Chapter 102:
– Haru –
The last old satan devil leader was wailing in agony, screaming a non stop torrent of vile, hateful insults aid straight at my girlfriend, Naruko.
"You filthy fox whore! You don’t deserve your power! You and your mutt-blooded—" he shrieked, voice cracking.
He never got to finish.
Naruko’s jaws clamped down hard on his legs with a sickening crunch, her massive fangs sinking into flesh and bone like they were paper. Flas roared beneath her paws, keeping her suspended mid-air like a demonic fox goddess of wrath. She whipped her head back and forth violently, her eyes glowing with pure fury.
The devil’s body flailed helplessly in her grip, limbs flopping as she shook him with brutal force.
"You keep talking about my bloodline like you’re anything worth shit," Naruko growled through clenched teeth, voice distorted from her fox form and anger. "You insult my family, you insult . And you just lost the right to keep your damn legs!"
The devil howled, the words turning into broken sobs as bones shattered audibly inside Naruko’s maw. Blood splattered across her muzzle, thick and dark, but she didn’t stop until his cries turned into wet, gargling whimpers.
Floating nearby, Serafall looked noticeably uncomfortable, shifting awkwardly in midair as Naruko had suddenly barged in and taken over her fight. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, blinking rapidly as she tried to decide whether to comnt or just pretend it didn’t happen.
Finally, she muttered, "Uh... I had that under control, you know." Her voice was high-pitched and tight with forced cheer. "Totally didn't need help. I an, not that I mind! Naruko's... very thorough." She gave a stiff thumbs-up and a nervous laugh, eyes darting between and the giant red fox tearing through what was supposed to be her opponent. "Yep. Totally cool. No bruised pride here. At all."
I gave her a sheepish smile at those words.
"Damn, Haru," Azazel's voice broke through my concentration as he floated up beside , clapping a heavy hand on my shoulder. "Why are all your won so scary? Don’t you know that’s bad for your prolonged health…” he said with a shudder that I imagined ca from experience. The guy had been a known womanizer for thousands of years and I imagined he pissed off more than a few powerful angels or even goddesses…
Below us, the enemy devil's hateful threats toward Naruko's family had finally subsided. Now, he was openly sobbing, pleading desperately between bouts of choking agony. With a snarl, Naruko stopped shaking her prey and spat him out violently in Serafall's direction.
Instantly, Serafall reacted, snapping her fingers with a sharp crack. A pillar of glimring ice shot up from beneath the sobbing devil, encasing his battered, bloodied body in a solid block of crystal-clear frost. His whimpers were instantly muffled as the freezing sealed over his face.
Serafall hovered there, frowning down at her neatly gift-wrapped opponent. "Well, I guess that’s one way to wrap up a fight," she muttered. Her eyes still flicked uneasily toward Naruko’s towering fox form in the air next to her. "I an... I was going to finish him myself," she added, then paused. "Eventually. Probably with sothing a little more elegant than a full-body chewing. But hey, teamwork, right?"
Sirzechs and Ajuka had flown off to apprehend Katerea.
Unlike the original ani tiline, we hadn’t killed her—I’d knocked her out cold. That ant she’d be captured, restrained, and dragged off for interrogation.
And knowing the kinds of twisted thods Ajuka Beelzebub had at his disposal, I could only imagine what kind of creative, horrifying shit she’d be subjected to.
My ears twitched uncomfortably. Yeah, she was a terrorist. Super evil. A racist psycho who wanted to enslave humanity and erase everyone who wasn’t a pure-blood devil. Still… I wouldn’t wish whatever nightmare Ajuka could cook up in his lab on anyone...
Near the old school building, we saw Gabriel standing next to Rias, who was holding Gasper tightly in her arms. The poor guy still looked rattled, but alive. Gabriel extended her hand over him, bathed in a warm golden light that shimred across the area.
"Let take on so of your trauma," Gabriel said gently, her voice soft and lodic. "After all, I am now an angel of love and justice!"
Gasper closed his eyes slowly as Gabriel's golden light poured over him, illuminating his pale skin with a soft, almost healing glow. A faint shudder ran through his body, followed by a long, shaky exhale. "It... it feels lighter," he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper. "It’s not as scary now…”
Rias held him tighter, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes as she smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Gabriel. Thank you so much for helping my precious bishop."
