"Hoo~ I can't believe this, nya! You said all that, and you still bedded that Youkai!"
Kousuke, who was enjoying the peaceful and serene night on the balcony, was interrupted by a familiar voice. He turned toward the railing and saw a black cat in a kimono pouting at him—Kuroka.
Just like she said, he had just spent another night with Yasaka, who was now fast asleep on the bed behind him.
Currently, he was in Yasaka's personal room, rather than the guest room where the rest of the Occult Research Club members were staying.
"Well, she doesn't have impure motives like you," Kousuke replied casually, turning his back on her to quietly admire the starry sky. He couldn’t be bothered to entertain a stalker obsessed with his seed.
"Fine, I'll let it slide for now, nya. I’m here for other business," she said before leaning close, her tail curling around his arm as she whispered into his ear,
"Are you interested in joining the faction I'm part of?"
"Is it called The Seed Collector, perhaps?" he joked with a shrug, not particularly bothered by Kuroka invading his personal space. As obsessive as she was, she was still a beautiful Youkai.
"Nyahaha! You're funny! But no, it's a small faction—but with countless strong and talented people, nya!"
"And yet you're going after my seed. What, none of them fit the bill?"
"That's right, nya! They're just a bunch of sore losers who think they can change the world by teaming up—nyahaha!"
"Heeh~ So that's the goal of your faction? A little too ambitious for my liking. I like the world as it is," he said with narrowed eyes. It sounded like something he needed to keep an eye on. With ambitions like that, there was no way they'd stay quiet forever.
"That’s exactly why I want your seed, nya! You're just like me—we don’t need to change the world. We adapted to it. Nyahaha!"
"Those are strong words... but I agree. So, what is your faction actually called?"
"Huh? I don’t remember—uhh... what was it again? Hero Faction, nya?"
"...Hahaha! That’s the best joke I’ve heard since I returned—‘Hero Faction’ with a goal to change the world—pfft!" Kousuke laughed heartily. Even with all his power, the thought of changing the world never crossed his mind. It wasn’t that he lacked ambition—he just found such a goal too egoistic.
He once believed he was the main character in the Other World. After all, he was summoned as the Hero. A classic isekai setup—how could a high schooler’s ego not inflate?
Fortunately, he had been humbled... just before that ego could bloom into a rotten flower.
"No. I'm not interested," he said firmly after his laughter died down. He had his suspicions that this so-called faction might’ve been behind Kunou’s kidnapping—the mysterious third party. Yet for some reason, they abandoned Ookuma in the end.
"Eh? Then you don't want to know why they specifically targeted Yasaka, nya?"
"...Tell them this."
Suddenly, the air grew still. It felt as if an invisible pressure had descended upon the balcony. Kousuke remained seated, making no outward motion—yet the atmosphere turned heavy.
"If they dare touch the people I care about... even if a God is backing them—"
His voice grew cold. Kuroka’s instincts screamed at her, her body breaking out in a cold sweat. ‘No... this isn't power. This is... killing intent.’
"I will destroy them.."
Kuroka’s tail stiffened. For a moment, her flirtatious mask cracked—her pupils shrank into sharp slits, and her body instinctively backed away, only to realize there was nowhere to retreat. The balcony’s railing pressed against her lower back.
"O-oh my, don’t get so worked up, nya," she said with an uneasy smile, trying to wave off the tension like it was just another joke. “I-I mean, come on, I was just the messenger! You wouldn't blow up the cute little delivery cat, would you?”
Kousuke didn’t say a word. He simply turned his gaze toward her—and that alone made her legs wobble.
Kuroka forced out a laugh, clearly strained. “T-Totally understandable though! You’ve got quite the harem going, nya... it’d be a crime if someone messed with your girls. I’d burn the world too if someone touched my man like that—hypothetically speaking of course, nya~”
Still sensing no softening in his presence, she began to sweat more visibly, her ears twitching with nervous energy. “B-But! Now that I know how serious you are... I can pass that along, okay? Crystal clear message. Loud and scary. Got it. Absolutely not touching Yasaka again—promise!”
She bowed slightly with her hands up in surrender, still maintaining a wobbly grin. “See? No harm done, nya~ You’re as scary as you are handsome. That’s a rare combo, you know!”
Finally, the oppressive pressure began to lift like a heavy fog retreating at dawn. Kuroka inhaled sharply, only now realizing she had been holding her breath.
“…Good,” Kousuke muttered, turning his eyes back toward the sky. “Make sure they understand. If not—next time, I won’t speak first.”
“Y-Yes, sir~! Message delivered, nya!” she said, tail flicking as she stepped back onto the railing, crouching like a cat about to leap. But before she left, she added with a sly smirk, “Still... even with all that scary energy, you’ve got the kind of seed I really want. Keep being hot, Kousuke~”
With that, she leapt gracefully into the night, vanishing into the darkness like a shadow with bells on her ankles. For the first time, Kuroka was both terrified and aroused. If she lingered any longer, she might not have been able to resist pouncing on him.
Kousuke exhaled softly. The tension left his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the stars again. He could hear Yasaka stirring faintly inside the room behind him.
“…Even the assassins these days are flirty,” he muttered under his breath. He decided to stop thinking about the matter altogether. Rising from his chair, he walked back into the room.
"I smelled the presence of another Youkai on you. Was it that black cat again?" Yasaka murmured, half-awake as she snuggled into his chest.
He patted her head and said, “Yes. It’s nothing to be worried about.”
He wasn’t kidding. As long as they heeded his warning, he’d have no reason to act. With his strength, he’d rather enjoy life as it is.
To Kousuke, that itself was a right he had rightfully earned.