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Scene shift—Itogami Island.
In the bustling and crowded port lobby, Rias and her group sat waiting on a public bench. The red-haired girl blinked down at the message displayed on her phone screen.
Before she could say anything, Akeno leaned over curiously.
"So, Rias, has Bokue responded yet?"
"Not yet."
Rias shook her head hesitantly.
To be fair, she'd sent the message less than two minutes ago. Although two minutes was more than enough time for a quick reply, it was entirely possible something urgent had distracted him.
But that meant she couldn't predict exactly when he'd reply—waiting anxiously was exactly this kind of feeling.
"Maybe I should call him after all…"
"Sorry I'm late—got caught up in something."
Just as Rias uttered those words, a familiar voice suddenly spoke up from behind.
Oh!
Caught completely off guard, Rias jumped slightly, turning around quickly. Sure enough, it was Bokue Keikain standing there, holding a cat in his arms—clad neatly in a traditional kimono embroidered with the Keikain family crest. Accompanying him were Irina and Xenovia, and... a young girl she didn't recognize, who appeared to be around middle-school age.
"Hmm? This girl…could she be your little sister, Bokue?"
Though she'd never actually met Bokue's sister, Rias vaguely remembered him mentioning a middle-school-age sister before. Noticing their similar black hair, she'd boldly ventured this guess.
Little sister?
What little sister?
Puzzled, Bokue turned to follow her gaze and spotted Yukina Himeragi standing just behind him.
Oh...
But instead of explaining immediately, he mischievously moved around behind the Sword Shaman girl.
"So, what do you think? Do we look alike?"
"Eh, if I had to say…"
Rias found herself momentarily stuck.
Truthfully, they didn't look similar at all—obviously not actual siblings. In fact, they didn't look related in the slightest.
Seeing this, Irina couldn't hold back, stepping forward quickly to clear up the misunderstanding—but Yukina spoke up first, bowing politely.
"Oh no, please don't misunderstand! My name is Yukina Himeragi. I'm a Sword Shaman from High God Forest. Due to a mission given by the Lion King Organization, I visited the Keikain clan today specifically to meet with Mr. Bokue Keikain. I'm definitely not related to him as his younger sister."
"High God Forest… Lion King Organization… I see."
Rias quietly repeated the unfamiliar names, quickly understanding the situation. Then she glanced sideways at the person whose little prank had clearly failed.
"Then, Bokue, you're here because…"
"Exactly as she said," Bokue shrugged lightly.
"To be honest, stopping by Itogami Island at this time was purely convenient. Due to this mission, I'll probably have to stay here for a couple days. I'll return to the Underworld once the matter's settled—tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after."
"I see…"
Rias nodded gently.
It was disappointing she couldn't return to the Underworld with him right away, but it was clear Bokue indeed had business to handle.
And since the girl herself had stated her identity as a Lion King Organization Sword Shaman, Rias wasn't about to treat every girl appearing beside her boyfriend as a rival in love.
"Anyway, Rias, you and the others go ahead first. I'll come join you as soon as I'm done here," Bokue said reassuringly.
"Then, when exactly? Maybe tomorrow I could come back again…" Rias started, slightly hesitant.
"No, there's no need~"
Bokue waved it off casually.
"It's just the Underworld, after all. And especially here on Itogami Island, where there's already a direct gateway connecting to the Underworld. As long as I've placed a spiritual beacon on you, it's extremely convenient to come and go—as easy as it was this time. Just a quick flash, and I'm there."
"Oh, right—also, this."
Bokue stepped toward Koneko, handing her the black cat—Kuroka, currently in cat form.
"Koneko, I'll need you to help take care of Kuroka for the next couple of days."
"Okay."
Without any hesitation, the petite white-haired girl nodded gently, carefully accepting the cat into her arms.
Looking down at the docile kitty in her embrace, Koneko's delicate pink lips gently murmured.
Then—
"Nyaa~"
As though triggered by this quiet invitation, Kuroka also shifted gently in her little sister's arms, lifting her head slightly.
"Nyaa~"
Koneko continued softly: "Nyaa~"
Kuroka echoed back: "Nyaa~"
Watching the girl and cat rapidly descend into their own little feline dialogue, Bokue stepped back slightly, waving goodbye.
"Alright, Rias—go ahead first. I'll quickly take care of business here."
"Mm. See you later in the Underworld."
❁❁❁❁
And so, twenty minutes later.
After saying farewell to Rias and the others, Bokue and Yukina Himeragi arrived at an apartment complex near Saikai Academy's middle-school division on Itogami Island.
With the sun rising higher overhead, it was already around 10:30 AM.
Standing on the sidewalk, Bokue shaded his eyes with one hand against the intense sunlight, gazing thoughtfully upward at the apartment building before him.
"So, this is where our Miss Fourth Primogenitor lives. But at this hour, most people are probably getting ready to eat lunch. Wouldn't it be rude if we suddenly show up now?"
He imagined a scenario where an ordinary household might politely invite them in for lunch. But given the other party was a vampire, he couldn't help picturing an unsettling scene—perhaps she'd open the door, revealing a table piled with bloody human limbs, casually offering them to partake…
Such a sight would definitely be a bit too… macabre.
"Ah, actually, that's not it…"
Yukina quickly checked the time on her phone.
"Although I'd prefer to follow your suggestion, Mr. Keikain, right now I'm actually waiting for the moving company's truck. It should be arriving shortly."
"Huh?"
As if on cue, Bokue noticed a moving truck marked "XX Moving Service" turning at a distant intersection, approaching their location.
The truck stopped beside them, and two movers stepped out.
"Hello, are you Miss Himeragi, the client?"
"Yes, that's me. Please help me move everything upstairs."
❁❁❁❁
At the same moment, in a luxurious high-rise apartment near Itogami Island's bustling city center.
A certain blonde girl sat before a computer desk, eyes fixed intently upon six glowing monitors. Her slender fingers danced swiftly over the keyboard, creating rapid clicking sounds as endless streams of data cascaded across the screens—clearly engrossed in serious work.
"Young Miss, would you care for some exciting news?"
Without warning, the electronic synthesized voice rang out from the otherwise silent speaker. On the rightmost monitor, a small blue virtual pet resembling both a dog and a koala popped into view.
Asagi Aiba appeared entirely unsurprised, responding dully:
"What's the matter now, Mogwai? If you have something, just spit it out already."
"Oh, nothing major—just that your childhood friend seems to be back on the Demon District again. He appeared briefly at the port twenty minutes ago, and now he's near the residential area beside the school."
"…Oh."
Asagi felt a sudden tremor in her heart but quickly forced herself to remain calm, pretending nonchalance.
Ten years ago, he'd left without even saying goodbye. Coming to Itogami Island this time definitely wasn't to visit her.
And if he wasn't here for her, why should she rush out to meet him?
"Oh, by the way," Mogwai continued cheerfully, "Your dear childhood friend seems to be accompanied by a young middle-school girl I don't recognize. Right now, they're downstairs at the apartment building, waiting for a moving company to carry furniture upstairs."
Swinging its small virtual arms, Mogwai enlarged a recent security camera snapshot onto the screen.
The image clearly depicted Bokue Keikain and Yukina Himeragi meeting the movers right beneath the apartment building.
"What?!"
Unable to resist glancing at the photo, Asagi immediately lost all composure. Slamming both palms fiercely on her desk, she bolted upright.
"Absolutely not—I have to stop him right now before he commits a crime!"
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