— — — — — —
Tokyo - Lion King Organization
Shirona Kuraki looked at Koyomi Shizuka expectantly. "Well? Did you find anything?"
Koyomi sat kneeling on the tatami mat, her face calm as ever. "Lynn Valifer. First-year student at Shuchiin Academy. President of the Supernatural Research Club."
She had already dug up all this info after witnessing Lynn's overwhelming power firsthand.
Besides…
The Supernatural Research Club was kinda famous around Shuchiin.
Not exactly for good reasons, though.
Still, at least it saved Koyomi a ton of investigation time.
Shirona's expression twisted.A guy that strong… actually pretends to be a high school student?
What kind of weird hobby is that?
But still—
This wasn't enough.
Nothing here gave her the kind of leverage that could pin Lynn down in one go.
"Is that all?" she asked, unable to hold back. "No special interests or anything?"
"Hobbies…" Koyomi murmured, lips twitching. "Harem-building?"
"...Eh?"
Shirona blinked, stunned.
"H-Harem-building?"
She stared at Koyomi like she'd just grown a second head.
But Koyomi nodded seriously and shared the rumors—how the Supernatural Research Club was basically a front for a harem operation.
And upholding the sacred principle of "no investigation, no right to speak," Koyomi had done a little fieldwork herself.
Even just inside Shuchiin, there were lots of girls in that club. And apparently, other beautiful girls—who weren't even from Shuchiin—would occasionally drop by too.
Heck, Koyomi even overheard something from a girl named Miura Yumiko…
Apparently, the club even had a subdivision called—The Service Club.
When Koyomi first heard that, even she was at a loss for words.
"Service Club... huh." Shirona's face twitched, and she let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, it's real clear who they're 'serving', haha."
Koyomi hesitated, but then added, "Also… it's said that the Witch of the Void is really close with Lynn Valifer."
She'd seen it herself—Natsuki and Lynn clearly knew each other, and not just casually.
But it was from Yumiko that she heard just how close they were.
Apparently, Yumiko once went to report the Club to Natsuki-sensei…And not only did nothing happen—The club even got a bigger activity room afterward!
Yumiko was convinced Natsuki was covering for Lynn. In fact, she suspected Natsuki might be part of his harem too!
And after seeing the kind of supernatural powers Lynn and Natsuki showed off…Yumiko finally got it.
They were all part of the Supernatural.
She even understood now why Yukino and Yui acted the way they did.
— — —
Koyomi shared all this with Shirona.
"The Witch of the Void… Natsuki," Shirona muttered, practically grinding her teeth.
"A true witch, through and through!"
After silently cursing Natsuki for a while, Shirona tried to think of how to build a bridge with this terrifying existence.
At the very least—Koyomi had dug up something useful.
"He likes building harems, huh…"
"Then we should just send him some new harem members, no?"
Her eyes lit up.
"..." Koyomi blinked.
"..." Yukari Endou was speechless.
They were both stunned by how shamelessly fast Shirona reached that conclusion.
But… she wasn't wrong, either.
"Still…" Yukari Endou muttered, "Normal girls probably wouldn't catch the Devil King's eye."
Shirona waved it off. "Doesn't the Lion King Organization have some special options?"
Yukari Endou flinched. "You're talking about my student, Himeragi Yukina?!"
She couldn't stay calm anymore. First it was her student Sayaka… and now her other student too?
What, were they just gonna drain her dry?! Was she next?
"No way! I refuse!"
Her voice rang loud and clear.
"And besides—"
"You want me to hand over a Sword Shaman we've worked so hard to train, just so she can become someone else's possession?"
Her words were laced with frustration.
Shirona replied coolly, "If sacrificing a few shrine maidens means avoiding conflict with the Devil King—or even earning his favor…"
"Then honestly, it's a small price to pay."
Yukari Endou went silent.
As much as she hated to admit it… Shirona had a point.
But still…
"Does it have to be Yukina?" she muttered under her breath.
Shirona glanced at her and said flatly, "Fine. It doesn't have to be Yukina."
