Things have become more and more troublesome...
Walking out of Kuoh Academy, Jeanne Alter glanced back at Koneko, who had been silently trailing behind her with her head lowered since they left the school gates. She couldn't suppress the frustration bubbling inside.
"So, are you seriously planning to come home with me and stay at my place?"
"Those are Buchou's orders."
Holding onto her school bag, Koneko followed Jeanne Alter step by step, resembling an obedient elementary school student. Her flat, emotionless tone made it unclear whether she was answering Jeanne or talking to herself.
"Since it's an order, I have to follow it."
Though Koneko said this, she certainly knew the true reason behind Rias sending her to stay with Jeanne.
Jeanne Alter was simply too unpredictable and powerful, someone who needed to be closely watched… At least, that was the public reason, meant to placate other devils who might worry.
Jeanne had already demonstrated strength comparable to a high-class devil. Although it wasn't enough to cause huge trouble, sending someone like Koneko, merely a mid-class devil, to watch her would be ridiculous. If Jeanne really wanted to cause harm, Koneko wouldn't even have the chance to escape or call for help.
Therefore, Rias's true intention wasn't really surveillance—rather, it was to mend the relationship between Jeanne and Koneko.
"Jeanne-san getting frustrated because of you just shows how much she cares about you, right?"
Those words from Akeno echoed in Koneko's mind, comforting her while she'd been quietly sulking alone yesterday.
Although she still felt awkward about it, thanks to the gentle persuasion of her friends, Koneko gradually began to understand Jeanne's actions. A human magician with no backing truly had no choice but to hide their power to live peacefully in this world, dominated by powerful supernatural factions.
Possessing extraordinary abilities but longing for an ordinary life… Koneko could somewhat relate to Jeanne's feelings. She herself wished that kind of peaceful existence could continue forever.
Unfortunately… she didn't have the freedom to choose.
She truly hated that power within herself…
Lost in her own thoughts, Koneko suddenly stumbled, her upper body lurching forward.
"Careful."
Jeanne quickly reached out, catching Koneko under the arms and preventing a humiliating fall onto her face.
"Honestly, how can a crowded sidewalk have a loose brick like this? Someone could really get hurt!"
Jeanne grumbled, helping Koneko regain her balance.
"Are you alright?"
"…I'm fine."
A proud devil like Koneko certainly wouldn't get injured from just tripping, but her carelessness still made her cheeks flush with embarrassment.
"What were you thinking about that made you lose track of your surroundings?"
Jeanne casually asked, genuinely curious what could occupy Koneko's mind so thoroughly that she didn't even notice the uneven pavement beneath her feet.
But she received only unsettling silence in response.
Scratching her head awkwardly, Jeanne glanced around for something to break the uncomfortable mood and quickly noticed an ice cream stand not far away.
"Wanna have some ice cream? My treat."
When confronted with tangled, unsolvable feelings, distraction was a reliable solution. Running from problems might seem shameful, but it was undeniably effective. Some things just needed time; focusing too much on immediate solutions could lead one into an emotional dead-end.
Jeanne believed sweets could effortlessly boost happiness.
...
Returning home, Jeanne instantly felt her tension ease.
Even though her only true possession now was her soul, she couldn't shake some deeply ingrained Chinese habits—particularly the profound sense of comfort upon returning "home." Like a game character regenerating health at the base, stepping into her own place immediately rejuvenated her spirit.
As soon as Jeanne opened the door, the first thing she saw was Ophis standing motionless behind it, staring at her intensely like a baby bird waiting to be fed.
Come to think of it, Ophis had stood exactly here when Jeanne had left for school in the morning… Was it possible she'd literally stood there unmoving the entire day?
That'd be incredibly foolish, but it certainly seems like something Ophis would do.
Deciding against asking something silly like "Did you really stand there all day?", Jeanne simply lifted the bag she held, allowing Ophis to see its contents—ice cream.
"Here you go, your favorite ice cream."
Jeanne handed the bag full of ice cream to Ophis.
Now Jeanne didn't need to worry about money or stomachaches from overeating ice cream. She finally had the ability to achieve her childhood dream—eating ice cream until she felt sick!
Though her current body wouldn't get stomachaches, she discovered from experience that excessive ice cream still caused brain freeze. In that aspect, Servants didn't seem much different from ordinary people, something Jeanne didn't mind too much—after all, even Kanna from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, an actual dragon, got brain freeze from ice cream.
Looking at the ice cream in her hands, Ophis remained still and silent. Jeanne had already changed her shoes and entered the living room, yet Ophis still stood in the same spot, staring at Jeanne with those bottomless, dark eyes.
Jeanne raised an eyebrow, puzzled by Ophis's delay, as if she were lagging like a character stuck due to network latency.
"Is something wrong?"
The more she interacted with Ophis, the more Jeanne felt that Ophis was as pure as a blank sheet of paper.
Precisely because she's so pure, someone as 'wicked and complicated' as me can't read her at all.
