Under the glow of a blood-red moon, Kairin walked alone through the deserted streets. Her steps were quick, carrying her into Ikebukuro's Sunshine City. She rode the elevator to the tenth-floor plaza, where the aquarium sat. Crimson moonlight pierced the glass dome, staining the clear water with a bloody hue.
The place was as lifeless as the streets. An aquarium without fish—why would anyone come here?
And yet, someone did. A figure stood by the water, gazing at the red-tinted moonlight filtering through the tanks. She seemed to be waiting for something—or maybe reminiscing.
"Oblivionis," Kairin called out her name.
The demon named Oblivion turned slowly, her pale blue hair—almost the same shade as the aquarium's water—flowing behind her. Two small side ponytails, tied with black ribbons, framed her face. Amber eyes gleamed beneath a half-mask, reflecting the red light. Her black-veiled skirt swayed lightly as she moved.
"Fear," she said, her voice cool. "What do you want?"
"Just checking on you," Kairin replied, leaning casually against the glass wall, eyes half-closed. "Is that thing invading again?"
Oblivion's brow twitched faintly. "That's none of your concern. Or do you not trust me?"
Kairin opened her eyes, her gaze sharp with accusation. "You're the one who doesn't trust me."
But then her tone shifted, a sly edge creeping in. "Not that I blame you. We're not exactly on the same side, are we?"
"There are no 'sides' among us," Oblivion replied coldly. "No shared goals—just a temporary alliance for mutual benefit. You know what they call people like us."
"Birds of a feather," Kairin said with a faint smirk, then added, "But you're wrong. It's not just about the alliance. We're also here licking each other's wounds."
Oblivion closed her eyes, tilting her head back. After a moment, she asked, "Are you here to scold me for not handling your business properly?"
"As if," Kairin said, her face blank as she stared at the moon's fractured reflection in the water. "She's still fine, so I've got no complaints. But, Boss…"
She waited until Oblivion met her gaze before continuing. "If I'm sure you can't take it down, I won't hesitate to jump ship."
"Do what you want," Oblivion said, turning back to the moon overhead. "If you find a better deal, I won't stop you."
"I'm serious this time," Kairin pressed.
"So am I," Oblivion replied, glancing over her shoulder. "Or do you think I've ever been joking? But I'm curious about one thing—who's the other side?"
"The one who got in our way last time."
"Oh… the one wearing a mask like us?"
"If I heard right, her name's Samael."
"A half-angel demon? Interesting."
Kairin shifted gears, bringing up something else. "By the way, you've probably heard—the move on Tomatsu Lamp failed. That Samael stuck her nose in again."
Oblivion turned to face forward, falling silent. Kairin didn't push, waiting patiently for her response.
"No helping it," Oblivion said at last, her voice devoid of warmth. "Forget her."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Kairin's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, and she let out a low chuckle. "Cold as ice, huh?"
"You're wrong, Fear," Oblivion said, her amber eyes flashing with crimson moonlight. "I'm a demon."
"Figured you'd say that," Kairin said, pushing off the glass wall and heading for the exit. Just before leaving, she paused and looked back. "One last warning, Boss. If you plan to ditch Riki like you did this time, I won't sit idly by."
Oblivion didn't respond. Kairin's footsteps faded, leaving only the eternal crimson moonlight bathing the city.
In another city, identical but untouched by that red glow…
The next few days were quiet for Nero. Each night, she teamed up with Lena to hunt down demons popping up in the city, dig for info on "Little Ace," and teach Lena a bit about using magic. The days slipped by like that.
Lena had a knack for fighting—a kind of "wild instinct." She could intuitively figure out how to boost her combat skills. Even though Nero herself was no magic pro, relying on her Yamato blade or the Original Sin Stone for her own power, she managed to teach Lena some basic magic tricks pretty quickly.
Problem was, Lena was just an ordinary girl. All her magic came from her demonic gear, Maxias, which meant it was mostly fire-based and not much good for anything else. Her biggest win after a few days? Pulling off a double jump by riding flames in midair.
Long-range attacks? Yeah, she had a long way to go.
On the intel front, Nero learned "Little Ace" was a creature with long, rabbit-like ears but moved like a cat—a description that instantly reminded her of another manipulative trickster who preyed on young girls. She also found out Ace granted demonic gear to others in exchange for "granting their wishes," tasking them with fighting demons.
Lena had wished to "meet someone interesting and become friends." Now that she and Nero were getting along great, that wish seemed fulfilled. But Nero wasn't buying that a demon like Ace could control a Sparda descendant like her or orchestrate fate itself. The wish coming true felt like pure coincidence.
Which meant Little Ace's "wish-granting" was just a con.
So how were others being duped? To expose the scam and unmask the trickster, Nero needed to dig deeper.
With that question nagging at her, she headed to campus on the first day after the break. No way they'd schedule a monthly exam right after vacation—students needed a day or two to get back in the groove. Still, the classroom buzzed with tension as everyone prepped for the test coming up the next day.
But for Nero, exams weren't what had her on edge.
Today, she was set to visit the Toyokawa family estate.