"…I see…"
Faced with the revelation that supernatural beings truly existed and that devils and angels had even formed a peace treaty my parents seemed to give off an air of quiet resignation, as if their entire worldview had just collapsed.
"Well then, I understand the nature of this 'devil work' for now. But let me ask, do you demand outrageous compensation that doesn't match the job?"
"We operate under a clear and fair pricing policy. Given the nature of this request for Shirone, the cost won't exceed 10,000 yen. And of course, if no contract is formed, there will be no charge."
"…For someone who can arrive instantly at such a late hour, that actually sounds quite reasonable.
However, from what I've heard, the club Ikki belongs to is made up of… non-human individuals. Why is he there?"
"That would be—"
I lightly raised a hand to stop Rias before she could continue.
"President Rias, from here on, it's a separate matter from Shirone's summoning. I'll explain it myself."
"…Very well. I'll leave it to you."
Honestly, it would've been easier to let her handle everything, but that wouldn't be right.
Explaining things to ordinary clients was one thing but explaining it to my own parents was different.
So I decided to start from the beginning.
I talked about how humans could sometimes awaken supernatural powers, how Sacred Gears manifest, and how I learned senjutsu on my own.
I told them about meeting Kuroka near the end of elementary school, and how I got caught up in the Tsuchigumo incident during a middle school trip where I formally trained under a master.
"…And as a reward for resolving that incident, Kuroka and I were allowed to train under the nekomata leader, Magari-sama."
"…Ikki. Just how many adventures have you gone on without us knowing?"
Honestly, compared to the past six months, that was pretty mild…
"Still, to think your senjutsu master was someone of that level… I researched Japanese youkai when taking Shirone in, so I remember hearing about them. It explains your strength."
Well, Magari-sama did forge my fundamentals.
Personally… they're probably the one person I can never talk back to.
"…Come to think of it, I never mentioned Magari-sama before, did I?"
"No, you only said you had connections with youkai. After learning about Yasaka-sama, I assumed you trained under someone."
Ah… that makes sense.
Technically, I do have connections with major figures from both eastern and western youkai factions.
"But Ikki~? If you're talking about your school trip, shouldn't you mention something else important too?"
Ugh… I was hoping to save that for last.
"…About that time Kunou stayed over, she's the daughter of Yasaka, the Nine-Tailed Fox who rules Kyoto. You remember her, right?"
It had only been about a month since we built Ophis's shrine.
"Yes, the girl in shrine maiden attire. She was adorable. A fox youkai… so she must have ears and a tail too!?"
Alright, calm down.
I did not expect my mom to have this much of a thing for kemonomimi…
…There's no way I'm that bad. Right?
"I'm… actually engaged to her."
Please stop. That silence and those blank stares are terrifying.
"…Ikki. Since when did you develop a thing for little girls?"
"WAIT A SECOND!! I knew you'd think that, but that's a misunderstanding! Let me explain properly!!"
"But Ikki, isn't Kuroka-san your girlfriend? What about her?"
"Kuroka is also my fiancée! And Shirone and Ravel too!!"
Damn it! I knew this would happen!
From there, with Kuroka occasionally "helping" (in the worst way possible), I ended up explaining the entire engagement situation including how Yasaka had completely toyed with me.
Ravel and Rias listened intently, though I could tell they were barely holding back smiles.
I also explained how I joined the Occult Research Club after Issei became a devil, how his parents still didn't know, and how Ravel originally came to town because she admired me—and eventually fell in love.
And, importantly—
Polygamy is relatively normal in the supernatural world.
"I see… I did think you were unusually close with Shirone-chan and Ravel-chan despite having Kuroka-san as your girlfriend… but since she never objected, I didn't say anything. Still… I never imagined you intended to marry all of them."
My mother held her cheek, looking both troubled and oddly happy.
In contrast, my father crossed his arms, his expression firm as he looked straight at me.
"We understand that your relationships are serious and harmonious. At this point, questioning potential discord would be meaningless.
So I'll ask just one thing…
Do you truly have the resolve to make all of them happy?"
…Good.
That wasn't rejection.
"I do. I'll cherish them for the rest of my life."
With those words, the tension between us finally eased.
=========
By the time I finished explaining everything including the finer details—several hours had passed.
It was now around 9 PM.
Naturally, they were worried about me being part of a unit that fought terrorists.
But I explained—if I stepped away, Kuroka might still be able to leave, but Shirone and Ravel would remain on the front lines.
There was no way I could accept that.
And more importantly—
Right now, the world is facing a crisis that could literally erase it.
There was no option to back down.
"But… the others are devils and angels, right? Amazing beings…
Can Ikki really keep up? Wouldn't he just hold them back…?"
At my mother's words, the girls exchanged glances.
"Auntie, that is impossible. While it may not have been explained clearly, Ikki's power is considered Maou-class.
He possesses the strength to defeat even gods.
He has single-handedly slain a top-tier reaper, and more than once prevented the worst possible outcomes.
At present, within 'D×D,' the only one who could be considered above him is the legendary Sun Wukong.
His power is indispensable to us."
As Rias declared that so firmly, my parents looked utterly confused.
"…Rias, I think it's hard to grasp without seeing it. Could we get footage of that previous Rating Game? I should be in it."
"Yes, that would be best."
We agreed to leave it at that for the day.
After briefly returning to the clubroom via teleportation to grab our things and reassuring Issei and the others, we came back home.
Then things took a… strange turn.
My mom started touching Kuroka and Shirone's ears and tails.
Then she got curious about devil wings asking Ravel if she could touch hers.
Ravel declined, explaining her phoenix wings were made of flames but demonstrated them in the training room instead.
So Shirone sprouted wings… and got thoroughly petted again.
"…Sigh…"
"What's wrong, Ravel?"
"…Ikki-sama… I just feel a bit left out. I don't have ears or a tail, and I can't even let them touch my wings…"
Yeah… my parents being accepting was great, but Ravel didn't have any "obvious" non-human traits for physical interaction.
Well—technically she does.
They just burn you.
Then, as if hearing us, my mom suddenly hugged Ravel.
"Oh my, don't worry about that. I love you too, Ravel-chan.
To think Ikki would have such wonderful brides and that you'll become our daughter… I'm so happy I might even get jealous of him."
…Please don't get jealous of your son over his wives.
I genuinely don't know how to respond to that.
"Oh, by the way, Ikki. Now that we know everything… we'd like to greet your brides' parents someday."
"Ah… Kuroka and Shirone's parents have passed away, and Kunou doesn't have a father. So it'd be Yasaka and Ravel's parents."
My mom froze but Kuroka and Shirone quickly reassured her.
We decided that since we visit Kyoto every New Year anyway, and planned to greet Ravel's family as well, we'd arrange for my parents to come along.
The Underworld trip would be handled by Rias and Ravel and thankfully, they agreed.
The year's end was approaching.
And before that… Christmas.
With my parents' acceptance, I felt ready to face even the coming battles in Heaven.
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100 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
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