"Well, I'm here to complete the commission," Koneko announced with her characteristic stoicism. "Devil servant of Rias Gremory, heir to the House of Gremory, Koneko Toujou."
She delivered the formal introduction with all the emotion of someone reading a grocery list, her hazel eyes revealing nothing.
"I'm Takeyo Kagutsuchi," he replied with a slight smile. "So... shall we begin our commissioned task?"
His expression turned serious, matching her professional demeanor.
"Yes, Takeyo-senpai," Koneko responded, her tone and face equally solemn.
The content of the commissioned task? Gaming sessions.
Modern devil contracts had evolved considerably from their ancient counterparts. Where once clients demanded wealth, power, or revenge, contemporary requests ranged from the mundane to the absurd, game coaching, cooking assistance, cuddle services, even masochistic training sessions. It was, in Takeyo's opinion, a rather peculiar direction for demonkind.
Koneko's lips curved ever so slightly upward, the movement barely perceptible.
She was here to play games with this senior who dominated the school's academic rankings. She wanted to see how long the top student could last against her gaming prowess.
Thirty minutes later, the results spoke for themselves.
"YOU LOSE!"
The English words flashed across the large screen as Koneko suffered yet another defeat.
Her hazel eyes widened fractionally, a significant display of emotion for someone usually so reserved. She hugged the pillow in her arms a little tighter, processing the unfamiliar sensation of being utterly dominated.
Was this what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a complete beatdown?
The strength she'd used could easily kill a normal person, nowhere near her actual limit, of course. Yet it hadn't mattered one bit.
"Koneko? Didn't you say you were a gaming master?" Takeyo retrieved a bag of potato chips from nearby, munching contentedly. Being invincible was, admittedly, rather lonely.
"Senpai... one more round," Koneko said quietly, her competitive spirit refusing to accept defeat.
She was a gaming master. She couldn't possibly admit defeat after losing for a straight thirty minutes.
"Ahem, let's save that for next time, Koneko," Takeyo said diplomatically. "If you lose too many times, you might refuse my commissions in the future."
He could play fighting games with his feet and still dominate world-class players. Continuing to crush an ordinary gaming enthusiast held little appeal, no matter how adorable she looked while sulking.
Besides, watching Koneko's rare displays of emotion, whether shy or irritated, proved far more entertaining.
"Hmph." Koneko made a small sound of displeasure, unwilling to comment further.
Next time, she'd ask Akeno-senpai to handle this commission instead. Then she could watch her mischievous senior give this teasing senpai exactly what he deserved.
She'd noticed he was toying with her, holding back deliberately.
Under normal circumstances, after being humiliated so thoroughly, she would have silently delivered one of her infamous punches and asked the President to cover the medical expenses.
But... he'd paid too generously.
Koneko had never received such a lucrative contract before. For the sake of her performance metrics, and more importantly, for the President's reputation, she needed to endure her wounded pride. If she attacked a client, Rias's standing among devil society would plummet.
'There will be plenty of opportunities for revenge later,' she consoled herself.
"There was another part to the commission, wasn't there, Koneko?" Takeyo's smile turned gentler, more genuine.
The other content was the real business. He wanted to understand the difference between a Silver-rank sign-in and the King-rank sign-in he'd completed with Ophis.
"Senpai mentioned cosplay, correct? Did you provide the costume?" Koneko had some experience with role-playing contracts.
She'd even done a princess carry before... though she'd been the one doing the carrying, not being carried.
"Of course I'm ready!" Takeyo slipped into his room briefly.
He wasn't worried about Koneko detecting anything unusual about him. The level disparity between them was simply too vast. Even without deliberately concealing his power, only beings like Ophis and Great Red could perceive his true nature now.
"Here it is." He returned, presenting the costume with a flourish.
Koneko's golden pupils, cat-like in their vertical orientation, contracted sharply when she saw what he'd prepared.
A cat girl cosplay outfit.