Gabriel’s radiant smile never faltered. She lowered her hand and responded in a tone that was both warm and absolute. "Of course. Devil or vampire, it doesn't matter to . Pain is pain, and everyone deserves healing." Her wings gave a soft flutter as she spoke.
Gasper looked up at her, eyes wide and shimring. "You're... really different from what I thought angels would be. The Levia-tan show made think you'd be all evil..."
Gabriel leaned down slightly. "That's just because she's jealous I have higher popularity polls in the underworld," she finished with a wink.
The sad part that was actually true. Yes, there was a real poll for the sexiest won in the underworld, and on top was the Archangel Gabriel, followed by the magical Satan Serafall, and then surprisingly my girlfriend Rias Gremory.
A second later, Serafall landed nearby. Her magical girl outfit fluttered around her legs, and her wings vanished as she stepped closer. She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks in irritation. "Excuse !?" Serafall shouted, pointing her sparkling wand directly at Gabriel. "Being a magical girl of love and justice is MY thing! You can't just pop in here and try to copy , you big-breasted blonde bimbo!" Her voice cracked slightly near the end, not really threatening, more of a codic pout than a declaration of war.
Gabriel didn’t even blink, obviously used to Serafall’s childish rants at this point. She just smiled serenely and said, "You can keep your SMALL underworld fanbase, Serafall. I’m aiming to be the angel of love and justice for the entire multiverse." She turned back to with a smile that was practically weaponized beauty. Her lips curled just right. "Haru said I could," she added sweetly.
Serafall spun toward , tears welling up in her eyes—clearly fake, but impressive nonetheless. "Haru! I want to be a multiversal magical girl too!" she whined, stomping her foot so hard the entire area shook for a second...
"You can't because you have a job to do, Serafall," Ajuka’s dry voice cut in as he and Sirzechs approached. “And don’t knock down any buildings, repair costs are already coming out of our budget as it is…”
Sirzechs dumped Katerea’s unconscious body onto the ground beside us with a solid thud. Her face was swollen from where I’d punched her full force earlier—one side of her jaw visibly misshapen, lips split, and dried blood streaked across her cheek. I’d decked her pretty damn good.
The Archangel Michael wandered over next, surrounded by a group of younger exorcists he had been shielding throughout the battle. Even when they were unfrozen—they were all still kind of useless.
Most of them looked pretty shaken—wide-eyed, pale, their gazes flicking nervously across the bloodstained school grounds. Bodies were everywhere, broken and scorched, so still faintly smoking where they’d crashed to the earth from the sky above.
The sll of blood, ozone, and burnt fabric hung heavy in the air. Whoever was in charge of cleaning all this up was going to have one hell of a job—and probably a biohazard suit.
…Not my problem. At least, I hoped not. Then again, considering Rias technically owned Kuoh Academy and I was her boyfriend... yeah, odds were it was going to sohow beco my problem. Damn…
I let out a slow sigh and rubbed the back of my neck. My golden fox ears perked up when I realized soone was missing. As I scanned the area, sothing clicked in my head. "Hey... what happened to Vali?" I asked, turning to Azazel.
He gave a shrug. "Vali decided to jump ship right at the beginning. Took a few of the younger Khaos Brigade recruits and vanished during all the initial fighting. I has been betrayed sadly." he finished playfully.
I stared at him, deadpan. "You don’t seem all that concerned that your adopted son just betrayed you mid-battle."
Azazel waved off. "I'm sure it will be fine!"
So yeah—this was still lining up with the canon tiline after all. Vali joins the Khaos Brigade to spy on their leaders before betraying them at the end.
"You’re really not worried about Vali being so close to Ophis?" I asked.
Azazel blinked, clearly not expecting that. His eyes widened. "Wait—Ophis? As in, the actual Ophis? The Khaos Brigade has her in their ranks?"
I nodded.
He visibly swallowed. The casual smirk dropped from his face, replaced with a flicker of genuine concern. "...Shit," he muttered. "That’s... yeah, that’s worse than I was expecting. Vali’s good, but Ophis..."
I shrugged and chuckled. "I’m sure it’ll work out."
He gave a look like I’d just told him the sun was going to take the day off. Oh wait, she literally did almost every single day...
"How the hell are you not more worried? It’s freaking Ophis. What if she cos after Kyoto?" he asked, a bit—ok more than a bit nervous.
"Pretty sure Milim is stronger," I replied calmly.
Azazel stared at . "Milim…? That pink-haired girl?!" he asked, voice rising in disbelief.
