Koneko slipped from the hall like a ghost.
I followed her without drawing attention, weaving past the last of the aristocrats and stepping beneath the endless stretch of night sky that blanketed the forest behind the estate.
The sounds of celebration faded behind us, replaced by the hum of cicadas and the rustle of wind through leaves. Koneko moved swiftly, almost frantically, her golden eyes narrowing as she scanned the shadows. Every few steps her ears twitched, tracking something unseen… something she feared.
She stopped suddenly.
Her breathing hitched. Her tail stiffened. Her gaze locked onto a patch of darkness deeper than the rest.
I followed her line of sight just as a voice—smooth and strangely affectionate—slipped through the air.
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
A figure stepped out as though she'd always been there—revealed by the moonlight like a phantom unmasked.
A woman clad in a black kimono embroidered with swirling gold. Long dark hair cascaded freely down her back and over her shoulders. Her eyes—slitted like a predator's—glowed with dangerous intelligence. And perched upon her head, unmistakable beneath the moonlight, were two furry black cat ears.
Koneko froze. Her lips parted. Her pupils shrank with pure shock.
"Kuroka-neesama…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
The woman smiled—softly at first… then with a hint of sorrow hiding behind mischief.
"Hello, Shirone," she purred. "It's me… your onee-chan."
The air turned cold. Koneko stepped back instinctively, her nails lengthening in response to the mounting tension coiling in her body.
"…Stop it," she muttered under her breath. "Don't call me that."
Kuroka didn't react with anger. Instead, her expression dimmed, as though stabbed by a memory she'd long wanted to forget.
"Still so stubborn," she murmured. "But it's okay… I'm happy just to see you doing well."
Her eyes flicked toward me then—curious, judging, and calculating all at once. A predator assessing a potential threat.
"So," she hummed, tilting her head, "are you the one protecting my little Shirone now?"
I stepped forward, placing myself slightly in front of Koneko—subtle enough not to provoke.
"Hallo, Koneko's sister. I am an issei."
"Oh, so you're the Red Dragon Emperor. Vali talks so much about it." Then she looked at Koneko.
"Onee-chan is very impressed that you came this far following after this black cat that sneaked into the party."
"...Nee-sama. What is this about?"
There was anger in Koneko's voice. But Kuroka just smiled.
"Don't make such a scary face. I just had some minor business to take care of. I heard that the devils were holding a big party here, you know? That's why I was a little interested. Nyan♪"
Kuroka waved her hand like a cat and winked cutely! So cute!
"Hahahaha, could it be that you're a member of the Gremory group?"
A voice that I had heard from somewhere before spoke out. Then, a good-looking man wearing what looked like ancient Chinese armor came out—it was Son Goku Bikou! Vali's comrade! I remember he was the reason why Vali escaped previously at the Three Power Conference.
Suddenly, Bikou's gaze turned to look in the direction of me.
"Yo, It's been a while, hasn't it, Issei?"
"Yo, damn monkey-san. Is Vali doing well?"
"Hahahaha, pretty much. As for you... Heh, so you've become a little stronger, huh?"
*Only a little* While I thought that in puzzlement, Bikou spoke while smiling.
"Didn't I tell you? I also have an interest in senjutsu, and I know the flow of your spirit to a degree. The volume of aura that covers you has risen since we last met."
Well, that wasn't what I thought.
Oh, by the way, senjutsu is different from magic and sorcery. The biggest difference is that senjutsu stresses the importance of something called chakra, the aura that is the great original power that flows into one's spirit, in other words one's life force, and turns it into a constant current. It's a power that is both similar to and different from the magic of demons and the light power of angels. Its direct destructive power can't match that of magic or the power of light, but senjutsu can make use of the unknown part hidden within plants, animals, and people. For example, if one learned senjutsu, it's said that they excel at reading the flow of someone's spirit, of their aura, and that they can also grasp the movements of a faraway target to a certain degree.
"Why are you here? Is this a terrorist attack?" I asked this, but the two of them just smiled.
"No, we didn't come down here for such a thing. It's just that a standby order has come out in the Underworld. I and Kuroka are off-duty right now. When the order was given, Kuroka suggested visiting the devils' party. Since she likely wouldn't return easily, I came along with her too. Okay?"
"Oh, that's it, then why don't we all disperse? I and Koneko are still enjoying the party. They just brought this amazing pudding; if we are any later, then we will miss it. So Koneko, why don't you go back?"
~~~
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