Before the words were even completely out of Nobunaga's mouth, Jeanne moved.
Her hand shot out, grabbed Nobu by the collar of her military jacket, and hoisted her clean off the pavement with one arm.
"What did you just say?" Jeanne asked, her eyes narrowing as her grip tightened. "Say that again."
Nobunaga didn't even flinch. She just hung there, feet dangling a few inches off the asphalt, looking down at Jeanne with an infuriating smirk.
"You heard me," Nobu said, totally unbothered. "You two already went at it, so why can't I? Don't act all high and mighty now. He was just chewing on your ear while you let him show you off, and you're planning to do it again right in front of bug-eyes anyway."
Jeanne's face flushed a violent crimson. "That has nothing to do with you throwing yourself at him! You're just being shameless!"
"Shameless?" Nobu barked a laugh. "You were melting into his chest five seconds ago! Don't play the pure saint card now, Frenchie, nobody's buying it!"
"Shut up!"
"Make me!"
I rubbed the bridge of my nose, turned my back on the bickering, and pulled the phone out of my pocket. Let them yell at each other. I had actual logistics to handle.
I tapped Arthur's contact and hit call.
He picked up on the first ring. "Kenji? Is something wrong? Are you in danger?"
"Relax, Big Bro. We're fine," I said, leaning against the alley wall and doing my best to tune out Jeanne threatening to drop Nobu headfirst into a dumpster. "Just checking in. We ran into Caster."
A sharp beat of silence hit the line. "Caster? Did he engage you?"
"Tried to," I said. "We took care of it. His Master is dead, and Caster is down for the count. He's officially out of the war."
A long breath blew through the speaker, thick with relief. "Eliminated already? That is incredible news. But tell me—is anyone hurt? Did you or the others take any injuries?"
"Not a scratch. We're all completely fine," I said, glancing over at Gilles, who was still squirming on the asphalt like an oversized worm. "Listen, I'm calling because we've got some cleanup to deal with around here. I'm gonna be home pretty late, so don't wait up or worry about us."
"Understood," Arthur replied, his voice warm and steady. "Take all the time you need. I have the estate secured, and Sakura is resting comfortably. Just be careful on your way back."
"Will do. See you later."
I hung up, locked the screen, and slipped the phone into my pocket.
I took a slow breath and turned back around, half-expecting to see drawn weapons or a smoking crater in the brickwork.
Instead, they were standing inches apart in dead, tense silence, staring at each other's hands.
"Rock, paper, scissors—shoot!" Nobu yelled, slamming down a solid fist.
"Shoot!" Jeanne shouted, thrusting out two stiff fingers.
The alley went dead quiet.
Nobu's rock sat planted right against Jeanne's scissors.
Nobunaga stared at Jeanne's fingers for half a second, then threw her head back and erupted into a deafening, triumphant roar.
"GAHAHAHAHA! Rock crushes scissors! That's two out of three, Frenchie! The Demon King takes the spoils!" Nobu crowed, slapping her thigh in pure delight before spinning on her heel toward me, a razor-sharp grin plastered across her face. "Alright, Master! Pay up! Looks like you're mine first!"
Jeanne stood frozen in place, staring at her own outstretched fingers in horrified disbelief, her cheeks burning bright.
"No," I said, crossing my arms.
Nobunaga froze. Her jaw dropped in genuine shock. "Hah?! What do you mean, no?!"
"You're a bit too small for my taste."
A vein popped on her forehead. She lunged forward, grabbed my jacket by the lapels, and started shaking me violently back and forth.
"Small?! Who are you calling small, you brat?!" she yelled, rattling my teeth. "You wouldn't even last five minutes against me!"
"Nice try," I said, prying her hands off my coat.
"I'm not falling for cheap reverse psychology."
Nobu let go, taking half a step back. She tilted her chin up, crossing her arms, a mocking smirk spreading across her face.
"What's the matter, Master? Are you scared, gonna cry to your mom?"
My eye twitched.
"Fine. You asked for it."
——
[Oda Nobunaga POV]
I blinked my eyes open, staring up at the dusty ceiling of the warehouse backroom.
My whole body was buzzing, completely numb and hyper-sensitive at the same time. I tried to sit up, but my thighs immediately gave out, and I just flopped back down onto the couch with a muffled groan.
I was still completely naked, my uniform and cape tossed carelessly onto the concrete floor.
'Damn it...'
I threw an arm over my eyes, letting out a ragged breath.
'How the hell is he that good? Has he like been doing this for years, he was completely taking control until my brain just completely shut off.'
