"—"
The air in the clubroom sank into silence for the third time.
Yukinoshita Haruno looked deeply at Leo, whose smile never wavered, and suddenly stood up.
"Well then, I think that's enough for today." She turned her gaze toward her sister. "I'll be heading home first, Yukino."
Both Leo and Yukino were caught off guard.
"You—you're leaving already?" Yukino blinked, unable to process what just happened.
Leo hadn't expected Haruno to end things so abruptly either.
But Haruno didn't really have much choice.
She'd met countless people before, and from that short conversation alone she could already tell—no amount of clever words or negotiation tactics would work on someone like Leo.
It wasn't that her own skills were lacking, but this man exuded a kind of calm arrogance, as if ordinary rules didn't apply to him. Even the Yukinoshita family name didn't seem to faze him in the slightest.
Haruno understood: continuing this talk wouldn't get her anywhere.
He looked bright and easygoing on the surface, but in truth he was self-assured to the point of defiance—utterly unmoved by anyone or anything around him.
Put nicely, he was confident and assertive. Put bluntly, he didn't play by the rules and couldn't care less about social decorum.
If that was the case, then she couldn't allow herself to fall into his rhythm.
She knew far too little about him. She hadn't done any background digging before coming here, and with such poor preparation, trying to maintain control of the conversation was nothing but wishful thinking.
What gave this boy the confidence to stand toe-to-toe with the Yukinoshita family's heir? What kind of backing did he have to act so casually before her? Haruno realized she'd have to take the time to find out.
Otherwise, she might step into a trap without even realizing it.
So, she decided to retreat for now.
"I haven't told Father or Mother about this yet." Haruno's eyes fixed on Yukino. "Little Yukino, you're not a child anymore. You know what you should and shouldn't be doing. I trust you'll make the right choices."
She straightened her blazer and smiled faintly. "Let's leave it here for today. I'll come visit again soon."
Then, turning to Leo, she added with a bright, disarming smile, "When that time comes, I hope you'll teach me as kindly as you did today, Elig-kun."
Leo's eyes gleamed slightly as he chuckled inwardly.
So this is Yukinoshita Haruno, huh?
Realizing the situation wasn't in her favor, she chose to withdraw decisively, giving just enough ground to set up her next move. Sharp, adaptable, and gutsy.
What a woman.
If she had the aptitude, she'd be worth recruiting as a servant—he'd even consider giving her the Queen piece.
Unfortunately, she didn't seem to have the right potential.
Leo turned his attention inward, toward the Evil Pieces hidden in his subspace.
Of the fourteen pieces he possessed, only eight Pawn pieces glimmered faintly with light. The rest remained completely inert.
Not just the Queen—none of the Bishop, Rook, or Knight pieces reacted either. That meant this "perfect woman" standing before him had far lower aptitude in the underworld than Yukino did.
If Yukino ever found out her flawless sister ranked below her in potential… I wonder how she'd take it.
Leo smiled to himself, amused by the thought.
Still, the Evil Piece reaction was only a guide. It indicated whether someone was compatible and how much potential they had—it didn't mean they couldn't be turned.
The final decision always rested with him. If he really wanted to convert someone into a servant, he could, regardless of their aptitude.
But doing so would waste his Servant Conversion trait and the valuable feedback it provided.
And Leo wasn't one to waste his resources.
So, even if it was a bit of a shame, he let the idea of turning Haruno go.
Without another word, Yukinoshita Haruno left.
Yukino, however, didn't feel relieved at all. In fact, she looked even more anxious.
"You're seriously freaking out? That's not the Yukino I know."
Leo couldn't help but laugh at her worried expression.
"You don't understand." Yukino sighed, her tone unusually tense. "My sister isn't the type to just let things go."
"When she likes something, she'll play with it until it breaks. When she hates something, she'll crush it completely. The only time she does nothing is when she has no interest at all."
"And judging from that smile she gave us... she's not done yet."
"I'm afraid she'll actually dig up something."
Yukino's biggest fear was her family discovering the truth—that she had died once, become a devil, and now served Leo as his servant.
If her parents ever found out, they'd lose their minds.
The Yukinoshita family's precious daughter, turned into a devil—and worse, someone else's servant? That was beyond humiliating.
Even if not for her sake, they'd never accept that out of sheer pride.
Of course, they couldn't actually do anything about it. Their influence in the human world meant nothing against a real devil, especially one of noble rank like Leo.
Still, Yukino feared they wouldn't understand that and would try to challenge him anyway. And if they did, they'd only end up destroyed.
More than anything, she didn't want her family dragged into this world.
She'd already died once because of it—and she knew now better than anyone how dangerous it was.
The devils, angels, and fallen angels might no longer wage open war, but skirmishes still happened. Every one of those could lead to casualties.
For ordinary people, stepping into this world was suicide.
If her family's curiosity led the wrong people to notice them, the consequences would be disastrous.
The thought alone made Yukino's stomach twist with worry.
"I think I get what you're afraid of." Leo sighed, watching her fidget in frustration. "But you're worrying too much. Even if your family somehow got involved, the Church wouldn't just stand by."
"The Church?" Yukino blinked. "They'd actually help my family?"
"Most likely," Leo said matter-of-factly. "The Church has a strong presence in Chiba Prefecture, and your family's one of the major houses there. They're definitely on the Church's radar."
"Devils seek high-quality human partners for contracts—and families like yours are prime targets. Naturally, the Church keeps tabs on them. That way, if something looks suspicious, they can step in to exorcise the threat. Plus, it gives them a chance to build connections and maybe get some generous donations. And if they manage to spread faith in the process? Even better."
"So it's entirely possible your family already has ties to the local Church."
That made Yukino relax a little.
"But what if they actually reach out to them? What if they ask the exorcists to investigate us?"
"Then let them." Leo shrugged. "If they come knocking, we'll just send them away. Like I said—these days, it's the Church that avoids me, not the other way around. If your family's little inquiry exposes who we are, then all the better."
"That way, you can stop hiding and act openly as a devil."
Leo's attitude was as fearless as ever—exactly as Haruno had seen through him: utterly unshakable.
If he'd truly wanted to keep things secret, he could've easily used demonic power earlier to cloud Haruno's memory or nudge her perception.
But he hadn't bothered.
"Anyway," he said, brushing the topic aside, "what we need to focus on is what we're doing tonight."
"Tonight?" Yukino tilted her head. "We have something to do?"
"That's right." Leo nodded. "It's been a month since you became a devil. You've made progress with your devil work, and I assume you've got a handle on your abilities by now?"
"I suppose so." Yukino pressed her lips together. "At the very least, I can control my demonic power now."
She raised her hand, and a soft glow appeared in her palm.
The demonic power shifted fluidly—turning into fire, then water, then wind, then ice.
Among them, the ice was by far the strongest. The others were too weak to do any real damage.
Clearly, Yukino had a natural talent for manipulating ice.
That probably had to do with her Sacred Gear—an ice-type, and a Longinus at that.
"I've got the hang of my Sacred Gear too."
Behind her, faint traces of the Ice Princess began to take form, radiating an intense chill.
"Good."
Leo nodded, satisfied.
"Then tonight, we're going to hunt a Stray Devil."
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You can read up to chapter 48 on patreon.com/NiaXD.