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Scene switch—
Having left the café, Bokue had already returned to the guest room in the blink of an eye.
He'd already cleaned everything inside the room before leaving. So the bedroom remained clean, tidy, and odorless.
On the bedroom's central full-size bed, two beauties still lay quietly under the covers. Steady breathing sounds transmitted from within.
Bokue walked from the entrance to bedside. Just then, a corner of the bedding suddenly lifted.
The beautiful woman who'd seemed asleep the previous second gently opened her smiling eyes, pushing aside the covers to extend both arms toward the young man at bedside.
Without pretense or resistance, Bokue immediately lifted Venelana from the bedding in a princess carry, coming to sit at the tea table by the window.
Bokue sat in the chair. Venelana sat on his lap.
"...So Obasan was already awake?"
Glancing at Grayfia still lying in the bedding with absolutely no reaction, Bokue asked in lowered voice.
He didn't deploy soundproofing barriers. After all, having already done even that together, many things no longer needed such formality.
"No, actually just woke up~"
Venelana smiled with pursed lips.
"Speaking of which, quite coincidental. The moment I regained consciousness and opened my eyes, first thing I saw was you right before me, Bokue. Plus... why are you even wearing clothes?"
The beautiful woman just noticed the bathrobe the young man wore.
While together with them, he was actually still wearing clothes? Wasn't that a bit too formal?
"Went out briefly earlier."
Bokue explained, his gaze sweeping past the note he'd left on the bedside nightstand.
Still in original position, completely unmoved.
After all, Venelana only just woke. Not having seen the nightstand note was quite normal.
"I just met Serafall for coffee."
"Serafall? Why?"
Venelana froze slightly.
Due to childhood playmate relations between Rias and Sona, she knew quite well this Serafall Leviathan from the Sitri family—currently one of the Underworld's Four Great Maou. The two families' relationship had always been quite good.
Though impression-wise, Serafall and Bokue seemed to have no connections? The two had met just a few times. Even Sona and Bokue couldn't be called that familiar.
Why suddenly meet for coffee?
"About matters between you, Grayfia, and me, Obasan... she just overheard outside the door earlier."
Hesitating about how exactly to phrase it, ultimately Bokue still chose directly getting to the point.
"Oh!"
Hearing this, even Venelana couldn't help freezing.
Honestly, she hadn't expected Serafall would discover matters between her, Grayfia, and Bokue.
This problem wasn't major, though not exactly minor either.
Because ultimately the result would just be Rias and Sirzechs finding out. But conversely, Serafall seemed to have no reason spreading this everywhere.
After all, if just overhearing outside the door—first, no evidence existed. Second, even if she really told Rias and Sirzechs, the latter two wouldn't necessarily believe.
Plus, most importantly—from Venelana's understanding of Serafall, she truly didn't think the latter was the type who enjoyed gossiping behind backs. At most, she'd be slightly shocked after knowing, then continue doing whatever.
Though out of caution, Venelana still asked one more question.
"Mmm... so? Did Serafall make any demands?"
"No."
Bokue shook his head, his hands supporting the beautiful woman's legs showing slight downward tendency as he lifted her higher again.
"She made no demands. Even said she'd help us keep the secret."
"...I see."
Though somewhat surprisingly pleasant, thinking carefully seemed reasonable.
After all, as stated above, Serafall wasn't the type who enjoyed reporting behind backs. Even objectively speaking, could be considered a girl with quite good personality in all aspects—quite likeable.
"Though she seems to have some small ideas."
Bokue briefly recalled before adding another line.
"Small ideas? What small ideas?"
Confirming no immediate risk of matters between her, Grayfia, and Bokue being exposed, Venelana's voice immediately became much more relaxed.
"Probably because she knows our relationship, so she seemingly wants to also include Sona or even herself..."
Bokue hesitated, not stating things too explicitly.
Though he knew clearly Venelana could understand his meaning.
Bokue's emotional intelligence wasn't low. Unlike wooden protagonists popular in current Japanese light novels, he could clearly sense whether others held goodwill or hostility toward him.
Back at the café, Serafall's attitude could almost be called explicit hinting.
"Mmm~ that's not bad. If Bokue likes it, just agree directly."
Venelana only thought briefly before giving affirmative response.
This left Bokue somewhat unexpectedly surprised.
"Hehe, why that expression? Obasan is being serious."
Detecting the young man's expression change, Venelana smiled faintly.
"Obasan said before, right? We devils and you humans have some differences in certain concepts—especially regarding spouses... sufficiently powerful males can possess far more spouses than others."
"Plus honestly, Bokue, you're now also part of our Gremory family. At least half counts for sure. With our Gremory family's support, plus if you can connect with Serafall's side—not exaggerating, from now on the Underworld will also become your private territory."
"? I have zero interest in conquering the Underworld."
Bokue hastily clarified.
Ultimately he was someone without much power lust—more accurately, completely none. Taking Itogami Island was purely for convenience. As for managing the entire Underworld... forget it, truly not interested. Wouldn't want it even free.
"Obasan naturally knows this too."
Seeing the young man's expression of finding it troublesome, Venelana couldn't suppress light laughter.
But soon this smile transformed into faint melancholy.
"Just that child Sirzechs was truly taught too well by me from youth. Too soft in personality. So even though he's now rightfully become Maou through his own strength, he's still occasionally criticized by those old fossils."
"So if possible, Bokue, how about you also consider... mmm!"
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Meanwhile, in the adjacent guest room.
Splash—
Accompanied by stirring water sounds from the bathroom, inside the bathtub, Sona rested her soaked arm on her forehead blocking overhead light. Her entire body lay in cold bathwater.
Though doing this theoretically wasn't healthy for females—especially becoming extraordinarily torturous during menstrual periods—as a devil, Sona could completely ignore these minor bodily effects.
But even so, she still completely couldn't cool down her body.
Current Sona—the moment she calmed her mind, those words overheard earlier outside Venelana's adjacent guest room door involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
And just recalling those words that previously seemed utterly indecent to her, she'd inexplicably feel a certain...
"Whatever, better return later. Gives Sona-chan more time too... Waiter! Another parfait!"
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