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"...Kurumi?"
Yuki Nonaka slowed her steps slightly. Although she wasn't sure why her little sister was suddenly calling at this time, she still picked up immediately.
In the next second, a familiar, cheerful—yet slightly serious—girl's voice came from the other side.
"Ah! It connected! Is that you, Sis?"
"Yeah, it's me. What's up, Kurumi?"
If this call had come half a day earlier, Yuki would've probably thought her younger sister had spotted some trace of Mio Naruse—the Demon Lord Wilbert's daughter.
But now?
Since Bokue had already said he'd take care of it personally, it meant there was practically nothing left for the Hero Village to do. Kurumi naturally wouldn't find any clues now, either.
Which meant Kurumi only had one reason left for making this call—
"Nothing important, really..." Kurumi said quietly, a slight tension in her voice. "It's just that I've never been so far from home by myself. I'm not really used to being alone, so I figured I'd call you."
From the background noise on the call, it was clear Kurumi was still outside. Yuki could hear faint city ads and passing vehicles mixing together.
"Oh, right!" Kurumi's voice perked up slightly. "So, Sis—did you make any progress on your end today?"
"...No," Yuki answered calmly.
She knew clearly that on her end, any "progress" was already impossible. But to avoid raising suspicion, she quickly followed up:
"What about you, Kurumi? Did you find anything?"
Chatting casually with her sister whom she grew up with, Kurumi's tone was noticeably more relaxed and at ease.
"Me? Nope. I mean, Chiba is way too big. There are people everywhere, and everyone looks totally different. How am I supposed to find one girl among millions so quickly? Honestly, it feels like even if I wander around for a lifetime, I still wouldn't find her."
"Don't worry," Yuki replied softly. "It's not that urgent anyway."
She paused subtly before continuing:
"The village set this mission as a long-term task. The funding we got this time was only for the first month. They'll keep sending more each month."
"Mm-hm..." On the other side, Kurumi seemed distracted for a moment. After about two seconds, she sighed quietly.
"Well... it's getting pretty late now anyway. I think that's enough searching for today. I'm heading to a hotel to check in now. What about you, Sis?"
"Me?" Yuki hesitated slightly, but she still decided to answer honestly. "I'm also on my way to the hotel right now. Like you said, it's already late."
"Right, right!" Perhaps the call had given the girl—who had never been so far away from home before—some renewed peace of mind. Kurumi's voice became noticeably brighter. "Oh, by the way, Sis! My map recommended a hotel here in Chiba called 'XX Hotel.' It's apparently pretty famous here, with great reviews. I was planning to go there now to check in. Are you staying at the same brand?"
"No, it's a different one," Yuki answered smoothly and without caution, sharing the name of her own hotel without reservation.
On the other end, Kurumi repeated the name, her voice tinged with slight regret.
"Aw, that's a shame. I was hoping we might've ended up staying at the same hotel chain..."
"..."
"Anyway, talk later, Sis. I'll hang up first."
Their conversation ended there.
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At the same moment, in the luxurious suite on the top floor of the hotel—just a short twenty-minute walk away from Bokue Keikain's apartment—
"So while I wasn't around these past few days, did you two just decide to run around town without any care?"
In the suite's spacious living room, Bokue had just returned from Itogami Island after sending Astarte back. He looked rather helplessly at the two girls—one big, one small—sitting together on the sofa.
"Running around without any care? Why would you say that?"
Mio Naruse quickly stood up, pushing herself energetically off the sofa. Due to inertia, the two magnificent peaks at her chest bounced enticingly for several seconds, presenting an extremely appealing visual spectacle.
In just three quick steps, she stood boldly before Bokue. She raised her pretty face and leaned close, standing on tiptoes with an assertive air.
"And speaking of that, rather than asking about us, shouldn't you explain why you haven't come to visit us at all these past few days?"
"Because I had other things to take care of," Bokue calmly responded. "I mentioned it, remember?"
"Mentioned? I don't recall anything like that."
"About a week ago, I stopped by in the evening—but you were in the shower at the time. I had to rush back, so I told Maria instead and asked her to pass on the message to you..."
"Ah..."
The truth was often discovered at the most unexpected moments. The instant Bokue said that, Mio's eyes flashed red as she whipped her head around fiercely to glare at Maria—who was still sitting on the sofa with an awkward expression on her face.
This brat clearly forgot!
"Ma—ri—a!!" Mio gritted out through clenched teeth, leaping like a ferocious tiger ready to deliver a merciless drilling with her fists onto her Succubus little sister's forehead.
Thankfully, at that moment, Sheila casually stepped out from the suite's inner room, gently clapping her hands to stop the two girls from escalating their playful tussle.
"Alright, alright! No more fighting~ Good sisters shouldn't fight like this, you know~"
Then Sheila turned gracefully toward Bokue, her mature and exquisite features—so remarkably similar to her daughter's—curved into a beautiful, warmly married woman's smile.
"So, dear, did something happen?"
"Not yet," Bokue shook his head. "But there's a possibility something might soon."
"Apparently, Hero Village somehow found out about your movements here. Today, they sent people into the Kanto region to begin searching, so it would be best if you stayed put in the hotel these next few days—try not to go out if possible."
"Oh, and—" Bokue glanced around the room, sensing someone was missing. "Where's Zest?"
Of course, he was referring to the Demon Maid Sheila had previously swiped away from Zolgear—originally a proud Valkyrie of demonkind, now demoted into being a mere maid.
"Oh, Zest? She's in the bedroom~"
Sheila smiled sweetly, turning her head toward the inner room and gently clapping her hands.
"Zest~!"
"I-I'm coming!"
Just a second after Sheila called, a soft patter of footsteps echoed from within the bedroom.
A long, slender, beautifully tanned leg—slightly squeezed by elegant white stockings—stepped delicately into view.
White lace garters hugged her thigh perfectly mid-way up. From there, extending upward, was a scandalously short maid skirt, utterly betraying all conventions of a traditional maid outfit.
The dangerously short hem barely covered her rounded rear, leaving a tantalizing glimpse of soft, bronzed skin beneath—a distinctly exotic and seductive absolute territory.
Above her narrow waist, the normally prim collar of her maid uniform had been scandalously altered to reveal ample cleavage. Her rich, dusky curves resembled twin snowy peaks, eternally crowned in white, yet the lower slopes—due to warmth or altitude—revealed their natural, enticing tanned shade.
"?!"
Even Bokue froze momentarily at the sight.
Although he had known from their first encounter that Zest possessed an exceptional figure, seeing her dressed like this was almost overwhelmingly tempting!
"Th-this outfit... was Sheila-sama's request," Zest stammered softly, her usually composed and cool face now flushed a darker bronze than usual. Her graceful white eyebrows furrowed slightly in shy embarrassment, her statuesque and healthy figure shifting subtly from side to side—a perfectly seductive reaction of bashful reluctance.
Sheila proudly chuckled, licking her lips subtly in anticipation.
"Not bad, right~?"
Since Bokue had returned, perhaps next time she'd encourage Zest to join their play as well.
That way, Mio and Maria would never suspect a thing...
"Hehe~"
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Meanwhile, downstairs in the hotel lobby:
After over ten minutes of walking, the Hero girl finally reached the hotel front desk. Calmly and clearly, she addressed the receptionist:
"Hello. I'd like to check in, please."
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