So like that, today we were at a large shopping mall in the city, different from the usual one in Kuoh Town.
Even though it was decorated for Christmas, it didn't feel all that new when we stayed in our hometown, so we decided to go somewhere we didn't normally visit for a change of pace.
By the way, Kuroka wasn't wearing her usual kimono today.
Instead, she had on boots, tights, a skirt, and a sweater—basically giving off a university senior-style vibe.
Her hair was also styled differently, braided into a tail tied behind one ear.
It gave her an entirely different kind of allure.
…Yeah, that kind of look really gets to me.
Perhaps she noticed my gaze, because Kuroka suddenly stepped in front of me and smiled.
"Staring that hard… what's wrong? You thinking about jumping me?"
"I won't deny it, but I'm not going to suddenly go 'let's head to a hotel right now' or anything."
"Oh my, what a shame. I was thinking tonight I'd be 'tasted' together with Shirone and Ravel, so I wanted to soak up all of Ikki's desire before that~ meow."
As usual, she was being her shameless, erotic cat self.
Still, she was at least considerate enough to wait for moments when no one was directly around before saying things like that. I could feel distant jealous stares, but nothing close to killing intent.
It seemed Kuroka had learned a bit of restraint… just a bit. Her desires were still completely leaking out, though.
"But you know~ if all three of us end up completely drained after dealing with Ikki… just thinking about me handling you all alone makes me drool~"
Correction. Not just leaking—overflowing.
Still, I had to say it: even if there were three of them, my pride as a man wouldn't allow me to be the first one to collapse.
And I was training hard enough that I'd even picked up some subtle techniques like silent footwork.
Not that I'm Issei, but… thinking about it, I've basically powered up in my own weird way too.
I lightly tapped Kuroka on the forehead as she started to drift into a blissful, dazed expression in front of me, bringing her back to reality.
Then we went around buying things we didn't usually see in Kuoh Town's mall and played at the arcade.
Using a slightly unfair level of accelerated thinking, we teamed up in "Taiko no Tatsujin" and scored a perfect run, completely dominating the ranking boards.
Too childish? No, no—we're still underage kids, after all.
And it's not like we're even using magic.
But after a while, a crowd started gathering.
"Damn, those two! All those zombies got their heads blown off instantly!"
"Seriously! And their quick-draw speed was insane—only one gunshot sounded the whole time even though it was co-op!"
"They're calculating who shoots what target in advance, right?"
"They're totally in sync. Are they a couple? I hope the guy gets blown up with the zombies too."
Hey, that last one was kinda harsh…
Still, compared to the shooting game we played at the amusement park with Shirone—which was basically live-fire survival at that point—this is nothing. Maybe that park was just insane.
Later, while looking at an accessory shop, Kuroka asked me something.
"Hey, since we've been running around buying presents for the kids… did you get anything for Kokunoe? We're doing a present exchange game at the party later, right?"
The "present exchange" is a little surprise-game among the Occult Research Club members and Sitri peerage, where everyone prepares a secret gift and they're randomly distributed.
You can go safe… or completely go for a gag item.
There's even a small chance you end up receiving the gift you originally prepared yourself.
It's actually a slapstick fan that, when you press a switch, activates Kuroka's gravity magic and sends whoever you hit flying over ten meters in the direction of the swing.
It doesn't really cause damage, but it definitely shouldn't be used on normal humans. Still, most of the participants are devils or angels, so it should be fine.
Later at the party, I saw footage of Rizevim and Michael screaming after getting crushed by simple apples, and Azazel-sensei getting sent flying by Rossweisse's harisen strike after laughing too hard… but that's just a minor incident.
"For Kokunoe, I got a hairpin decorated with snowflakes, and a small keychain of a yellow bird. I wanted something both princess-like and childlike."
"What? You didn't put yourself into the keychain?"
The thing representing my "All Evil" outfit is basically just rags. How am I supposed to turn that into a gift?
And no one sells keychains shaped like my weird twin short swords either.
There are actual figurines of people in the Underworld, but I don't have the courage to give someone a figure of myself. What kind of narcissist does that?
We later had dinner at a scenic restaurant, then went out to enjoy the city's night illuminations and street performances.
Before long, it was time for everyone's devil duties to end.