"If anyone could slap Ophis around, it'd be her."
Azazel looked like he was about to argue, but then stopped. "Your life is weird, and that's saying sothing from my perspective, kid."
"And even if Milim sohow isn’t stronger—which I still think she is—I could always bribe Ophis. Candy, headpats, whatever immortal dragon lolis like best."
There was a long silence. He just took a couple steps away from , playfully raising his hands up in the air. "I DO NOT KNOW THIS MAN, OFFICERS! ARREST HIM!"
I exhaled slowly and muttered to myself, "Yeah... that sounded kinda creepy in hindsight."
Azazel just laughed under his breath and shook his head.
Turning away from him, I looked back at Michael, who stood silently with his hands folded behind his back. His golden wings drooped a bit. He was obviously not happy with how the peace talks had gone, but who said we had to end them here?
All things considered, it's not like any of us died.
"So, should we get the peace talks eting back underway?" I asked.
That got everyone’s attention. Every high-ranking figure turned to look at in surprise at my blunt question. But none of them were the first to speak up.
Xenovia broke the silence first. "After everything that just happened, you seriously want to continue the eting like normal?!"
"Yep," I said simply, nodding. "Although... Maybe Gabriel and Michael could leave the kids at ho this ti." I winked at her in particular. She was a lot more chill in the ani AFTER becoming a Devil. Unfortunately that didn't happen in this tiline.
"That's a great idea, Haru!" Gabriel smiled at , before telling the exorcists to go back to the hotels.
The younger exorcists—Xenovia, Irina, and the others—all let out a collective groan and pouted. Xenovia stepped forward, glaring in my direction, then shifted her scowl toward Gabriel. "I still don’t trust Lady Gabriel being anywhere near this perverted Yokai prince!" she said bluntly.
"Hey!" I protested. "That's uncalled for. Mildly true, maybe, but still uncalled for!"
Gabriel tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "I find Haru charming. Besides, he's been quite respectful so far."
"Look," I continued, raising my hands, "how about everyone who's actually important cos back with to my restaurant in Kyoto? We can sign the peace treaties there. And have so amazing food, courtesy of of course," I bragged.
"I’m down," Azazel said without hesitation. "That hot dog was amazing, but after all that fighting I could use a real al."
Gabriel’s wings fluttered behind her as she smiled warmly. "Haru’s cooking is heavenly."
Michael gave a small nod. "I cannot disagree. I’ve only had the pleasure once, but it was morable."
Rias stepped forward, still gently holding Gasper. "You all go on ahead. I’m taking Gasper back to Kuoh with the rest of my peerage. He needs rest."
I frowned, glancing at her. "Are you sure?"
She nodded. "He’s been through enough. I’ll catch up later."
That’s when Naruko, back in her normal yokai form, suddenly latched onto my arm. Her grip was tight, her voice sugary sweet in that way that only ant danger. "You didn’t forget about , did you, Haru?"
I swallowed hard. "Of course not, Naruko. In fact... I was actually planning to take you on another long, romantic evening date. Just the two of us. To start making things up to you!"
From the corner of my eye, I saw Azazel giving a silent thumbs up, the smug bastard. I just rolled my eyes.
Sure, I’d fucked up with Naruko. Sleeping with Kushina hadn’t exactly earned any points in her book. But, Azazel’s fuck ups over the years with powerful supernatural won were far more legendary.
—
A couple of hours later, I flipped the wooden "OPEN" sign hanging on the front door of my restaurant to "CLOSED."
Naruko was waiting for .
While the faction leaders and I had been stuck inside finalizing every clause of the peace treaty, Naruko had taken the chance to return to the Leaf Village and get changed. And she had gone all out.
She wore a stunning, deep red kimono embroidered with golden thread in the shape of swirling flas and fox tails, the fabric flowing gracefully around her curves. Her long, crimson hair had been elegantly styled and pinned up with ornate lacquered kanzashi, a few gentle strands left to fra her face. Even her nine fox tails had been carefully brushed, fluffed, and lightly scented with sothing soft and floral.
She looked like Yokai royalty.
I just stood there for a second, silently taking her in. And doing my best to not start ntally undressing her of course. Was it bad that I was now comparing both Kushina and her naked in my mind. I shook my head, horny thoughts—although they were DRUNK horny thoughts—got into this ss, and they weren’t going to get out of it.
