In a few days, Koneko Toujou would follow Rias back to the Underworld.
But before then, Koneko's daily life hadn't changed much. She still lived with Jeanne Alter, sharing meals and sleeping in the same room alongside Jeanne, Asia, and Ophis.
At this moment, only Jeanne Alter was in the room, lying on her bed with a flushed face as she eagerly flipped through a shoujo manga.
Whenever she reached a particularly exciting scene, she would emit quiet yet excited gasps—"Oohhh!"—covering her eyes in embarrassment, only to peek through her fingers a second later, blushing yet thrilled.
"Oh! Ohhh! They're kissing! And it was the heroine who initiated it? Ugh…so bold…"
To avoid alerting anyone outside, Jeanne deliberately kept her voice low. Her charming face was already glowing with an adorable crimson blush, her wavering eyes unwilling to miss a single detail from the manga's pages.
Eventually, her gaze settled firmly on the illustration of the protagonists' lips meeting.
Imagining something, Jeanne Alter's eyes glazed slightly as she gently raised her hand, lightly touching her own soft lips.
If only…I could do this with Master…
"Uuu…"
With an ambiguous whimper, Jeanne flipped over abruptly, pressing the manga to her burning face as her tiny, pearlescent feet kicked wildly in the air.
"Miss Jeanne…?"
When Asia entered the room, Jeanne nearly had a heart attack. In lightning-fast reflexes, she shoved the manga under her pillow and sat firmly upon it.
Asia looked at her curiously, asking, "Miss Jeanne, is everything alright?"
"Huh…? Alright? Of course! What could possibly be wrong with me here? Ahahaha…nothing at all!"
"But…Miss Jeanne, your face is so red…"
"Eh? Is—is it? Well, that's probably because…it's hot! Right, it's definitely hot! Oh dear, summer vacations are scorching, aren't they…ahahaha…"
Jeanne awkwardly laughed, full of obvious holes in her story, waving her hand to fan herself, even pulling at her collar, trying to reinforce her ridiculous excuse.
Fortunately, the one standing at the door was Asia. Though her intuition hinted something was off, she trusted Jeanne's words implicitly, choosing not to probe further.
A little later, Jeanne stared oddly at a bare wall.
"I distinctly remember a TV here…why is there only a hole now?"
With suspicion, she turned towards Asia and Ophis…these two had been watching TV in the living room moments ago.
Asia immediately tensed, nervously hiding her small hands behind her back, but her innocence was obvious. The true culprit was Ophis, who maintained her usual expressionless demeanor.
Perhaps Asia felt responsible because she hadn't stopped Ophis in time.
"Ophis…" Jeanne crossed her arms, looking down at the small dragon girl, "Explain yourself."
Ophis responded without a shred of guilt. Truthfully, she was still confused, her tiny head filled with questions.
"The TV broke, so I remembered Jeanne fixed it by hitting the upper right corner three times last time. I tried the same…"
Even now, Ophis couldn't understand—she clearly copied Jeanne's method, so why was the result so different?
Seeing Ophis's genuine confusion, Jeanne's lips twitched slightly, but no scolding escaped her mouth.
Thankfully, Ophis hadn't caused a big commotion—no explosions or shockwaves. The TV had simply been reduced to ashes by her single slap, leaving the wall intact and the barrier hiding Ophis's presence undamaged.
"…Next time something happens, come to me first. Don't try to handle it yourself."
"Oh."
No harsh reprimand, just a calm reminder. The incident quietly ended there.
If this happened in an ordinary household, the child responsible would surely face a stern lecture or a beating. But their household was far from ordinary—if the TV broke, they'd simply buy another. After all, they didn't lack money, and ordinary children couldn't turn a TV into dust with a slap anyway.
The bathroom's fluorescent lights were on, indicating occupancy.
The tap hadn't been fully turned off, droplets occasionally breaking the silence as they fell into the basin.
"Koneko, why are you taking so long? Ophis still needs her turn."
Jeanne knocked gently, not immediately entering.
"…Koneko?"
No response. Jeanne's brow furrowed slightly, concern rippling in her heart.
"…I'm coming in."
Stepping into the small bathroom of their modest two-bedroom apartment, Jeanne instantly spotted Koneko. Relief momentarily eased her tension—at least the worst scenario hadn't occurred—but confusion quickly followed.
"Koneko, if you're here, please answer…"
Again, no reply.
Jeanne knew this wasn't normal. At this distance, Koneko couldn't have missed hearing her. Jeanne moved closer, calling softly, "Koneko? Koneko?"
