— — — — — — —
Haruno eventually left, still feeling both doubtful and worried.
"Yukino…" she muttered with a helpless shake of her head.
Some things, she could let her sister handle in her own way.
But when it came to personal safety, shouldn't Yukino at least talk to her family and ask for help?
"…Sigh."
Still…Even if Yukino wouldn't say anything, Haruno had her own ways of finding out.
Her informant at Shuchiin Academy would take care of it!
Yes, that's right—you're up, Shizuka!
Hiratsuka Shizuka: "Huh? Again?"
After hanging up the phone, Hiratsuka looked completely speechless.
Wait, so your sister's life is important, but your friend's life isn't?
Supernatural stuff? Yeah, no thanks—I want nothing to do with that!
Sure, she had fantasized about being the protagonist of an anime before, but…
Now that something like this was actually happening in real life, of course, she'd want to run away!
"…Just keeping an eye on Yukino shouldn't be too much of a problem, right?"
She hesitated, but in the end, she made up her mind.
Yukinoshita Yukino was still her student, after all.
Helping students with their troubles was a teacher's duty!
— — —
The next day - Kyoto
Isayama Yomi casually returned to the Environment Countermeasures Bureau.
She didn't think there was anything strange about walking into the Bureau as a Devil.
But her boss clearly had a different opinion.
Jinguji Ayame stared at Yomi with a complicated expression, feeling deeply troubled.
She had already heard the news from Natsuki last night.
When she first learned what had happened, she was completely in disbelief.
But now…Here Yomi was, standing in front of her—as a Devil.
One of her best subordinates had gone on a mission… and ended up selling herself to a Devil?!
Sure, it was out of her control…
But still…She couldn't help but feel frustrated!
Another promising human talent… stolen by the Devils!
Ayame was losing her mind!
Ever since Devils gained the ability to reincarnate other races using their Devil's Pieces, humanity's already limited pool of talent had suffered even more.
And to make matters worse…
That damn Devil not only took her member but even had the nerve to demand payment from them for it!
This was ridiculous!
Unacceptable!!
At the end of the day… This was all that damn Witch of the Void's fault!
She asked her to find someone for help, and she found a Devil instead?!
…Though, to be fair, Yomi was the one who summoned him herself.
Yeah, there was really no helping it…She had to do whatever it took to survive.
Ayame didn't blame Yomi—she just had a massive headache.
"What are you planning to do from now on?" she asked.
Yomi blinked at her in confusion before replying, "What do you mean? I'll just keep doing what I've been doing."
Ayame: "…"
"Your Devil master didn't give you any orders?"
"Hm… He just told me to keep doing what I normally do."
"…Alright, then."
Ayame frowned.
What was this Devil thinking?
Placing his people inside a government organization?
What was he up to?!
Not that she had a choice in the matter.
Yomi was already a valuable asset, and now that she was a Devil, she was probably even more useful.
Ayame was tempted.
They were already using witches who made contracts with Devils, so what difference did one Devil member make?
"Fine," Ayame said decisively.
"But won't it be hard to explain to your family?"
At that, Yomi paused before calmly answering, "Doesn't matter."
— — —
Afternoon.
Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath and stood outside the Supernatural Research Club.
She had spent the entire afternoon sitting alone in the classroom, struggling with her thoughts, before finally making up her mind.
She was going to sell herself out.
From last night until now, she had been trapped in a cycle of doubt and hesitation.
But through that internal battle, she realized: admitting your own weakness wasn't a sign of weakness.
She had always prided herself on being strong.
Yet she had constantly ignored her own fragility.
The incident at the old school building had torn away that illusion.
She saw her own weakness clearly.
Finally, she accepted her own weakness.
She now understood—true power was having the courage to admit your own fragility!
Goodbye, weak and helpless self!
With newfound determination in her eyes, Yukino grabbed the door to the Supernatural Research Club, pulled it open without hesitation, and bowed deeply without even looking inside.
"Lynn-senpai, please let me join you!"
She had mustered every ounce of courage she had to say those words that had been weighing on her heart for so long.
But then…
Silence.
A long, suffocating silence.
Cold sweat began to form on her forehead.
W-Why wasn't anyone saying anything?
Was she not sincere enough?
Did she not even qualify to join Lynn's Familia?
Or worse…
Did Lynn-senpai not like her?
Yukino's mind spiraled with anxious thoughts, and deep inside, a sense of fear crept in.
If Lynn didn't accept her…
Then this was it.
Her entire life—ruined.
That realization sent a wave of panic through her.