It was honestly annoying. I was the great unifier of Japan, the Demon King, and I got totally dismantled by a rookie. A part of me was genuinely jealous of how much of a natural talent he was at this.
'...And the rest of me is already wondering when we're going to do it again.'
——
[Kenji Sato (MC) POV]
I stepped back outside into the alley, rolling my shoulders and stretching out my back.
Jeanne was still leaning against the brick wall with her arms crossed, glaring down at the pavement. She hadn't uttered a single syllable the entire time we were inside, radiating pure, frosty silence.
I looked up at the sky. The sun was finally dipping below the rooftops, casting deep orange and purple shadows across the buildings.
"Sun's almost down," I said, breaking the quiet. "Give it another ten minutes and we can haul him back to the estate."
A faint chiming sound echoed through the alley.
I turned toward the corner.
Gilles was still tied up on the asphalt, but golden motes of light were flaking off his clothes, drifting upward into the evening air. His arms and torso were rapidly turning translucent.
'Wait, his core is collapsing already?'
Without Ryuunosuke to anchor him, the stolen souls he'd fed on couldn't keep him tethered anymore.
He was fading back to the Throne. Right now.
"Wait, hold on!" I yelled, lunging across the alley. "Don't you dare despawn on me!"
[Lightning God Form] flared to life across my skin in a sharp, crackling burst of blue sparks.
I dropped to my knees beside him, slammed both hands flat against his dissolving chest, and unleashed a massive jolt of high-voltage electricity, aggressively shocking the dying Servant to milk every last drop of skill EXP before he disappeared completely.
The blue lightning crackled through the air, but there wasn't much left of Caster to shock.
Within seconds, Gilles's body completely crumbled into golden motes, flaking away on the evening breeze until only the frayed ropes remained on the asphalt.
[Ding!]
[Skill: Lightning God Form has leveled up!]
[Skill: Lightning God Form has reached Lv. 25!]
'Only two levels? Cheap bastard... Atleast zouken gave me a crap ton.'
I stood up, shaking the residual static from my knuckles as the notification vanished.
Jeanne stepped away from the brick wall, walking over with a questioning look. "What's wrong, Master?"
"Caster faded," I said, gesturing to the empty pavement. "Without a Master to anchor him, his core gave out. He's back in the Throne."
A couple of seconds of silence hung between us.
I looked down at the gravel, hesitating for a moment before looking back up at her.
"Hey, Jeanne," I asked quietly. "Are you... upset? About me killing him?"
Jeanne didn't hesitate. Her expression remained completely firm.
"I don't care who he was in life," she said. "He threatened you, and he butchered innocents. An enemy is an enemy."
I let out a breath, genuinely relieved that she wasn't torn up over old history.
The warehouse back door creaked open, and Nobunaga stepped out into the alley, leaning lazily against the frame. She was barely clothed—her uniform shirt was haphazardly half-buttoned, exposing plenty of skin, with her crimson cape draped loosely over one shoulder like a bath towel. Her dark hair was a wild mess, and she carried a smug, satisfied smirk.
Jeanne's eyes locked onto her instantly. Her posture went rigid, an icy wave of pure jealousy rolling off her.
"Put some clothes on," Jeanne snapped, crossing her arms tightly.
"Oh, shut up, Frenchie," Nobu muttered, lazily scratching the back of her neck. "I'm just cooling off."
I ignored their glaring match and pulled up my system menu to check my stats.
My eyes drifted down to my passive skills and stopped.
[Skill: Evil Attraction (Lv. 5)]
'Wait... it leveled up? But how... whats the trigger?'
The pieces clicked together, and my stomach dropped.
'Does it levels up during intercourse...'
Having sex—especially with someone holding a chaotic or darker alignment like the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven—was actively pumping experience into the exact skill that turned me into a magnet for dangerous, corrupted freaks.
'This system is going to get me killed.'
I closed the blue screen before a migraine could set in.
The sun had finally dipped beneath the horizon, settling the alley in cool twilight. With Gilles already dissolved into dust, there was nothing left to smuggle anyway.
"Come on," I said, turning toward the mouth of the alley. "Let's head back to the estate and wait for night to fully settle in."
"Works for me," Nobu said with a shrug, heading back inside for a minute to get sorted out.
Jeanne gave a curt nod, her arms still crossed, though the stiff tension around her shoulders finally started to drop.