Yukari Endou nodded in relief.
Then Shirona added, "You can go instead. Offer yourself up as the Devil King's shrine maiden."
"...Huh?"
"You're the real special talent here, aren't you?" Shirona said, clearly implying something.
Yukari Endou's face twitched. "I'm way too old for his taste…"
Then she quickly backtracked. "...But my dear student, Yukina, she's the perfect candidate."
"Young, pure, and an elite-level shrine maiden. The Devil King would love her!"
"So yeah," she clapped her hands, "Let's go with Yukina after all!"
Shirona gave her a long, judgmental stare.
Koyomi pressed her lips together, unsure whether to laugh or sigh.
"Oi, oi, oi!" Yukari Endou protested, raising her cat paws. "Don't look at me like that!"
"Becoming the Devil King's shrine maiden is a once-in-nine-lifetimes blessing!"
"As her teacher, of course I want to give my student the best opportunity!"
"This is called loving your disciple!"
She declared righteously.
Shirona replied lazily, "Sure, sure…"
"So…" she added, "You'll be the one to inform Yukina, then."
Endou: "...Huh?"
That was brutal.
Shirona, you're evil!
Are you trying to ruin her relationship with her student?!
Koyomi suddenly spoke up, "By the way… are we just gonna forget about Sayaka?"
Shirona and Yukari Endou both froze.
Then fell silent.
And finally—They both said, "Let's send her to Lord Lynn too."
She was already beyond saving anyway.
"…Wait a sec," Koyomi said, narrowing her eyes. "Aren't we, like… openly delivering harem members to a devil?"
"Doesn't that hurt the Lion King Organization's reputation?"
Shirona fell silent for a second. Then said righteously:
"What harem?!"
"They're shrine maidens, okay?!"
"And besides—"
She added firmly, "According to Lynn himself, they're called familia!"
"Harem" sounds sketchy. "Shrine maiden" or "familia" sounds way better.
— — —
After the Lion King Organization's top-secret meeting.
Yukari Endou looked toward Yukina, who was training in the courtyard, with a complicated expression.
How the hell was she supposed to bring this up?
She couldn't just say— "Hey, the higher-ups decided to ship you off to become a devil's harem girl."
Yeah, no.
That would destroy her "dignified mentor" image in Yukina's heart.
Yukari Endou's face turned serious.
She had to find a better way.
After a moment of deep thought… her eyes lit up.
Got it.
Her expression changed in an instant, adopting a tragic look. "Y-Yukina…"
"???" Yukina stopped mid-swing and looked over.
The moment she saw her master's face, her heart sank.
W-What's going on?
She suddenly felt really uneasy.
"Master, did something happen?" she asked softly.
"...Sigh." Yukari Endou let out a long sigh, then said with heavy sorrow: "Yukina, it's Sayaka…"
Yukina's eyes widened in horror. "What happened to Sayaka?!"
"...Sigh." Another long sigh. Yukina was already starting to panic.
Yukari Endou finally dropped the bomb: "She… she was captured by a strong devil."
Yukina froze. Her knees gave out and she collapsed.
"H-How… how could this happen?!"
Grief and panic washed over her.
She knew the difference in power between her and a devil.
Still—She wasn't going to give up.
She clenched her fists, grabbed her Snowdrift Wolf Schneewalzer spear, and declared, "I'll rescue her!"
"Wait!" Yukari Endou suddenly grabbed her arm.
"Master?" Yukina looked confused.
Yukari Endou shook her head. "Yukina, it's useless."
"That man… he's the legendary Devil King. A Maou!"
Bang!
The spear fell from her hands. Yukina stood frozen, despair and heartbreak overwhelming her.
She knew there was no way she could fight someone like that.
But still—She had to try!
Just as she picked her spear back up, Yukari Endou said softly: "There is a way to save Sayaka…"
Yukina paused. "Master, tell me! What is it?!"
Yukari Endou gave her a gentle smile and leaned in, whispering three words—
"The Honey Trap."
"...Huh?"
.
.
.