Her race was Nekoshou, a rare variant of Nekomata. Due to her psychological trauma, she'd been reluctant to use her innate powers, going so far as to constantly suppress her cat ears and tails.
And now this senior wanted her to wear a cat girl costume and give him a princess carry?
"Just put this on and give me a princess carry." Takeyo's smile remained innocent, betraying nothing.
Of course he knew about Koneko's race and her past. But some issues couldn't be resolved through avoidance. Eventually, she would need to face her Nekomata heritage, and more importantly, reconcile with her sister.
Several long seconds passed.
"Okay. No problem," Koneko finally said softly.
Once again, he'd paid too generously. Moreover, she reasoned that a human like Takeyo-senpai wouldn't know about her painful history. He couldn't possibly be deliberately poking at her trauma.
A few minutes later, a delicate cat girl stood before Takeyo.
Her movements carried a hint of restraint, clearly uncomfortable with the outfit, but her professionalism won out over her embarrassment. A faint blush colored her cheeks despite her best efforts to suppress it.
"Hup!"
Using the superhuman strength granted by her Rook piece, Koneko easily lifted Takeyo into a princess carry.
The moment she picked him up, surprise flickered through Takeyo's eyes.
He'd sensed an intruder entering his domain.
Knowing precisely who the unexpected visitor was, Takeyo maintained his expression, allowing Koneko to hold him without protest.
"Koneko-chan looks absolutely adorable in this outfit!" he exclaimed with genuine enthusiasm. "I've decided, this costume is yours to keep!"
"Hm?" Koneko's pupils contracted again.
What did Takeyo-senpai mean by that?
"Senpai isn't planning to wear it yourself, right?" she asked cautiously.
"Absolutely not! What kind of image do you have of me in your mind?" Takeyo protested, genuinely offended. Did she really think he was some kind of pervert?
"...Well, thank you, Senpai," Koneko said after a pause, uncertain of her own feelings.
She wasn't quite sure why she'd accepted the gift. Perhaps because he was handsome? Or maybe because something about him felt... familiar? Comforting, even?
After a moment, Koneko gently set him down, her movements careful despite her strength.
Takeyo's eyes held a trace of dissatisfaction. He didn't think he'd awakened any strange fetishes, but Koneko possessed a subtle, pleasant scent, something unique to the Nekomata race, perhaps? Or was it specific to her alone?
He supposed he'd know soon enough.
"If there's nothing else, then I'll, "
Before Takeyo could finish his sentence, a seductive voice drifted from somewhere above.
"Excuse me... but could you let go of someone else's little sister? If you don't, I might have to cause some trouble, nya~"
Koneko's vertical pupils contracted to pinpoints. Dense magical power surged through her body as every muscle tensed for combat.
She knew that voice all too well, intimately, painfully familiar.
She'd raised her guard to maximum alertness in an instant, shocked that she'd been completely unaware of the intruder's presence until this moment.
Her sister.
Kuroka.
"Nya nya nya~~ Shirone, you said you didn't want to use your Nekomata powers anymore, yet look at you now! Such a cute cat girl outfit doesn't match your words at all, meow~" Kuroka's playful voice carried obvious teasing.
Since Koneko was currently wearing cat ears, albeit fake ones attached to the costume, Kuroka couldn't resist the opportunity for sisterly mockery.
Of course, she knew perfectly well that her sister's cat ears weren't real. This was just harmless teasing.
However, something unexpected occurred that caught even Kuroka off guard.
"That's all well and good, but..." Takeyo's tone remained remarkably calm, almost bored. "Could you please not stand on my ceiling beams while striking a pose? Those beams are quite expensive, and I'd prefer they remained intact."
Though Kuroka had used advanced concealment techniques to mask her presence and aura, Takeyo had still pinpointed her exact location.
His enhanced senses, courtesy of the Ten Incarnations of Vishnu, perceived far more than any ordinary being could detect.
A stunned silence filled the room as both sisters processed what had just happened.