To help Koneko return to normal was actually quite straightforward—just keep her away from individuals with overwhelming auras. In other words, putting distance between Koneko, Jeanne Alter, and Ophis would gradually calm her down.
However, this was just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Ultimately, the real issue lay in Koneko constantly suppressing her innate powers. Unless she accepted them, this problem would eventually resurface.
But this was an emotional issue—something outsiders couldn't easily solve.
Rias decided to depart early for the Underworld. Partly to separate Koneko from Jeanne and Ophis, and partly to have her brother, Sirzechs, examine Koneko's condition, hoping he might offer advice.
That very day, Kuoh Academy suddenly became empty.
Incidentally, their method of travel to the Underworld was surprisingly a train.
Somewhat akin to the mysterious Platform 9¾ from Harry Potter, the Kuoh town station had a hidden platform known only to devils. From there, Rias and her peerage boarded the Gremory family's exclusive Underworld Express.
Azazel also took advantage of their ride, accompanying them to the Underworld—much to Rias's apparent displeasure, judging from her expression.
After Rias and the others left, Jeanne felt—not sure if it was just her imagination—that not only Kuoh Academy and their home, but the whole town had grown quieter.
In summer, one always longed for rainy days. Once the sun emerged, scorching heat seemed to melt the pavement, accompanied by incessant cicada calls, making her mind restless.
Jeanne sprawled lazily on the sofa, dressed only in a loose white t-shirt and shorts barely better than underwear.
It was a scene that would've made anyone's pulse quicken—yet sadly, no one was around to enjoy the view.
"Ah, life... " She sighed dramatically, utterly decadent.
"Boring... Pointless... I've become a worthless salted fish with no dreams left... "
Her past self would never have imagined that she'd one day find summer vacations even duller than school days.
"Come to think of it, how exactly did I spend my holidays before?"
Jeanne stared blankly, scratching her exposed stomach absentmindedly, golden eyes slightly glazed as she began reminiscing.
But... she couldn't remember clearly.
Gaming, binge-watching anime, gaming again, binge-watching more anime—and suddenly the holiday was over?
No, that can't be right... She felt her past holidays surely had been more meaningful and fulfilling...
Ah, right... visiting her grandparents, bringing her cousin along...
But even then, weren't they still gaming?
"Aaaaahhh... " she groaned.
At the edge of the sofa, near the balcony, Ophis sat facing the electric fan with her mouth wide open, letting the wind blow through her hair and across her face.
Still fascinated by something as simple as a fan…she really is just a child, after all.
Though Ophis was blocking Jeanne from the fan's breeze, she didn't really mind. Heat that would leave ordinary people suffering heatstroke didn't even make her sweat.
With her hair currently styled short, Jeanne felt a bit cooler, at least psychologically.
Watching Ophis, she couldn't help but think of Kanna from Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid—both dragons, both young girls, both in need of constant care.
If Kobayashi ever became a Heroic Spirit, wouldn't she gain a skill like [Dragon Witch]?
Thinking of Kanna suddenly reminded her...
"Ophis... "
Her voice was weak, but Ophis still heard and turned towards Jeanne.
"Those annoying cicadas screaming outside... they might be irritating, but don't start eating them as snacks, okay?"
"Oh." Ophis nodded expressionlessly. "Those creatures... don't taste good. Ice cream tastes better."
"...So you've already eaten them before?"
While Jeanne and Ophis idly passed the time in the living room, Asia busily cleaned the apartment.
Although Jeanne had repeatedly mentioned that there was no need to be so thorough—since the place would just get dirty again—Asia seemed genuinely happy, enthusiastically tidying up.
"Because this is my home! Since birth, I've never had a place that made me feel such a sense of belonging. Even though I can't remember my parents' faces, here I have a family—I have you, Miss Jeanne, Ophis, and Koneko. As a member of this family, I should at least contribute by helping keep our home clean!"
When Asia spoke those words with her bright, sun-like smile, Jeanne almost felt annihilated on the spot.
After lying in dark tombs as a corpse for so long, was Asia deliberately trying to burn her alive with such blinding radiance? This wasn't just "warming up a corpse"—this intensity could cremate her to ashes.
