— — — — — —
Shuchiin Academy — Tōtsuki Division.
Inside the clubroom, Nakiri Erina finally let out a long sigh of relief as she looked at the finished dish in front of her.
Due to the limited time and lack of proper ingredients and equipment, all she could manage to whip up was a simple pan-seared steak.
But even so...
The aroma wafting from the meat was so mouthwatering that she found herself gulping down her saliva multiple times without realizing it.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Is... my God's Tongue actually craving this?"
Erina's voice trembled slightly.
Ever since awakening the God's Tongue, this was the very first time she'd experienced something like this.
"Could it be... this piece of meat?"
Swallowing hard, Erina stared intently at the steak on the plate. And as she did, the craving from her God's Tongue only grew stronger.
I want it... I want it so bad...
I NEED it!!
Shaking her head vigorously to snap herself out of it, she suddenly remembered the message she was sending through the Devil Link app.
Food that could satisfy even her God's Tongue...
And just like that, the Devil casually sent her a piece of unbelievably high-grade meat?
Was this the kind of food Devils usually ate?
Her mouth was practically overflowing with drool now. Her gaze locked onto that piece of meat, her eyes subtly taking on a reddish hue, her breathing becoming ragged.
The rich aroma filled her nose, causing her entire body to tremble— even to the point of slight spasms.
She looked like a crazy horny person.
But...
She managed to keep a sliver of rationality and quickly pulled out her phone.
"Um... Mr. Devil, how should I deliver your payment?" she typed, glancing at the neatly plated steak prepared earlier.
Buzz—
A reply instantly came through.
["Just place your payment near the phone. That's fine."]
Erina bit her lip but followed the instructions.
Buzz—
Suddenly, a pitch-black magic circle appeared out of thin air.
The otherworldly sight made Erina's heart race like crazy.
What the hell... there really are supernatural beings in this world!?
And in the very next second—The steak next to her phone vanished without a trace.
Another message popped up on the Devil Link screen.
["This request has been completed. Looking forward to working with you again."]
Erina let out another deep sigh.
Looking forward to next time?
Like hell that's happening!
She absolutely didn't want to deal with Devils ever again!
But still...
Up until now, she'd always thought creatures like Devils only existed in manga and novels.
Yet after today... her entire view of the world had been flipped upside down.
This world... isn't as simple as she thought.
Erina felt a little uneasy.
It really did feel like she'd gotten herself on a Devil's radar...
That ominous premonition wrapped around her like a fog, making her extremely restless.
"Well... whatever. Let's eat first…"
Gulp.
Erina stared at the remaining steak on her plate.
No hesitation.
Like a starving beast, she grabbed her fork and attacked the meat without a second thought.
And the very instant that meat entered her mouth — Erina's eyes widened to the max.
"Ahhhh~"
Her breathing quickened, a moan escaping her lips as her body instinctively squirmed.
Her fair, delicate cheeks instantly flushed a deep red.
Her vision blurred.
It felt like she'd been transported to a completely different world.
A world steeped in ancient elegance — traditional-style buildings everywhere — people working diligently — but what truly shocked her was—
"Y-Yokai!?"
One after another, strange creatures — each more bizarre than the last — were walking, floating, and laughing happily as they strolled down the bustling streets.
The scene before her was like a living painting, making her feel oddly at peace.
Lost in the sensation, Erina didn't even know how much time passed before she finally snapped back to reality.
And without realizing it...
The steak on her plate was completely gone.
Gulp.
She swallowed again.
"That... that was absolutely divine!!"
Face flushed, heart pounding, Erina was overwhelmed with excitement.
This was hands down — the best thing she'd ever tasted in her entire life!
And the crazy part? She hadn't even done any complicated prep work!
Maybe no amount of fancy technique could possibly enhance this level of premium ingredients!
"Haa... haa..."
Her nostrils flared, breathing heavy.
"The satisfaction... my God's Tongue is overflowing with joy..."
After a while, she gradually calmed down.
Clutching her phone tightly, Erina's gaze fell on the Devil Link screen as she bit her lip hard.
Now that her God's Tongue had tasted something this amazing...
How the hell was she supposed to go back to eating normal food!?
Damn it!!
Looks like she really had no choice but to keep dealing with the Devil...
Fortunately, she was currently in her post-satisfaction phase, so her mind was clearer.
Letting out a long breath, Erina hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly bookmarked the Devil Link site.
Just... just this once!
(Guess meat could be classified as drugs now?)
— — —
Meanwhile — Shuchiin Academy, Supernatural Research Club.
After tasting the pan-seared steak Erina had personally made, Lynn rubbed his chin. "Hmm... Even though it was just a simple seared steak, it's definitely a few levels above Mahiru's cooking."
Of course—Mahiru's skills were already excellent.
But compared to a professional like Erina?
Yeah, still a bit of a gap.
And on top of that...This was different meat.
"Mhm..."
"Looks like I just found myself a top-tier personal chef for my Familia, huh?"
Buzz—
Suddenly, Lynn's phone vibrated again...
"Rias?"
Seeing the sender of the message, Lynn raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
[Rias: "Lynn, after what happened last time, my brother has decided to officially grant you the title of Ultimate-Class Devil, and he's planning to assign Valifer's territory under your name as well."]
[Rias: "But... since he's not sure how you feel about it — and also worried that some people might come looking for trouble because of this — he asked me to check with you first."]
"Ultimate-Class, huh?"
Lynn shook his head.
[Lynn: "I'm not really interested in the Ultimate-Class Devil title."]
---
Kuoh Academy — Occult Research Club.
When Rias saw Lynn's reply, her expression twitched slightly.
