Outside the school, Kotone walked side by side with Rokou.
"Rokou… you don't like the department head, do you?"
The question came suddenly, as if it had slipped out by some mischievous impulse.
"Like comes in many forms. Which one do you mean?" Rokou asked in return.
"Just… normal liking. You know, whether you think someone is good or bad. The department head doesn't mean any harm; she's just… not very mature. But she'll become an excellent superior demon and head of her family one day."
Rokou suddenly reached out and rested a hand on Kotone's hair.
"Maturity isn't something you need to worry about, Kotone."
"I know, but the department head works hard. I just hope you don't dislike her," she said softly.
"Okay, I can agree to that. But… have you been playing too much 2077? Picking up lines from someone in there?"
He had immediately noticed what was off.
Normally, Kotone wasn't this talkative.
She fell silent after that, clearly realizing Rokou had hit the mark. As a veteran gamer, it was easy to mimic the behaviors of a character after finishing a game—but such behavior usually faded in about a week. Reality and games were still very different.
"Oh, by the way… did you know there's also an anime spin-off?" Rokou asked.
They were nearly at the school gates now, and the conversation with Rias earlier had thinned the crowd.
"Rokou… you have it? I didn't manage to get it on the early release day," Kotone's eyes lit up with excitement.
"I do. At home, though. Want to come get it?"
"Yes!" she answered instantly, without hesitation.
Inside the old school building, Juno watched the two leave and turned to Rias with a teasing grin.
"Looks like Kotone's got more charm than us."
"Kotone's charm is innocent. Few boys would refuse a girl like her," Rias replied in a low, somewhat begrudging voice.
Then, peeking slightly from behind the table, she muttered softly, "I envy her so much…"
The thought of her ongoing engagement made her sigh.
"Excuse us," Kotone said as they entered Rokou's home.
At the entrance, she slipped off her school shoes, revealing her small white-socked feet before changing into indoor slippers. Then she followed Rokou into the living room.
"Sit wherever you like. I'll grab the disc, and we'll eat here tonight," he said.
"Okay."
Kotone placed her backpack down, settled on the sofa, and expertly grabbed the remote to turn on the TV. She was clearly used to the routine.
At that moment, a faint, familiar aura made her heart skip. Behind Kotone, the silver-haired sword spirit appeared.
"Coming to play today too?"
"Mm," Kotone replied, nodding slightly, resuming her usual expressionless demeanor.
After becoming close with Rokou, naturally she had grown accustomed to Est as well.
"This is a small gift. I got it from the Underworld," Kotone said, pulling a package out.
It was a classic popular snack from the Underworld.
Est's mouth watered instinctively as Kotone unwrapped it. After sleeping most of the day, she was ready to eat.
When Rokou came downstairs, he found the two quietly enjoying the snack together. From a distance, someone might have mistaken them for sisters—both expressionless, both silver-haired, with Kotone slightly taller than Est.
"Here, this anime spin-off is perfect for watching alone at home. Ten episodes, not too long," Rokou said.
Kotone carefully placed the disc in her backpack. While Est was focused on her snack, Kotone remembered something and asked, "Rokou, how's your magic training going?"
"I've refined a bit of mana. I can use some simple spells," Rokou said.
Thanks to his cheat-like talents, he had asked Kotone for guidance on using magic.
In this world, magic wasn't a universal concept. Only demons or their familiars could naturally wield it. Humans needed either a contract with a demon, a magical array, or a magical circuit to become a practitioner.
Rokou didn't need any of that. After learning the method from Kotone, he simply used his innate spiritual energy to manifest mana—and naturally, it worked.
"That's amazing!" Kotone's eyes widened.
Rokou spoke casually, but anyone familiar with the difficulty of magic would know how extraordinary this was. She also knew he hadn't signed any contracts, set up any magical circuits, or arrays. Just as a human, he could wield mana—truly a prodigy by Underworld standards.