We were now sitting alone on a bench in a quiet park, warming ourselves with canned cocoa from a vending machine.
Kuroka had also put on a newly bought coat against the cold.
"Hey Ikki, here~"
When I turned, she had wrapped a scarf around my neck.
She was wearing the same scarf, not the long couple type, but a normal single-person scarf shared between us—so our faces naturally got pulled closer.
Kuroka looked up at me from close range.
"Nyahaha… so? Is it warm?"
Damn it… she's usually so rough, but when she switches into this kind of girly mode, it feels like she's doing it on purpose.
"It is. Almost too warm… but I don't want to let go."
My face is already getting hot, and being this close makes my heart pound.
But I don't want to move away even a little.
"Oh? That's the kind of answer you go with?"
"What, you preferred a more physical description of warmth?"
Body temperature-wise… could I eventually do something like touching someone's forehead and guessing their temperature like a doctor from a manga?
"Mm~ that might be a bit much, meow."
"I'll save romance for dates like this… though I'll pass on stuff like 'cheers to your eyes' level lines."
"If you said something like that at the restaurant earlier, I would've been laughing my head off ♪"
Yeah, that sounds about right.
We laughed together for a while.
Kuroka probably had all kinds of cheesy scenarios running through her head too.
"Kuroka."
Once things settled down, I called her name.
"Meow?—Ah!"
The moment she turned toward me, I kissed her.
"Let's go home. The party's still waiting."
"Right—alright! I'm gonna eat so much cake tonight~!!"
You already had dinner though…
And so, we headed toward Issei's house for the Christmas after-party.
Apparently, Yuuto had baked cakes seriously in advance, and they were delicious—but Sona had also secretly prepared a surprise cake, and Saji ended up courageously devouring an entire (horrible-tasting) whole cake by himself, collapsing into bed for a full day afterward.
Honestly, even if it tastes good, eating an entire whole cake is basically a food-fight challenge. It's honestly impressive he managed it.
Later, it was announced that Asia would become the next Occult Research Club president, with Yuuto as vice president, and Rias and Akeno stepping down from their roles.
There was even talk about how to address them afterward, but honestly, calling them "Rias-senpai" should be fine, right?
Eventually, night came, and just when I thought everyone would just go to sleep exhausted—
Kuroka and the others burst in wearing mini Santa outfits.
Thus, we spent a "holy" night together.
The date had already crossed midnight, but honestly, that didn't matter anymore in front of those three's cuteness.
=======[Boss POV]
[Azazel, the reason I'm opening this hotline is simple. I thought you should be informed about Agreas.]
[So something did happen after all. So what's the secret behind that floating city?]
[Yes. Inside Agreas' ruins lies a facility that produces crystal structures serving as the foundation of the "Evil Pieces." Even Ajuka hasn't fully analyzed it yet—and now Agreas itself has been taken. We currently hold roughly a thousand sets of Pieces.]
[ see… so even the "Brave Saint" used similar tech. Worst case, the ability to reincarnate devils and angels could be limited.]
[ndeed. But for devils, the Evil Pieces are deeply embedded into our very existence. If Agreas is destroyed and production stops, the chaos would be unimaginable.]
[Yeah… worst case, corrupt nobles would try to take control of the new devil government. And then we'd end up with inter-faction wars… what a pain.]
[We can only hope it doesn't come to that.]
[Still… I doubt Rizevim stole it just for delayed political chaos. His goal is interdimensional invasion. There must be something more immediate.]
[Agreed. The Holy Grail, the Fruit of Life… pieces are gathering under him. If this continues, the 666 Trihexa may truly revive.]
[kki stopped the theft of the Holy Cross and delayed the Fruit of Knowledge falling into the Kriemhild side, so we've bought some time… but even the Holy Grail alone is enough to trigger revival if handled right. Damn it… just thinking about the Fruit of Knowledge makes me laugh again—ah, my stomach hurts!]
[…I saw that footage too. That boy Ikki really is something else.]
[Yeah. Issei causes miracles. Ikki causes disasters. And somehow, both end up stopping Rizevim's plans anyway.]
[Maybe Ikki-kun could even solve things if Trihexa actually revived.]
[Maybe. But we can't rely on that. We adults have to be ready to clean up the mess when the worst happens.]
[Agreed.]