Ultimate-Class Devil — in the Underworld, that's a rank only second to the Four Satans themselves.
And Lynn just... straight-up said he wasn't interested?
But honestly...
"This might actually be for the best..."
Rias also didn't want Lynn to draw too much attention and end up becoming a target for the Old Satan Faction.
Bzzz—
Another message from Lynn.
Rias quickly checked it.
[Lynn: "I don't care about the title, but I'll take Valifer's territory."]
[Rias: "Got it. But... taking over Valifer's territory might stir up some unnecessary trouble. Do you want my brother to handle it quietly behind the scenes?"]
[Lynn: "No need."]
[Rias: "But still..."]
Rias couldn't help but feel a little worried.
Meanwhile, back at the Supernatural Research Club, Lynn's lips curled into a faint smirk.
[Lynn: "Old Satan Faction, huh?"]
[Lynn: "If they've got the guts, let them come."]
[Lynn: "Oh, and make sure Sirzechs makes this as high-profile as possible."]
Seeing Lynn's messages, Rias froze for a second... then let out a helpless laugh.
"As expected of Lynn..."
Not only was he completely unfazed by the idea of the Old Satan Faction coming after him — he was actually worried they wouldn't show up unless he made enough noise?
Seriously...
It's exactly this kind of Lynn that makes her heart race.
After daydreaming for a moment (and blushing a little), Rias quickly snapped back to reality and used magic to relay Lynn's message to Sirzechs.
Once that was done, Rias turned her gaze toward Koneko, who was quietly munching on snacks.
Just like Lynn had said that day, Koneko was still living her normal life at Kuoh Academy and hadn't left the Occult Research Club.
But...
She didn't hang around the club nearly as much anymore.
"Kinda mysterious lately..." Rias muttered, then asked directly, "Koneko, have you gotten stronger recently?"
Hearing that, Akeno also glanced over. She'd noticed something different about Koneko too.
Koneko casually popped another snack into her mouth. "Maybe it's because I've learned to control Youjutsu and Senjutsu."
Rias blinked in disbelief. "Already?"
Koneko nodded.
"But..." Rias frowned in concern. "Isn't messing with Youjutsu and Senjutsu kinda dangerous? Doesn't it risk going out of control?"
Koneko shook her head. "It's fine. Senpai already helped me take care of that."
Thanks to her new skill, [Yokai-Sage Resonance], which she acquired after joining the Familia, the problem of energy rampage was practically resolved.
---
—[Yokai-Sage Resonance]—
•Stabilizes the fusion of yokai energy (Youjutsu) and senjutsu.
•All yokai-based attacks inflict "Ki Corrosion" effect, gradually weakening enemy's magic resistance
---
"That's good to hear."
Rias let out a breath of relief.
Her feelings were complicated.
She'd always known Koneko had great potential... but honestly, while Koneko was under her care, she never really managed to help her develop that potential properly.
Looks like...
Leaving her to Lynn was the right call after all.
— — —
Meanwhile, in the Underworld — Capital City, Lilith.
After hearing Rias's report, Sirzechs rubbed his temples with a helpless look. "He really said that?"
Rias's projection nodded. "Yeah. Every word."
Sirzechs fell into deep thought for a moment before finally saying, "Alright... let's do it his way."
Once the discussion was over, Rias's projection slowly faded away.
On the side, Serafall propped her chin on her hand. "So, he's planning to make a move against the Old Satan Faction?"
Sirzechs nodded. "Pretty obvious, isn't it?"
Otherwise, why would he deliberately make such a huge scene?
"Using himself as bait, huh... that guy's got guts."
Serafall clicked her tongue, but her heart leaned even more towards the guess she'd been holding onto for a while now.
This level of confidence... it really is exactly like that person.
"Well, it makes sense," Sirzechs said calmly. "Rather than constantly being stalked by snakes in the dark, it's better to lure them out into the open."
The Old Satan Faction had always been good at hiding.
Searching for them was not only annoying but also a waste of time.
Lynn's approach? Extremely efficient.
After all...
Just hearing the name Valifer was enough to set the Old Satan Faction's hatred meter straight to max.
But still... Pulling this off required enough strength to back it up.
Even though Lynn was already at the level of a Maou (Satan-class), and he even had light-based powers that specifically countered Devils, Sirzechs still couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"Relax."
Serafall waved her hand casually, "It'll be fine."
"…Hope so."
Sirzechs fell silent for a moment, then added seriously: "Just in case… if the Old Satan Faction makes a move, I want you to go support Lynn in the human world."
Serafall: "?"
Her face stiffened slightly, and for some reason… her butt started feeling a little tingly, like something bad was about to happen.
...
Meanwhile—Deep in some remote mountain forest…
A white cat lay lazily on a tree branch, being gently stroked by Iwanaga Kotoko, who wore a mysterious smile.
The white cat, staring at Kotoko with wide eyes, spoke in disbelief.
"Princess… are you seriously gonna sell me to a Devil?"
"Hey, hey, don't make it sound so awful..."
Kotoko said with a completely straight face, "I'm not selling you off — I'm finding you an owner."
"Himari, don't you wanna have a proper master too?"
Kotoko's tone turned soft and persuasive, trying to talk the cat into it.
Himari Noihara flicked her tail, obviously unhappy. "…But it's not like I'm the only yokai around, right?"
(A/N: Himari Noihara from Omamori Himari.)
Kotoko fell silent.
(Yeah, but you're a cute female cat, and most importantly… you don't have any weird drama attached to you.)
(…A good yokai like you should test the Devil's gun first, right?)
Himari felt Kotoko's strange look—the kind that meant something bad was about to happen.
.
.
.