You told your daughter?? And she was okay with it??
That was the only thought running through Sheila's mind.
Because it was the only explanation that made sense.
The old schoolhouse was where Rias and the other girls lived. Every night, they held their "pool parties" in the bathhouse. Sheila had known about this for ages. You didn't need to be a detective. One look at Naruse Mio, Maria, and Zest coming home each evening with flushed cheeks and mysterious wisps of white steam rising from their bodies told the whole story.
But now Venelana was saying she'd been going to the old schoolhouse every night for the past several days. Joining Rias and the others. Sharing Bokue. Right there. Under the same roof as her own daughter.
No wonder Sheila hadn't been able to find her. While she'd been sitting alone in an empty room every evening, her so-called partner-in-crime had been across the compound gorging herself at the all-you-can-eat buffet without so much as a text message.
The deal had been simple: two sisters-in-law sneaking a taste after the kids went to bed. Discreet. Manageable. A shared secret.
Instead, the "big sister" had gone and gotten herself a VIP pass to the main event, leaving the "little sister" home alone night after night.
Unbelievable. She could've at least brought me along.
Though "bringing her along" was easier imagined than executed.
"Hmm~ So you still haven't worked things out with Maria?"
Venelana noticed the flicker of frustration on Sheila's face and tilted her head curiously.
"...No."
The admission came with visible shame.
She was a Nightmare, for crying out loud.
Nightmares weren't like Succubi, who went into a drooling, twitching mess if they went a single day without getting their fix, then the instant they were satisfied they turned into squealing pigs who wanted nothing more than to stay in a permanent state of unsatisfied craving twenty-four hours a day.
But Nightmares thrived on the emotional fluctuation of desire. The more taboo the situation, the more forbidden the act, the richer the psychic feast.
And yet here she was, a Nightmare Sage, outpaced by a regular devil who'd already successfully come clean to her own daughter. Sheila hadn't even gotten past the planning stage.
It was humiliating. A stain on the entire Nightmare species' honor.
"I've been trying, though."
Sheila's lips pressed together in a small pout.
"It's not like I haven't made any moves..."
"What kind of moves?" Venelana asked.
"Playing to my strengths, obviously~"
Sheila began explaining, piece by piece.
"A while back, I set up a Nightmare magic circle in Maria's bedroom while she was at school. It's a type of hypnotic enchantment that lets the caster control the content of the target's dreams."
"And you've been using it on Maria?"
"Every night."
Every single night.
Venelana considered this.
"If you've been doing it every night and it still hasn't worked, is it possible Maria's grown strong enough that the spell doesn't affect her anymore?"
"Absolutely not. It works perfectly."
Sheila shot that down immediately.
"I can tell because Maria's been washing her sheets every morning."
"..."
So every night, the girl was thoroughly soaking her bedding thanks to the dreams her own mother was carefully crafting. Got it.
"Then I'd say the problem isn't the method itself. It's that you've stalled on the execution."
Venelana laid out her analysis with the calm precision of a consultant reviewing quarterly metrics.
"First: Maria washes her sheets every morning, which confirms the spell is absolutely working."
"Second: this has been going on for days now, and she's still dutifully washing those sheets every single morning without complaint. I don't think that means she hasn't figured out what's happening."
"I think she knows exactly what's going on. She's just waiting."
"Third: Maria already goes to the old schoolhouse with Rias and the others almost every night. Then she comes home and gets the dream version on top of that. Her 'spiritual nourishment' is already more than sufficient. There's no pressure for her to initiate a change on her own."
"So, putting it all together: you've spent long enough on the current phase. It's time to advance to the next step."
The "next step," of course, being a direct, honest conversation with Maria.
"A-advance to the next step?"
Sheila blinked, hesitation still written across her face.
She wasn't Venelana. Venelana had walked up to Bokue, a man she'd barely met, and thrown herself into the deep end on their very first encounter. Sheila's initiation had been far more timid: she'd disguised herself as Maria and only revealed the truth after Bokue caught on.
But if she was supposed to take the next step now, what would that even look like?
"Oh? Everyone's here."
Golden light flickered through the room without warning, the signature shimmer of spatial transfer.
Along with the voice of the young man responsible for all of this chaos.
"Ah, Bokue. You're back."
Venelana had been facing into the room with the window at her back, giving her a clear view of Bokue materializing mid-air.
Runeas reacted even faster. She'd been growing increasingly restless with the Venelana-Sheila conversation, unable to contribute to a topic that didn't involve her. The instant she spotted the young man she'd been pining for all morning, she launched out of her chair like a spring-loaded catapult. The tiny devil crown on her head bounced with the motion.
"Hmph! Finally you're back! How dare you leave me, the great First Generation Gremory, stranded on Itogami Island while you waltz off to the Realm of the Dead alone! That's a dangerous place! Let me check for injuries right now!"
She set her teacup down, rushed over, and immediately began grabbing his arms, lifting them, turning him side to side for inspection.
The tsundere routine was almost comically identical to Naruse Mio's. Worried sick on the inside, indignant on the outside. Like ancestor, like descendant.
"Relax, I'm fine. So what's going on here? Even Sheila-san is joining the tea party?"
Bokue let Runeas fuss over him while casting a curious glance toward the three women still seated at the table.
He genuinely hadn't expected to find Sheila sitting alongside Chysis and Runeas.
"Well~"
Chysis rested her cheek against one hand and smiled.
"Venelana's been sharing her expertise on the art of coming clean. Sheila's been struggling with how to tell Maria about their situation, so she came to consult the one person who's already pulled it off successfully."
"And just so you know, the current recommendation is to proceed directly to the next phase."
"Next phase?"
Bokue had missed the entire preamble. The terminology meant nothing to him.
What phase? Phase of what?
"Oh, it's simple~"
Venelana's smile was immaculate.
"Basically, after you finish up at Rias's place tonight, you'll need to make a stop at Sheila's. She'll have everything prepared by then."
"Although, come to think of it, timing might be tight. So why don't we get an early start on our end? The girls won't be home from school for a while yet~"
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