Since Venelana had said she'd handle things, Bokue naturally didn't insist on staying.
So while the elegant woman was still holding Rias's hand for a heart-to-heart "counseling session" inside Gremory Castle's bedroom, the young man stepped back through the magic mirror and returned to Keystone Gate on Itogami Island.
Ripples spread across the mirror's surface as the scenery before him shifted abruptly—from the European-style aristocratic castle bedroom to a modern villa's minimalist interior.
The familiar furnishings of the room greeted his eyes, virtually unchanged from when Venelana had pulled him away earlier.
If there was any difference, it was that the dust cover that had been lying on the floor had somehow been picked up and neatly folded, now resting on the nightstand.
And there was now a certain Demon Lord girl sitting by the tea table near the window.
She sat with her feet playfully dangling, one hand holding a teacup while the other held her phone high, making various cute expressions at the front-facing camera—click, click, click—snapping selfie after selfie.
Sensing movement from the mirror behind her, Serafall set down her phone and whipped her magical-girl twin-tails around, turning her head to look. She propped her elbow on the back of the chair and let out a delighted exclamation.
"Oho~ Look who's back! If it isn't our dear Bokue-kun~ All done on Auntie Venelana's end?"
"Yeah."
Bokue hadn't expected Serafall to be here at this particular moment. He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Feels like you calculated exactly when I'd show up."
"Of course~!"
The Demon Lord girl set down her phone and teacup, bouncing up from the table. She planted her hands on her hips, chest puffed out with pride.
"After all, big sis here has some experience by now~ I know you usually 'take care of' each girl for about two to three hours. Average that out to two and a half hours. Auntie Venelana plus Rias-chan makes five hours total. Once I figured that out, I just had to get here early and wait!"
She paused briefly, lifting her wrist to check her watch.
"Hmm~ Though you're still about half an hour later than I expected. Auntie and Rias-chan must be completely worn out, huh? Hm?"
As she said this, she sidled up close to the young man, hands still on her hips. She leaned forward slightly, tilting her head to look up at him with deliberately suspicious eyes.
The next second, Bokue cupped her cheeks in both hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"It was fine. I kept things under control overall."
"'Overall'... hm?"
Serafall hummed twice and freed her face from his grasp.
But the very next moment, she couldn't resist pressing close again, her expression animated with gossipy curiosity.
"Hey, hey, hey—so what happened during? Did Rias-chan agree right away, or did she put up a fierce resistance?"
"...If you really want to know, why not just ask her yourself?"
"Ugh~ So stingy."
Seeing he wouldn't budge, Serafall didn't push further. She stepped back half a pace and puffed out her cheeks with an adorable pout.
Then she propped her chin in her hand and began to sigh.
"Though in a way, I'm kind of an accomplice in all this. If Rias-chan blames me later, that'll be trouble."
"Accomplice?"
Bokue wondered what she could possibly have to do with any of this.
"Yeah~"
Serafall pursed her lips.
"After all, I was the one who told Auntie about the International Ranking Tournament first, a couple days ago. But when she heard about it, her first reaction was to tell me not to let Rias-chan know that she already knew. And then she asked me to specifically mention that she'd already returned to the Underworld when I told Rias-chan about the tournament..."
Huh?
Bokue was completely thrown off.
So in other words—Auntie Venelana had deliberately arranged for Rias to discover the mirror here, luring her through to the other side. And before all that, she'd specifically prepared that "knockout tea."
'Her planning was this thorough??'
"Well, that's basically the gist of it."
Having spilled everything about her collaboration with Venelana in one breath, Serafall finished by clasping her small fists together at her chest. She blinked her big, sparkling eyes at the young man.
"So if Rias-chan does end up blaming me, you absolutely have to put in a good word for me, okay? Big sis here will do anything for you~"
Bokue: "..."
Why did that "I'll do anything" at the end sound like she was trying to get something extra out of this?
Bzzt, bzzt—
Just then, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.
Hm?
Bokue pulled it out and checked—it was La Folia calling. He answered immediately.
"Hey, what's up, La Folia?"
"Ah... Bokue, are you out right now?"
The silver-haired princess's slightly hesitant voice came through the phone.
"No, why?"
Bokue's tone took on a hint of confusion.
"I'm at Keystone Gate right now. Did something happen?"
"Oh, is that so? That's good then. I tried calling earlier but the system said you were out of service range, so I thought you might be busy with something outside. Anyway, glad I'm not interrupting..."
Hearing that he wasn't busy, La Folia's voice seemed to relax slightly.
"So, if you have time now, could you come over for a bit? There's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Sure, I'll be right there."
Bokue agreed and hung up. He pocketed his phone, then scooped up the Demon Lord girl in front of him and planted a kiss on her.
"Alright, sounds like La Folia needs me for something. I'll head over there first."
"Mm-hm~"
Serafall waved with a smile.
The next instant, the young man's figure vanished completely. The Demon Lord girl couldn't help but purse her lips, muttering to herself.
"So popular—what a busy man."
But then her mood brightened again.
"Well~ then again, that's exactly why I like him. Otherwise, big sis here wouldn't even give him a second glance~"
❁❁❁❁
Meanwhile, Bokue had already teleported to La Folia's residence.
Inside the penthouse suite's living room, La Folia, Kanon Kanase, Polyphonia, and Sayaka Kirasaka were all gathered around the sofas near the tea table. The moment they noticed the young man's arrival, they all turned to look.
La Folia immediately bounced up and wrapped him in an enthusiastic hug.
"Bokue, you're here! Let me give you the quick version."
"Basically, since Mom came to Itogami Island on a temporary vacation, she can't stay too long. A week is already pushing it, so she'll need to head back tomorrow."
"So I was thinking we should throw a big farewell party tonight. What do you think?"
Hmm... a farewell party, huh.
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