By the time we stepped out of the alley and hit the main street, both of them had swapped out their combat gear for casual clothes. Jeanne was back in her ripped black jeans and faded denim jacket, while Nobu had thrown on an oversized black graphic hoodie and shorts, her military cap shoved into a pocket.
As we walked along the sidewalk under the warm glow of the streetlights, Nobu leaned in, deliberately bumping her shoulder against my arm. She looked up at me through messy bangs, flashing a lazy, suggestive smirk.
"You know, Master," Nobu purred, nudging my hip. "The night's still young. Once we get back, we could easily sneak off for round two. I can show you what the Demon King is really capable of when I'm not caught off guard."
I didn't even look over, letting a dry, smug smirk pull at my lips.
"As if," I scoffed lightly. "Like I'd bother having sex with someone so weak. You literally passed out on a dusty couch."
Nobu's smug face completely shattered. A vein bulged on her temple, her hands clenching into fists as she sputtered in pure frustration.
"Weak?! I was pacing myself, you smug little brat!" she hissed, stomping her sneaker against the concrete. "I didn't pass out! I was tactically recharging my spiritual core! Say that again and see what happens!"
'Tactically recharging, sure.'
Before I could poke at her wounded pride any further, a soft chime rang in my ear, and a translucent blue prompt flickered at the edge of my vision.
[Ding!]
[Condition Met: Deepened Bond / Saint Graph Harmonization.]
[Oda Nobunaga: Saint Graph Ascension Available.]
I blinked, reading the text twice.
'Wait, I can advance her Saint Graph?'
Just like in Fate/Grand Order, ascending her could fundamentally upgrade her power, unlock new skills, or even shift her into that taller, mature Demon King form the angel had mentioned earlier. My curiosity spiked instantly, but messing with a Servant's spiritual core on a public sidewalk in the middle of town was asking for trouble.
'Better to do that once we're safely back in the mansion.'
I quietly swiped the notification away for later.
Suddenly, a hand reached up, gently pinching my earlobe and pulling my head down.
Jeanne pulled me close until her lips were brushing right against my ear, her warm breath sending a quick shiver down my spine.
"You owe me some tonight," she murmured softly, her tone leaving zero room for debate.
Before I could even answer, she leaned in and pressed a gentle, lingering kiss to my cheek, pulling back with a faint, satisfied smile as she continued walking.
'Ahh... Is this how a pendragon should act?'
——
We pushed open the heavy front doors of the estate, stepping into the quiet foyer.
"We're back," I called out, kicking off my shoes at the entryway.
The house was eerily still. There was no sign of Kariya or Sakura, likely resting in the inner rooms. The only one waiting in the spacious main hall was Arthur, seated on one of the sofas with a book in hand.
At the sound of our voices, Arthur set the book down and looked up, offering a warm, welcoming smile.
"Welcome back, Kenji. I am glad to see all three of you returned in one piece," Arthur said, rising to his feet. He took in our casual clothes, though his sharp blue eyes immediately lingered on me with a knowing look. "I trust your detour went smoothly?"
"Smooth enough," I replied, stretching my neck. "Caster is officially out of the picture."
"Excellent work." Arthur nodded in approval, then crossed his arms, his smile taking on a slightly firmer, disciplined edge. "Then there are no further distractions. You haven't forgotten our arrangement, have you? You are due for your tutoring tonight."
The reminder clicked in my head.
'Right. Sword training with the King of Knights.'
"I remember," I said, giving him a nod. "I'm ready when you are."
Jeanne and Nobunaga parted ways toward the interior hall, leaving us to it. Arthur gestured for me to follow him, leading the way past the glass terrace doors and out into the estate's wide stone courtyard.
The night air was cool and crisp, the moonlight casting pale silver illumination across the open ground.
Near the stone steps, a pair of wooden and bamboo practice weapons rested against the railing. Arthur walked over, picking up both before turning back around. With a smooth flick of his wrist, he tossed one through the air toward me.
I caught it cleanly by the grip.
It was a standard bamboo shinai, lightweight and balanced with leather fittings.
"I had Kariya procure a few of those earlier," Arthur said, taking his own grip on the second bamboo sword. "I was told these are the customary training blades of this country. A suitable tool to practice technique without taking each other's limbs off."
He stepped back into the center of the courtyard, his posture settling into an effortless, immaculately balanced stance. The relaxed warmth of an older brother faded away, replaced by the razor-sharp intensity of a seasoned king.
Arthur raised the tip of the shinai, leveling it straight at my chest.
"Clear your mind, Kenji," Arthur said, his voice ringing firm across the stones. "Prepare yourself, and focus."