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"Eh~ Is that so?"
Back at the old capital, the once-mighty Northern Demon Lord's castle—specifically, in the dining hall on the second floor—Irina leaned her elbows on the table, holding her face in her hands and dragging out her tone playfully.
They'd just learned from Bokue—who'd returned not long ago from the Current Demon Lord faction—that they'd need to wait until tomorrow for a definite answer about keeping the old capital intact.
It was unexpected, but reasonable enough to accept.
During this summer break, Irina had been staying with the Gremory family almost continuously. At first, she'd been quite uneasy—her instincts as a former Church Exorcist had immediately labeled the entire Devil territory as enemy turf. For several days she'd remained on high alert, constantly tensed and exhausted.
Eventually, though, nothing bad actually happened. After a peaceful nap one day, she finally relaxed.
So now, even if she was told they'd need to stay overnight here in the Northern Demon Realm, it wasn't a problem at all.
After all, she'd spent her previous career as a Church warrior flying around the globe, hunting demons sneaking into the human world—her flight mileage every year probably outstripped some corporate executives. Even if she'd once had issues sleeping in unfamiliar places, those habits had long since vanished.
"Who would have thought we'd end up spending the night here in the North, huh~"
Next to her, Rias sighed lightly, pouting slightly with her brows knitted as if bothered by something.
Seeing this, Akeno immediately asked, concerned.
"What's the matter, Rias? You look worried about something."
"Ah...well, not exactly worried—just a little uneasy..."
Rias shut her eyes briefly, gently massaging her forehead with one hand.
"We're all here right now. That means the Gremory castle is completely empty at the moment."
"There's nothing to worry about, dear."
Hearing her daughter's concerns, Venelana gently reassured her with a warm, comforting smile.
"I... I know."
Rias nodded slowly.
She knew perfectly well there was virtually zero chance of trouble within the Gremory estate. Not only were the Seventy-Two Pillars solidly united—at least on the surface—but her elder brother Sirzechs was literally one of the current four Great Satans. Since he'd assumed the title of Lucifer, no sane demon would dare openly target the Gremory family.
Even the arranged marriage mess with the Phenex family before had been a kind of deliberate test by her older brother, seeing how his younger sister and future brother-in-law would handle it. He'd never allowed her to face real danger.
Yet still, being away from home with no one there felt a bit strange and uncomfortable.
"Aw, our little Rias really is growing up."
Venelana gently clapped her hands together beside her cheek, delighted.
"It won't be long now before you take over as head of the Gremory family from Mama, will it~? Then Mama can finally relax a bit more."
"U-ugh... Mother!"
Not expecting her mother to suddenly drop such comments, Rias' face immediately flushed bright red.
What was that about "growing up"? Around her sat friends mostly her own age—aside from Grayfia and a few others. It was so embarrassing to hear this in front of everyone!
Also, what did her mother mean "relax a bit more"? How much more relaxed could she even get? All her mother currently did at home was garden, nap, and sip tea. If she relaxed further, wouldn't she just... vegetate??
As Rias was lost in these frustrated thoughts, Akeno stood up and lightly clapped her hands.
"Well then, if we're definitely spending tonight here, we ought to start preparing our rooms."
Indeed, staying overnight required more than simply cooking lunch. Beds needed to be made, guest rooms prepared, and bathrooms tidied.
It wasn't as though Ramusas had conveniently prepared guest rooms just before getting killed.
At that, Zest, back in her ever-elegant maid uniform, predictably stepped forward.
"There's no need to worry. I'll handle washing the dishes first, then I'll immediately start preparing everyone's rooms..."
"Oh, there's no need to trouble yourself with all that."
Akeno gently intervened, smiling kindly.
"We'll each handle our own rooms individually. Leaving everything to you alone, Zest-san, would be far too much work."
"I'll prepare your room, Zest-san." Grayfia added calmly.
"Fufu~ I don't need my own room at all," Kuroka proudly interjected, smugly stroking her wrist with her chin tilted slightly upward. "I'll just sleep with Bokue tonight, nya~ His room is naturally my room too! Nyahaha,"
"Wha—wait, no!"
Rias immediately began to protest, but Akeno subtly tugged at her skirt under the table, giving her an "it's fine, let her be for now" look.
...Huh?
Though puzzled, Rias trusted her friend enough to keep quiet for now.
Mistaking Rias' silence for defeat, Kuroka instantly began purring triumphantly, humming to herself as if she'd just won a battle.
Akeno chuckled softly, turning towards Kuroka.
"In that case, we'll leave preparing Bokue-kun's room entirely to you, Kuroka-san. That way, you can decorate it however you like, right~?"
"!!"
That phrase struck Kuroka like lightning. Her cat ears stood up sharply, flicking excitedly.
She could decorate his room however she pleased?? Wonderful! She'd place just a single large futon, arrange romantic lighting, and then pounce on Bokue the moment he entered—there would be kittens tonight for sure~!
"So what should I do?"
Bokue spoke up suddenly, feeling somewhat left out.
"Bokue-kun, you'll naturally help with the dishes."
Akeno's smile grew brighter, almost gleaming.
"You didn't help cook lunch this morning, did you? Then you should at least help wash up afterward. And once the dishes are done, you can also clean the bathroom—no problems, right~?"
"...Got it."
Right, so he'd wash dishes first, then clean the bath afterward...
Beside him, Kuroka mentally committed that sequence to memory.
Cleaning up after everyone's meal would certainly take a while. Preparing the bedroom herself would also take some time.
Perfect! She'd finish her bedroom preparations at lightning speed and then immediately rush to the bath. By the time Bokue arrived, they'd have all the privacy they needed!
Though taking a bath this early was admittedly a bit suspicious... well, who knew how old this place was anyway? Maybe Ramusas was a filthy slob who never bothered bathing, meaning the bath might have leaks or other problems from disuse.
Clearly, it would need thorough... inspection.
What a genius plan!
Kuroka mentally cheered herself on smugly.
What she didn't realize was that nearly every other girl sitting around the table had secretly arrived at the same exact idea.
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