Although she felt somewhat guilty for saying it, ever since Koneko left for the Underworld with Rias, their home had felt noticeably less cramped.
Their modest two-bedroom apartment had always been better suited for three occupants. Having four people—though three were little girls—was undeniably crowded.
Especially when it came to bathing; with only one bathroom, everyone had to queue up to wash up. And worse, Jeanne had to assist Ophis with her bath—otherwise, the dragon girl would just stare blankly at her, clueless.
Bathing a cute girl like Ophis would undoubtedly be a dream come true for many a "gentleman." Yet after doing it regularly, Jeanne felt genuinely troubled, wishing Ophis would quickly learn to handle bathing herself.
Occasionally, Asia would stare intensely at Jeanne with strangely sparkling eyes, asking if Jeanne could help her bathe too. Jeanne rejected such requests without hesitation. She'd hoped Ophis might learn from Asia's independence—but why was Asia instead being influenced by Ophis?
Whenever rejected, Asia seemed unusually disappointed, and Jeanne couldn't understand why.
Rias had once brought up their living conditions and even offered to build Jeanne a new house.
If it had been merely a simple extension, Jeanne might've accepted—but Rias's proposal had left her speechless.
"The original plan was to build you an eighteen-story Western-style castle surrounded by expansive gardens. But since you might feel uncomfortable, we adjusted it to something more modest: eight floors above ground and three floors underground. How does that sound?"
Eight floors above and three underground—was Rias building her a home or a shopping mall? Jeanne had never even built such an extravagant house in Minecraft.
When Jeanne glimpsed the design plans, she noticed her bed alone was over ten meters wide. She immediately declined Rias's generosity.
Jeanne genuinely felt comfortable in her modest little apartment. At least when bored, she could easily visit neighbors. If she lived in Rias's proposed mansion, she doubted she'd even be able to reach the nearest convenience store without a lengthy drive.
Rias had explained that although the Underworld was about the same size as the human world, without oceans, the usable land was several times greater. Just the Gremory family's territory alone surpassed the size of Japan. Underworld buildings thus focused on breadth rather than height, making her proposed mansion relatively modest by local standards.
According to Rias, the Underworld wasn't just gloomy and hostile—it boasted lush greenery, picturesque landscapes, and even cleaner air than the human world.
Both called "Underworld," yet such drastic differences existed. Ereshkigal would surely burst into tears of envy if she were here.
When Jeanne insisted she was fine with her current place, Rias had given her an incredibly strange look.
"You're literally a Maou-class powerhouse who's even suppressed the Fallen Angel Governor and the leader of Heaven's angels in combat. Anywhere else, someone of your caliber would be worshipped as a deity. Yet here you are, squeezing into some tiny, rundown apartment with ordinary humans?"
Jeanne had responded bluntly without missing a beat.
"So what? Even the world's number one lives in that shabby apartment—what gives you the right to look down on it?"
"The world's number one is only living there because of you! Ugh, never mind… I still can't believe the strongest being is casually living within my territory…"
Dragging herself back from memories to reality...
Just as Asia finished cleaning, it was nearly time for dinner.
In truth, among the trio at home, only Asia genuinely needed food to survive. Jeanne, a Heroic Spirit sustained by Holy Grails, and Ophis, a Dragon God with endless magical energy, didn't actually need to eat.
It was a wonder Asia managed to maintain such a relaxed attitude around them.
"I really don't feel like cooking... "
Jeanne rolled her eyes, flipped into a more comfortable position, muttering to herself, "Azazel went to the Underworld too, so it should be safe to bring Ophis outside now, right? Honestly, I've felt a bit guilty leaving her cooped up at home since that whole Kokabiel incident. If she doesn't get out soon, she might start growing mold... "
Having made up her mind, Jeanne looked toward Ophis.
"Ophis, is there something you'd like to eat?"
Ophis considered briefly before giving an unsurprising answer.
"Ice cream."
"You can't just eat ice cream for dinner... ugh, whatever."
Jeanne sighed resignedly, quietly deciding, "Guess we'll go eat at a buffet, then."