Under Jeanne's questioning gaze, Ophis raised the bag again.
"I want Jeanne… to feed me."
Jeanne increasingly felt like Ophis was a pet cat she'd taken in—not only waiting at the door for her to return, but also demanding to be fed. Though she hadn't raised any cats herself (that one named Coco had been Jasmine's), she found the situation oddly familiar.
Not that Jeanne was particularly interested in cats. They couldn't turn into catgirls anyway, and even if they could, they'd probably still be less attractive than her.
Sigh… being too beautiful can really be troublesome.
"Alright, go sit on the sofa first. I'll wash my hands, then come over and feed—cough—I mean, help you eat the ice cream."
Jeanne pointed towards the couch, speaking in an indulgent tone.
Feeding such an adorable girl was something the past her—who'd get nervous even talking to girls—couldn't have imagined. She saw no reason to refuse, especially since refusing might cause Ophis to get upset and casually blow the city sky-high.
Ophis obediently nodded and settled on the sofa with the bag, sitting still as a porcelain doll. Jeanne suspected she could maintain that pose all day without moving.
At that moment, Jeanne felt another gaze burning into her back.
"What's wrong, Koneko? Do you also want me to feed you ice cream?"
She teased lightly, knowing full well Koneko was still annoyed with her and would never agree.
She caught a brief flash of surprise on Koneko's face, quickly replaced by a stern glare.
"Jeanne-senpai… your thoughts are unhealthy."
"We're both girls. Isn't that taking things a bit too seriously?"
Jeanne responded helplessly.
What could two girls possibly do that's unhealthy? It's not like we can have kids.
...
For the next week, Koneko lived with Jeanne. Including Ophis, who refused to leave Jeanne's side, the three girls shared Jeanne's apartment.
Fortunately, Jeanne had anticipated sharing the space when purchasing the apartment, opting for a two-bedroom layout. Even with three occupants, it wasn't crowded—especially considering Ophis and Koneko were both petite girls.
With only two beds available, Jeanne was uncomfortable making either of them sleep on the floor or share a bed, deciding instead to let them both have beds while she slept on the floor herself.
However, despite Jeanne's thoughtful intentions, neither Ophis nor Koneko seemed to appreciate them.
"Jeanne's scent… is comforting. I want to be closer."
"My mission is to monitor Jeanne-senpai… If we sleep separately, I can't complete my task."
Thus, Ophis and Koneko firmly rejected Jeanne's suggestion.
In the end, Jeanne compromised: Ophis and Koneko shared the bed while she set up a futon on the floor in the same room. This arrangement finally settled the debate.
Even then, Jeanne occasionally woke up with two peacefully sleeping little girls sprawled on top of her.
Seriously, there are two perfectly good beds in this apartment, but everyone insists on sleeping on the floor. If beds had feelings, they'd probably cry.
Since Koneko was staying at Jeanne's place, the two began commuting together, sparking endless gossip among the students at Kuoh Academy—though neither girl paid any attention to these rumors.
Jeanne shuddered to imagine the uproar if she or Koneko were seen commuting daily with a boy instead. Given their immense popularity, the students would probably lose their minds.
Jeanne's charisma was similar yet opposite to Koneko's universally adored cuteness; Jeanne was admired not for being cute, but for her strong, commanding aura, capturing fans with her confident arrogance and disdainful attitude toward everything.
Sometimes, while walking down the hallways, Jeanne heard unsettling shouts like "Queen! Step on me!" or "I want to be Jeanne's dog!"—moments that made her deeply regret her keen Servant hearing.
Even Rias had teased her about it… though Jeanne wasn't sure if teasing indicated friendship or hostility.
And that was how Jeanne spent that entire week.
Time passed swiftly, and soon, Koneko resumed her normal routine—answering summoning requests and returning home late each night.
A week was enough for Rias to judge Jeanne's intentions and for Jeanne and Koneko to reconcile. Koneko mentioned that Yuuto and Akeno had covered her jobs, with certain regulars complaining about her absence—likely lolicons whose dedication wasn't swayed even by Akeno's dangerous charms.
Jeanne instinctively wanted to keep Koneko away from such clients, but Koneko reassured her that suspicious requests were handled by specialized devils, leaving only safe ones for Rias's peerage.
Specialized devils… succubi?
Jeanne spontaneously combusted at the thought.
She briefly ignited herself and nearly set the apartment on fire.
All these events filled the past week until this afternoon when Jeanne walked home alone.
"I wonder why Koneko had club activities today—what exactly does the Occult Research Club even do?"
Suddenly, a shout startled Jeanne from her thoughts—a nun had dramatically fallen face-first onto the street before her.
Jeanne's first reaction was—
"Is this… a scammer?"
Damn society has conditioned me to run instead of helping. How pathetic.
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T/N: FENGHUANG!!! GIRLS CAN DO SO MANY THINGS TOGETHER!!!