embraced him as he sat up so that they could be face-to-face with each other. Hasegawa took off her negligee, leaving only her underwear on and she pressed her lips towards Basara with heat-filled eyes.

“Chuu…haah, mmm…aah…Toujou… ♥”

She began to wrap her tongue around his and kiss him lewdly. And then, while Basara responded with his tongue as well, he also began to softly fondle her breasts. He wasn’t as intense as he normally was during their training sessions, and that was because he intended to bring a sweet sensation of joy to Hasegawa. —Even though he had given her unilateral training, he still hadn’t completely conquered Hasegawa yet. However, aside from the time that they spent eating and resting, Basara had spent every other moment on making her yield to him, though Basara occasionally spoiled Hasegawa as well…that was why Hasegawa appreciated the love that Basara poured into her, and she felt immense pleasure at being trained by him — she was completely infatuated. At the beginning, Basara should have captured her and delayed the flow of time inside the barrier as much as possible in order to obtain as much power as possible — their positions had quickly become reversed, and now Basara had completely become Hasegawa’s captive as well. Although she could already lend a considerable amount of power to Basara by completing the contract ceremony, Basara’s training for Hasegawa wasn’t over yet.

…Maybe it’s because of this.

Even though it would soon be a whole year — the collar of the Master-Servant contract still remained around Hasegawa’s neck. That said, it was something which would not completely disappear until the servant was in complete submission to the master. No matter how much pleasure he drowned her in, and no matter what Basara did to her — Basara never gave up and continued to train her unworriedly even though it was potentially impossible for him to make Hasegawa completely submit to him since she was one of the Ten Gods.

“Mmm…aah, haaaah ♥”

As they parted lips from each other in order to breathe, Basara gently sucked on her nipples, causing Hasegawa to cry out sweetly. While she looked at Basara’s face as she held onto him with both hands, she was reminded of the cute baby who drank Raphaeline’s breast milk. His body had grown so much that he was even larger than Hasegawa now, and he continued to suck on her nipples lewdly.

…With Toujou, I also….

The moment that vague thought entered her mind — something within her chest pulsed as it became hot. And then

“—?”

Amidst her surprise, Basara released his mouth from her breast, and swallowed something from it.

“Eh…?”

From the tip of her left nipple which had been sucked by Basara, she saw a white liquid lewdly stream down — the moment she understood what that meant…

“T-That can’t be…that’s…”

Hasegawa Chisato turned red as she panicked. It wasn’t as though she was pregnant — to begin with, if she was pregnant with Basara’s child, she would’ve been genuinely happy rather than flustered. Hasegawa was in her Ten Gods form when she activated the contract ceremony, and that meant Hasegawa could exercise that power for Basara. Because Hasegawa had been subjected to Basara’s training for almost a year, the mere thought of him drinking her breast milk had changed the constitution of her body even though she was not actually pregnant. Due to the unexpected shift in the situation, Hasegawa shyly hugged her chest with her arms.

“—Move your arms away, Afureia.”

A command was issued to Hasegawa in a low voice. Hasegawa’s body immediately jolted and she trembled as she looked into his cold eyes. Basara had been so gentle to her just earlier, but his eyes had become cold now, something she hadn’t experienced so far during her training.

“————”

Basara had continued to call her ‘sensei’ up until this point, but he now called her ‘Afureia’ — as she understood the meaning of that, Hasegawa involuntarily gulped. He had seen her break into embarrassment after she began to produce breast milk, and perhaps that was why he decided to make Hasegawa completely subservient to him right now. Hasegawa had the same premonition. It was useless for her to try and run away from Basara’s subjugation right now.

…Ah….

Hasegawa then realised that Basara’s cock was standing erect at a size that she had never seen before — she realised that resistance was useless when she saw it. After undergoing training for nearly an entire year, the pulses that Hasegawa felt within her had an absolute meaning.

“………”

So, Hasegawa slowly lowered her arms which were hiding her chest, and she followed Basara’s instructions.

“…I’ll relieve you now.”