She had spent so long hesitating, struggling with the decision of whether or not to join Lynn's Familia… but she never once considered— Would Lynn even want her as a Familia member?
Why would he?
Just because she was cute?
There was a time when she might have arrogantly thought that.
But… Lynn's other Familia members—weren't they all beautiful cute girls?
Fear and uncertainty wrapped around her like a fog.
It wasn't that Lynn needed her.
It was that… She needed Lynn.
With her head lowered, her gaze drifted down to her own "imperfect" body.
"Ugh…"
"Huh?"
"Hey… isn't that Yukino?"
"What's she doing?"
The sudden voices echoing down the hallway pulled Yukino out of her thoughts.
She instinctively straightened up, looking toward the source of the voices, only to freeze in shock.
The Supernatural Research Clubroom… was completely empty.
Realizing this, she let out a long sigh of relief, though her legs suddenly felt weak, forcing her to brace herself against the doorframe.
"Eh? It really is Yukino!"
Stiffly, Yukino turned her head and saw Yuigahama Yui walking toward her, arm-in-arm with a blonde gal.
"Yukino, you…" Yui's expression was complicated.
Yesterday, Yukino had refused outright when they talked about joining the Supernatural Research Club.
Yet now… here she was, standing at its door.
Meeting Yui's gaze, even someone like Yukino couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
"Well, well, it really is Yukino, huh?"
The blonde gal, Miura Yumiko, clicked her tongue in amusement. She had never seen Yukino looking so vulnerable before—this was big news!
Yukino's expression remained blank, emotionless.
Even though she had just been caught in a somewhat embarrassing situation, she didn't care.
But…Yui's gaze made her feel uneasy.
"I have things to do. I'll be going now."
Yukino chose to retreat, turning away and leaving in one smooth motion.
"Wait! Yukino!"
Yui instinctively moved to chase after her.
"Huh?"
Miura Yumiko blinked in surprise, then quickly called out, "Yui, weren't we also going to—mmph!"
Before she could finish her sentence, Yui—who had taken a few quick steps forward—whipped around and tied a hand over her mouth.
Yukino hesitated mid-step, turning back to look at Yui.
Feeling Yukino's gaze, Yui's body stiffened. Slowly, she turned to face her.
A brief silence stretched between them.
There was a Silent Understanding between them.
Finally, Yui spoke. "…Yukino, can we talk?"
"Mm." Yukino nodded.
Miura Yumiko watched as Yui and Yukino prepared to leave together, and her expression darkened.
"Yui, you're just going to ditch me like that?"
Yui tensed up, fumbling for words. "Yumiko, it's just… um… this is kinda hard to explain, so—"
She wanted to say, please don't follow us?
But she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.
"Hmph!"
Yumiko crossed her arms, looking annoyed but clearly determined. "Oh, now I haveto know what's going on. I'm coming too!"
Yui let out a deep sigh.
Yukino shot her a glance, her expression carrying a faint warning. "Just remember—you might not like what you find out."
"Tch, like I care!"
The more they tried to push her away, the more curious she became.
— — —
Faculty Room
Minamiya Natsuki sat in her chair, lazily fanning herself as she scanned Yurikawa Hana with narrowed eyes, full of doubt.
"So, this is the one you claim can use Ki Flames with her fists?"
Hana looked like a completely normal student.
Where exactly did she seem capable of wielding something as advanced as Ki Flames?
As a teacher at Shuchiin Academy, Natsuki had an eye for talent. There was no way a student's hidden potential would escape her notice.
"What? You don't believe me?" Lynn smiled.
Natsuki didn't answer, but her expression said it all.
"Wanna bet? If I'm right, why don't you become my Familia?"
Natsuki's face immediately darkened. "You damn pervy lolicon, I swear I'm gonna throw you in jail one day!"
"Eh? Is Natsuki-chan joining Lynn-senpai's Familia too?!"
Hana's eyes widened in shock.
Smack!
A folding fan appeared out of nowhere, landing hard on Hana's head.
"Ow!"
"Don't call me 'Natsuki-chan,' and definitely don't add a '-chan' to it!"
Retracting her fan, Natsuki shot Hana a glare. "And for the record, when did I ever say I was joining his Familia?!"
Hana rubbed her head, mumbling under her breath.
"If Lynn-senpai sets his sights on you, there's no escaping it…"
"Natsuki-chan, you'll end up as a Familia member for sure!"
Natsuki looked at Lynn and Hana then said, "Let's go. I'll take you to find that idiot."
.
.
.