Still silent, Koneko's head remained lowered, expression unreadable.
Though Koneko was naturally reserved, she'd never been completely unresponsive.
Sensing the abnormality, Jeanne reached out to gently touch Koneko's shoulder.
"Ah…"
As if startled awake, Koneko lifted her head, eyes clouded with confusion. Gradually, her gaze focused on Jeanne, voice tinged with surprise.
"Jeanne…senpai?"
"Koneko, are you feeling unwell? You've been spacing out here so long that you didn't even notice me approaching."
Jeanne's concern deepened.
Then, Koneko fell silent again.
With hazy eyes fixed on Jeanne's face, a blush spread slowly over her cheeks like crimson ink diffusing through clear water, deepening steadily.
As if in a trance, Koneko tilted her head up, her small face inching closer to Jeanne's.
"Koneko."
Once more, Jeanne gently called her name.
This finally worked—Koneko jolted awake, shivering as if doused in icy water. Realizing their awkward proximity, her blush deepened dramatically.
Whoosh!
Like an arrow released from a bow, Koneko suddenly exploded into motion, fleeing the bathroom in a swift blur and shutting the door firmly, as if fearing pursuit.
A mere door couldn't stop Jeanne, of course, but she remained frozen in place.
"So... is Koneko going to brush her teeth or not?"
Well, that question was significant, though Koneko's long, strange daze was equally concerning.
If Jeanne checked the internet about prolonged dazes, she'd probably get answers like epilepsy, dissociative disorders, depression, anxiety, hypothyroidism, Alzheimer's, or ADHD…but none of these matched Koneko's situation.
Who'd ever heard of a devil with Alzheimer's?
Jeanne resolved to keep observing and consult Rias tomorrow.
Yet the issue escalated far quicker than expected.
Night fell, enveloping everything in tranquility.
After lights-out, Asia and Koneko slept quietly under the blankets, their breathing and heartbeats audible in the serene darkness.
Initially, Koneko moved in to monitor Jeanne. After Asia joined, her surveillance expanded. Now, suspicion had essentially cleared, yet Koneko never mentioned leaving. She lived naturally as if she belonged.
Once Ophis arrived, their small home became even more cramped. Despite having a spare room, all four still slept together, leaving the spare room unused.
Jeanne wondered why Koneko chose to stay. Was she monitoring Ophis? Unlikely. Rias's "monitoring" was merely a formality to reassure the Devil nobles who didn't even know of Ophis's existence. Was it for Asia? Possibly—Jeanne often saw their close friendship. Perhaps Rias let Koneko stay for Asia's sake.
Lying down, Jeanne was about to close her eyes when a petite body snuggled into her arms. Ophis? Wasn't she asleep?
But no—Ophis still clung tightly to Jeanne's arm.
Jeanne startled awake, looking down to see Koneko emerging from under her blanket, her eyes sparkling like gems.
"Hehe…"
Koneko giggled softly, climbing onto Jeanne's stomach.
With misty eyes and flushed cheeks, Koneko resembled a drunken kitten, adorable and vulnerable.
"Senpai... I like you..."
She was clearly drunk—her words made no sense.
Jeanne's mind was spinning, even more so when Koneko suddenly puffed out her cheeks.
"Senpai... you're mean... Why can Ophis kiss you? Why can Ophis sleep with you? I want to sleep with you too... I want kisses too... Unfair…"
"Wait, Koneko, snap out of it! You're acting strangely…"
"No waiting! I've waited long enough... I can't hold back anymore…I won't lie to myself anymore... nya..."
Koneko's voice carried a seductive kittenish charm as she leaned forward, gently cupping Jeanne's face. With a dreamy look, she softly pressed her warm, moist lips to Jeanne's cheek.
"Chu~♡"
Incidentally, Koneko kissed precisely opposite the spot Ophis had previously kissed.
Realizing Koneko wasn't joking and actually made a move, Jeanne panicked, pushing her away carefully to avoid hurting her.
"Wait! Koneko, you're not yourself—"
But what happened next completely crashed Jeanne's brain.
Grasping Jeanne's hand, Koneko brought it to her lips. Breathing heavily, she ran her tongue between Jeanne's fingers, leaving a tempting trail before sensually kissing down to Jeanne's wrist. With lingering desire, she playfully nipped Jeanne's thumb.
"Senpai's taste... I love it..."
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T/N: POAGMOGAG OIMG????