Basara said so quietly with dark eyes, and then gently pressed his lips against her breast — right after that…

“——♥”

Hasegawa had her left nipple sucked on lewdly and she reached an intense climax as Basara drank her breast milk. At the same time, breast milk also began to trickle out of Hasegawa’s right nipple, and womanly juices also oozed out from her crotch.

“Kya…aah…hyaaah ♥”

As she drowned in the intense pleasure, Hasegawa began to find it difficult to breathe, and her body continuously quivered in sweet ecstasy. The face of one of the proud Ten Gods was no longer there, and all that remained was the indecent face of a euphoric woman who had just accepted herself and become a prisoner to the pleasure that Basara could give her. That was the moment Hasegawa Chisato — Afureia of the Ten Gods completely fell. Basara had once again taught her the joy of indulging in pleasure, and she instantly became aroused — by the time Hasegawa realised, she was in the outdoor bath of their room, and Basara was sucking breast milk from her nipples. Out of all the sexual techniques that she had experienced thus far, there wasn’t any other that made her feel more helpless and frightened than the having breast milk sucked from her nipples.

“Haaah, Toujou…a-amazing…aah…more, mmm…fuaa…haaaah ♥”

Every time Basara sucked on her nipple, breast milk also gushed out of Hasegawa’s other nipple and spilled into the hot bathwater. Hasegawa’s breast milk lewdly streamed out like a fountain, and the hot water in the bath which originally should have been transparent was dyed milky-white in the blink of an eye. When Hasegawa thought about how her breast milk wasn’t just feeding Basara’s mouth, but also penetrating his entire body through his skin, she became even more aroused than the time when she was in the male bath with Basara’s six bodies. As Hasegawa recalled that, she completely drowned in the pleasure and succumbed to Basara.

Hasegawa’s erotic figure eventually caused Basara’s reason to be cast aside as intense arousal overtook his mind. Basara pulled down Hasegawa’s underwear which had become completely wet from her own love juices and breast milk in the bathtub — no, having discarded his rationality, Basara wildly tore her underwear off.

“——Aah ♥”

But even so, Hasegawa was immersed in pure pleasure right now, and Basara pressed her against the side of the bathtub as he placed both hands on her shoulders. And then…

“…Sensei…!”

While breathing roughly due to his arousal, he appealed to Hasegawa. What Basara sought from Hasegawa was obvious. In order to protect the promise that they wouldn’t cross the final line with each other, Basara hadn’t taken her underwear off even during their training sessions — but, Basara had now broken that rule. Therefore

“…A-Aah…♥”

Hasegawa trembled with joy. If they crossed that final line, they wouldn’t just be breaking their promise — that would also hurt Mio and the others. Basara valued those girls more than anything else. Nonetheless, the current Basara gave priority to his desire for Hasegawa over his feelings for Mio and the other girls — for the first time, Basara wavered with his feelings of immorality and his sense of virtue.

“…Come on, over here Basara…”

Hasegawa smiled seductively as she slowly spread open her own opening with both of her hands to expose it to Basara in the open-air bath that allowed him to see well despite the lack of electrical lighting.

It was — like an indecent physical health education lesson by a school nurse who was just too beautiful. Hasegawa’s erogenous secret place which had love juices spilling out of it was illuminated by the moonlight, and the sublime manner in which her fluids glistened seemed incredibly salacious.

“………”

As Basara gazed at its appearance, he swallowed his own saliva. As Hasegawa opened her slit up for him…a strand of her womanly honey drooled out like a thread. Its colour was a lewd shade of pink. Hasegawa still had an annular membrane just behind the entrance which served as proof that it had remained untouched by a man, and it was almost as though it looked forward to being penetrated by Basara’s cock. Hasegawa didn’t say anything else. She simply raised her hips up a bit more as if to show it off.

