"You did what?" Mom asked, eyebrows raised, her voice somewhere between disbelief and amusement as she leaned forward on the couch. Her long silver hair was loosely tied back, giving her a more casual appearance than usual.
I leaned back on the other couch, arms draped lazily over the backrest, Nekro nestled on my lap like a smug cat, and Kayda seated quietly beside me. Kayda's posture was as elegant and composed as always, her hands folded neatly over her lap, but there was an unmistakable twinkle of mischief in her eyes.
"I called the duke dumb," I said, nonchalantly, "and some other things too."
Mom blinked slowly. "Okay. Start from the beginning. And…" —her gaze shifted to the small figure on my lap—"Who exactly is this?"
"Oh, right. This is Nekro," I said, patting the top of her head lightly. She scrunched her nose at the gesture but didn't move away. "You'll understand where she fits in once I explain."
As I launched into the story of the day's ridiculous events, Kayda jumped in to fill in some details I purposely glossed over. Her voice was calm, informative, and just slightly judgmental—especially when she recounted the part where I threatened the duke with a not-so-veiled promise of hair removal.
Halfway through the story, Amari, who had been listening quietly on the rug in front of Mom, burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHAHA, I can't believe you talked to the Duke like that, HAHAHA," she wheezed, rolling onto her side as if the laughter was physically overwhelming her.
I grinned. "I wanted to rip off his hair, but that was going a bit too far for the location."
Mom's face twitched, caught between wanting to scold me and wanting to laugh. She turned to Kayda with a pointed look.
"Kayda, how did this even happen? I understand my daughter is reckless 99% of the time, but in one morning, she pissed off the church and the duke and found a necromancer—an actual necromancer, and not even a normal one."
"My daughter is reckless 99% of the time," I said, frowning. "I am not that reckless… am I?" I tilted my head toward Kayda.
She didn't say a word, but the side-eye she gave me said everything. Amari, ever the traitor, piled on with a smirk.
"Every time we went out to the city at the border, you were fighting someone or a fight was about to break out."
I crossed my arms. "Those guys always started it. It's not my fault."
Mom raised an eyebrow. "What about the baron's son? Why were you about to cripple him?"
"He tried to order me around," I said simply, as if that explained everything.
"Why didn't you just say your name? He should know about the Draig family," Mom said, leaning back into the couch with a sigh.
"I didn't think of that at the time," I muttered, a bit sheepish.
"That's my point," she said, rubbing her temples. "You act way too recklessly. Violence is always your first instinct."
"I don't!?" I protested, sitting upright.
"I don't think it's her being reckless," Amari chimed in, tapping a finger to her chin. "It's more like… she's a trouble magnet."
"...I can't actually refute that," I said, slumping back into the couch, arms falling to my sides as I thought through all my recent… adventures.
Mom gave a long, suffering sigh. "That might be true, but every time you're out alone, something goes wrong. Every. Time."
"That's also true," I admitted, glancing down at Nekro.
She was staring up at me, expression unreadable. "Nekro? Something wrong?"
"Yes, something is wrong," she snapped, crossing her arms. "What the hell was I thinking when I asked you to train me? I must've been insane. I should never have asked you for anything."
I blinked. "I'm pretty sure it's too late to regret asking for anything now," I said, shrugging.
"No shit, you dumb fox," Nekro grumbled, glaring up at me.
I narrowed my eyes and reached down, rubbing my fist against her head with deliberate slowness.
"As I said," I muttered, "only Kayda's allowed to say that."
"Ow, ow, ow, stop! I won't say it again! Sorry!" Nekro flailed under the onslaught of knuckles.
"Oh? So Kayda's the only one who gets that privilege?" Mom asked with a teasing grin.
I turned toward her with a deadpan expression. "Did you say something, midget?"
Mom's eyes twitched. "Grrrr…"
I smirked but kept my gaze elsewhere. 'Actually, why do I allow Kayda to say things like that to me? It's not just tolerance… I don't mind it. Maybe it's because it's her.'
Next to me, Kayda's shoulders trembled slightly, her lips pressed tightly together as she tried—and failed—not to laugh.
"Anyway," I huffed, brushing Nekro's now slightly messy hair back, "where the hell is my squad? I asked for them like an hour ago."
"It's only been thirty minutes," Mom said, giving me a flat stare. "Calm down."
"But why are you even looking for them?" Kayda asked, her head tilted.
I gave her a sly smile. "I need them to look after Nekro, of course."
"What? Why me?" Nekro asked, eyes wide.
"Because my last free day for a while isn't over yet," I said, already rising to my feet and glancing at Kayda with a grin.