Being a perfect gentlefox would…
Besides, Kushina was already back in the Leaf Village, wanting to enlist as an active kunoichi with Tsunade. She was a woman that didn't like sitting still.
I'm sure she'd be fine, because she was pretty strong...
"Wow," I finally said with a smile, stepping closer to Naruko. Taking in her lovely appearance and scent up close. "You look... unbelievable."
She gave a small smile and looked away for a mont, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "Thanks, we don’t have many dates so I put in more effort than last ti…"
"Well, you definitely did. So," I extended a hand, "do you want to go out sowhere, or... were you thinking of a private al with just the two of us here?"
The blush deepened. Her fox ears twitched slightly. "I was thinking maybe... sothing new. Sothing different. Maybe so exotic food neither of us has ever tried before?" she suggested.
Before I could respond, a soft pop echoed through the room. A tightly rolled piece of parchnt materialized on the counter beside us, tied with a familiar blue ribbon. Of course she was watching.
The voyeur goddess had perfect timing as always.
I unrolled the parchnt. Written in her smooth, looping script was a simple ssage: "I have found the perfect romantic date location for you both. Go quickly or you’ll miss it."
I chuckled and looked up toward the ceiling. "Thank you, beautiful!"
I’d still never actually seen her—not once. The mysterious goddess was as powerful as she was cripplingly shy. But even if I never laid eyes on her, the kindness in her actions had already made her beautiful to .
Naruko giggled softly and stepped beside . She reached out and hooked her arm through mine, her fingers warm against my sleeve. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, her tails gently swaying behind her.
"Well then, Haru," she said with a teasing smile. "Lead the way."
I pulled the door open once more, holding it for her as we gazed out at a new world.
Both Naruko’s and my eyes went wide.
We had arrived in so kind of alternate version of France. I could recognize the architecture instantly. But there was sothing strange too. Half of the city, stretching out toward the hills in the distance, was encased in shimring, blue translucent crystal.
Towers and rooftops were frozen mid-movent like so kind of magical ti-lock had swept over part of the skyline.
Still, that mystery could wait. What caught our attention imdiately were the flowers. Every direction we looked, flower petals danced in the air like confetti. Garlands hung across the streets. Stalls and carts were overflowing with bouquets. Musicians in brightly colored sashes played stringed instrunts and drums, while dancers moved through the streets.
"Wow..." Naruko purred. She bead with joy as she took a few steps forward and tugged my arm gently to follow her. "This all looks like so much fun!"
It really did. The whole place felt enchanted—like we’d stepped into a dream or a painting.
...But sothing was off, too. Not everyone looked cheerful. Mixed among the joy and excitent were quieter faces. A few people wore black veils. Others placed flower wreaths at street-side shrines or lit candles beside portraits. There was an underlying sadness here.
"Maybe... so kind of mourning holiday?" I said aloud, more to myself than anyone else. "Like Day of the Dead?"
Naruko tilted her head toward , but she was barely paying attention. “Day of what now?” she asked absently, already pulling toward a nearby food stall.
The sll of roasted dough and cinnamon had clearly won her focus.
We stopped at a wooden stand lined with baskets of golden, twisted pretzels. My stomach growled as soon as the scent hit . I instinctively reached into my own pocket—only to realize I didn’t have any of this world’s currency.
I was already opening my mouth to ask if they took gold when the vendor, a tall man with a gray beard and laugh lines around his eyes, handed us each a pretzel with a cheerful grin.
"Free of charge," he said in a thick accent, waving off my hand. "For a couple with such beautiful costus. Very convincing!"
"Thank you!" Naruko said brightly, her tails twitching with excitent as she took her pretzel with both hands.
I gave the man a nod of appreciation. Sotis it really was easier to explain away our fox features as cosplay. Especially in places like this, where I hadn’t seen a single non-human so far.
"Happy Gommage!" the vendor called out cheerfully as we stepped away.
"Happy Gommage!" Naruko echoed back, then took a bite of the soft pretzel. Her eyes lit up imdiately. She moaned softly in satisfaction, her ears flicking. "Oh gods... this is amazing! It’s sweet and salty and buttery all at once." She turned to , chewing happily, then asked between bites, "What’s Gommage an, anyway?"
I shrugged, watching the festival unfold around us. Musicians were setting up at the next corner, and I could see a procession of lanterns forming at the far end of the square.
"No idea," I said honestly. "But I’m sure we’ll find out...."
XXX
Reviews
All reviews (0)