“Fufu…”

She let out a seductive giggle. In that instant—

“———”

That only caused Toujou Basara’s rationality to completely crumble — with his erection standing up to its limit, Basara pushed himself towards Hasegawa’s entrance. Hasegawa’s entrance had been ready to welcome him, and it made a sweet and pleasant sound in the process…as Basara thrust his hips forward, the tip of his cock began to push Hasegawa’s entrance open, and his own rod began to become enveloped by it. And at last, Basara’s tip touched Hasegawa’s annular membrane — and at that moment…

“—Mmmaaaahh ♥”

Hasegawa’s body quivered as she let out a sweet moan, and her body arched as her womanly shower gushed out. The reason why Basara did not penetrate deeply into Hasegawa was the result of the timing with which she raised her hips, and that was nothing short of a miracle. Hasegawa experienced a sensational climax unlike anything that she had ever felt before.

“Haa…ah…T-Toujou…haa, mmm…aaah…♥”

Hasegawa was in a daze, and she panted as her consciousness almost seemed to melt into a completely different dimension of pleasure. —For Naruse Mio, it was her breasts. For Nonaka Yuki, it was her butt. For Zest, it was her ears. The first time he made each of those girls surrender, Basara relieved their curse marks by attacking their weak points to initiate a Master-Servant relationship with them. However, despite training her for nearly an entire year, Basara had been unable to find Hasegawa’s weakness. Nonetheless, since Basara still gave her plenty of pleasure, Hasegawa wasn’t really concerned about it. But now, the hidden truth had finally been revealed.

…So, this is my weak point….

Although she found it acutely difficult to believe, the reverberations of the climax which enveloped Hasegawa told her that it was the truth.

“…………”

Eventually, Hasegawa slowly lifted her body, and moved herself closer to Basara — she spread her legs apart and pressed her butt towards him. Her secret womanly place was absolutely dripping with hot and viscous juices.

“————”

And then, Basara slowly extended his hands towards her.

“Mmm, I don’t want your fingers…Toujou.”

Hasegawa sweetly begged him, and she led his right hand towards her own crotch.  —Just from that, he understood what he had to do. Basara took hold of his manhood with his own right hand — and Hasegawa began to lewdly push herself against his crotch. Basara held onto her perfect body from behind, and then extended his hands forward as he began to fondle Hasegawa’s breasts.

“Haa…a-ah…aah…♥”

Hasegawa suddenly let out a sweet moan as breast milk oozed out of both of her breasts, but she continued to stroke Basara’s cock even faster nonetheless. As a result of the intensifying pleasure that Basara felt, his manhood gradually swelled up, growing in both size and hardness.

“…Ah…sensei!”

The moment Basara cried out with a frantic voice — Chisato Hasegawa led Basara’s cock towards her own entrance, and thrust it into herself. —She made Basara ejaculate directly into her hymen.

Part 11

Toujou Basara saw a dream. In that dream, he watched himself perform various erotic deeds with Hasegawa every single day. Even in his dream, Hasegawa was incredibly beautiful, and he had thoroughly trained her. And, while Hasegawa was in the midst of lewdly performed fellatio on him

“Mmm—”

Basara suddenly woke up and found himself in the Japanese-style room of an inn where a futon had been laid out. Then

“Haa…chuu, mmm…chuu…chuu…fufu, so you’re awake now, Toujou…♥”

A nude Hasegawa said so with a seductive smile while she sandwiched his cock in between the valley of her breasts. Therefore

“…Good morning, sensei.”

As Basara said that, he stroked Hasegawa’s head and then picked up his mobile phone which was nearby to check the current time. It was almost eight o’clock in the morning.

“Sensei, how long have I been asleep since you deactivated the barrier after the end of the contract ceremony?”

He asked in order to check that the year which he spent within the barrier with Hasegawa was real.

“Mmm…chuu…haa…mmm, probably less than two hours…mmm ♥”

“So — have you been doing this the entire time, sensei?”

“Fufu…yes, when I saw your sleeping face, I couldn’t help myself.”

While she switched to completely serve him with her breasts, Hasegawa acknowledged the extent of her own lust. Her eyes were completely obsessed with pure lust…it was no longer possible for her to make any excuses. —After sharing a long contract ceremony, they had been tied together with a new bond. Toujou Basara had completely turned Hasegawa Chisato into his own sex slave. She was no longer a god, and that was an undeniable fact.