"That's right," Kayda agreed softly, standing up with me.
Mom nodded approvingly. "You can leave her with us, but… did you give her one yet?"
"Huh?" I paused, then caught on. "Oh! You mean that. Yeah, I did. Not as powerful as the other, obviously, but it'll do the trick."
Kayda blinked. "Put in what?"
"Can I tell her?" I asked, glancing at Mom for permission.
She tapped her chin, thinking. "Hmm… Yes, Kitsuna. She might even help you improve it."
"Cool. Amari, when the squad gets here, give Nekro to Apricot," I said, gently lifting Nekro and plopping her into Amari's lap.
"Wait—what?! I feel like a toy," Nekro grumbled, arms crossed again.
"That's because you are one!" I called back from the hallway, already halfway to the door.
[Stacy POV]
"Coming~," Kayda called cheerfully as she followed Kitsuna out, a subtle but noticeable sway in her step.
I blinked, watching the door close behind them. "...Kayda's getting bolder," I muttered.
"I feel like a toy," Nekro mumbled in my lap, clearly still brooding.
"That's because you are one!" Kitsuna's voice echoed back from down the hall.
Nekro jumped slightly. "She heard me!?"
"Ha-ha, yeah. Her hearing's sharp. Watch what you say around that one," I said, patting her head gently.
Amari leaned close and whispered, "Kayda's getting jealous, isn't she?"
"She is," I replied with a knowing smile. "Kayda's usually more passive… But with Apricot around? She feels threatened. "She doesn't want to lose her wife."
"Wifey?" Nekro repeated, eyebrows raised. "They're not together?"
"Not yet. They've only known each other a week. But they're soulmates. They'll get there." I said with a shrug.
Amari tilted her head. "Do you think Sis will ever figure it out?"
"Oh, she already has. She's just using the whole 'my soul's not from this world' excuse to avoid dealing with it," I chuckled.
"Are you sure?" Nekro asked skeptically.
I gave her a wry smile. "Kiddo. I'm her mom. I know how she thinks."
My tone darkened a little as I looked at Nekro again. "Now, you. Who was the devil? Your mother or father?"
Nekro looked down, her voice quiet. "I don't know. I've never met my parents."
"...Aah. Sorry, I shouldn't have—"
"It's okay," she interrupted quickly. "You didn't know."
I let out a slow breath. "Let's just hope it was your mother. If it was your father… well, devils pass down their aggression through blood. Male devils are typically more violent. Females are cunning but less destructive."
"How do you know this?" Amari asked.
"The church told us," I said with a grimace. "They used it to justify hunting devils down—especially the men. A vile excuse, but it worked."
"The church did that?" Nekro asked, voice trembling.
"They tried. They failed mostly, but they did plant enough fear to manipulate public opinion. Got them into the capital."
"Why didn't you stop them?"
"Because of the Marquis Anabald," I said. "They're demons now, but they descend from devils. We couldn't expose them without tearing down our political structure."
"So that's why Kitsu calls them a cult," Nekro muttered.
"One of the reasons, yes. But there's more," I added darkly.
Amari's expression turned serious. "Mom… what happens if the church finds out Sis is a young primordial?"
"They'll try to kill her. "No hesitation," I said flatly. "Primordials are stronger than gods. The church follows angels—they can't stand something above their so-called divine order."
"Did they succeed?"
I snorted. "Of course not. They've failed every time… until the god of light showed up. He's powerful enough to kill them. Five have already died."
"And if they kill them all?"
"Then gods rule the top. Simple as that."
"But how was Kitsu born if she's one of them?" Nekro asked.
I smiled softly. "That little girl? She's a special secret."
[Late Night | Kitsuna POV]
The house had settled into the hush of evening. I yawned, curling under my usual tree near the window.
Where is Apricot? It's almost bedtime, I thought, stretching.
"Kitsu, we are coming~!" Apricot's voice echoed through the hall.
I chuckled. "We? Guess Nekro's tagging along."
Moments later, Apricot appeared, all smiles. She cradled Nekro in her arms like a plush toy. Nekro, for her part, looked unusually relaxed—until her gaze drifted to the shadowy corner where I was lounging.
"Apricot, why are we going closer to that monster?" Nekro whispered, staring at me like I was an oversized predator.
"Nekro, don't worry," Apricot whispered back. "She's not going to do anything."
"That doesn't answer my question! I thought we were going to your bed!" Nekro squeaked, cheeks puffing in protest.
Apricot's face turned redder than a sunset.
"What the fuck!? I'm fucking Cupid!?" I shouted, dramatically throwing my arms up from under the tree.
And so, another night began.