“It’s okay…I already belong to you. This was what I wanted, and you responded to my desires. You haven’t broken your promises with anyone. So we can think about our future later…for now, indulge me just a bit more.”

Didn’t he promise?

“Until you return to Naruse and the others — during this trip, you belong only to me.”

Hasegawa said so as she smiled, and she used not only her breasts, but also her tongue and her hands to provide him with sexual service — that was why Basara indulged Hasegawa.

…She already belongs to me, huh….

Having said that, Hasegawa continued to serve Basara with immense joy. Their new relationship — although it was certainly what Hasegawa wanted, Basara was the one who chose to respond. —He could no longer turn back. He had made Hasegawa Chisato his own — the blessing of Afureia of the Ten Gods was his new trump card. That was the choice that he had made in order to protect his everyday life.

Afterwards — when the staff came to prepare breakfast, they didn’t say anything even though they noticed the clear change in their appearance, as well as the changed atmosphere about the two of them. They simply told them to spend their time freely until check-out…to indulge on those words, Basara confirmed his newly formed bond with Hasegawa in the large public bath. Afterwards, the proprietress and all of the staff members sent them off as they got into a taxi which had been called for them. Hasegawa then enjoyed seeing the world heritage temple that she had been unable to see yesterday. In the evening, they purchased tickets and boarded a train back to Tokyo. And until they arrived back home — he kept the promise that he had made to Hasegawa.

Afterword

To everyone who has already read through the story, and to those who are about to read it, thank you for picking up this book. It’s Uesu Tetsuto here.

Now, this eighth volume has both a limited edition and a regular version. Aside from the slightly different cover illustration, the limited edition also comes with an OVA.

As a change from Mio and the other heroines, it details the service scene with Hasegawa which would have been difficult to show in the TV anime. If you purchased the limited edition, then by all means, please enjoy it. And so, the second season [Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha BURST] will soon air in autumn. Please continue to watch it!

Now, from here on I’ll go into a few of the details of this volume. The first chapter acts as a sort of epilogue for the Demon Realm arc which concluded in the previous volume, and some of the content starts to touch on the important parts of [Shinmai Maou]’s setting. The second chapter which follows it is entirely about everyday life. As Basara and the others return from the Demon Realm to their new life of cohabitation, the loli-ero succubus Maria becomes the main focus here. And the third chapter is about the secret love getaway with Hasegawa. Even here, we touch on Jin’s past and its relation to Basara’s birth, an important plot detail and backstory which precedes the events of the first volume. And since there seem to be many fans who are enthusiastic about Hasegawa, I tried hard with the service scenes to meet that expectation, and even I was surprised by the way it finished. Ideally, I wanted to write a story about how the half-vampire Tachibana Nanao and vice-president Kajiura Rikka changed after that Christmas lunch in this volume…hopefully I’ll be able to slot that into the beginning of the next volume.

So, both Yuki and Kurumi had fewer appearances in this volume, but as you can see from the preview, I plan to have them play a very major role in the next volume. —Now, I’d like to thank everyone who was involved in the production of this work.

Ookuma-san of Nitroplus, thank you very much for all of the delicious illustrations this time as well despite getting busier with your schedule! Miyako-sensei…the time for you to draw Maria has finally come! I earnestly agonise over her cuteness every month. Kiso-sensei, I was pleased that I could greet you at Hakusensha’s party. From now on, please go wild and enjoy the mature magazine [Shinmai Maou Arashi!]! To all of the anime staff, thank you for working tirelessly and doing your best on the OVA and now the second season! To the managers and the other related parties, sorry for my terrible progress this time as well…even though I’m grateful to various others, I always end up apologising. And now, to all of the bookstores and everyone who bought this book, I offer you my utmost gratitude. So, please continue to look forward to the next volume of [Shinmai Maou].

Uesu Tetsuto

Translator's Notes and References

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