Just like last time, the departure date for the Underworld was ultimately set for the weekend.
According to Sona Sitri's reasoning—it would make writing the absence request forms relatively easier that way.
Bokue still didn't understand why she cared so much about absence request forms.
He hadn't set foot inside a classroom even once since the school year started, and nothing bad had happened to him.
It was just so... whatever. Not worth dwelling on.
And so, Saturday morning arrived.
Keystone Gate. Inside the old schoolhouse.
As the bright morning sunlight streamed through the glass windows into the first floor, everyone who would be traveling to the Underworld this time had already assembled in the living room.
First were the girls who normally lived in the old schoolhouse—Akeno, Koneko, Asia, and the others. As Rias's closest friends, they naturally wouldn't miss the International Ranking Tournament.
Next were Mio Naruse, Maria, Sheila, and the others. After all, they were now part of the Gremory household—members of the family.
Then came Ravel, Sona Sitri, and Serafall. That went without saying.
And somewhat surprisingly, Rossweisse had tagged along this time as well. Her reasoning: since this was an international tournament, that old geezer Odin would obviously be there too. So she had to go—to personally demand answers about why he'd abandoned her alone on Itogami Island.
If his answer didn't satisfy her... hmph, she'd rip every last hair from that old man's white beard!
"Is everyone here?"
The moment Bokue entered the living room, he swept his gaze around the room.
No sooner had he spoken than Akeno gracefully stepped forward from the group. Standing before the young man with her hands clasped demurely over her lower abdomen—the very picture of a devoted wife—she smiled and nodded.
"Yes, everyone's present. Though Rias actually went ahead to the Underworld last night. She said she needed to make some preparations with Lady Venelana, but she didn't give me the details... Oh, speaking of which—isn't Miss Kuroka coming with us this time?"
Akeno noticed that the familiar cat-eared girl wasn't at Bokue's side as usual. She couldn't help but feel curious.
"Ah... Kuroka isn't coming this time."
At the mention of this topic, Bokue quietly suppressed a sigh.
He couldn't very well announce in front of everyone that after Kuroka learned he'd be gone for two days, she'd demanded an entire week's worth of "attention" in one night—and had pushed herself so hard she couldn't even get out of bed this morning.
So he simply rephrased it.
"Since I'll be away from Itogami Island for the next few days, Kuroka's staying behind. With her here, nothing should go wrong even if I'm not around."
Of course, there was also Hasegawa-sensei and Raphaeline staying on the island.
One Transcendent plus two Chief Gods, along with Nagisa—who was practically at Super Demon Lord level—gave Bokue plenty of peace of mind.
"I see. That makes sense."
Akeno let out a small "oh" and nodded again, accepting the explanation.
Bokue cleared his throat.
"Alright, if there are no other questions, let's head out. As for 'customs'... actually, forget it. No need to make things complicated."
With a simple snap of his fingers, a massive teleportation array instantly enveloped everyone in the living room.
❁❁❁❁
The scene shifted. In the blink of an eye, when everyone opened their eyes again, they had already arrived in the Underworld.
And they'd landed precisely in front of Gremory Castle's main gates.
"Woohoo~ We're here, we're here!"
With the imposing castle doors right before them, Serafall charged ahead, stepping out of the teleportation circle first. She looked as excited as if she were coming home.
But before she could even reach the front entrance, the castle doors were thrown open from inside.
A certain crimson-haired girl came jogging out. Seeing the group that had suddenly appeared, she couldn't help but gape in surprise.
"Wait—you all just... came straight here? Didn't you take the train through 'customs'?"
"Nope~"
Serafall spread her hands cutely and stepped aside, pointing at the young man standing calmly behind her with his hands in his pockets.
"Bokue-kun said there was no need for all that hassle, and then he just brought us all here in one go."
"Ah..."
Rias pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed softly.
"The customs office and Special Security Force on Itogami Island's side won't mind since they're Human World agencies. But if the Parliament here in the Underworld finds out, they're going to have complaints again..."
"It's fine. If they dare complain, they won't need to talk ever again."
As he spoke, Bokue had already reached the crimson-haired girl. Right in front of all the other girls behind him, he scooped Rias up by her thighs and lifted her into his arms.
Rias let out a startled yelp but instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
"W-wait! What are you—at least wait until we're inside before..."
The two of them stayed like that, foreheads pressed together, looking incredibly intimate.
"By the way, Akeno mentioned before we left that you went back to the Underworld right after last night. Something about making 'preparations' with your mom?"
"Uh... y-yes, that's right."
At the mention of "preparations," Rias suddenly became noticeably flustered. Even her voice grew halting.
"You'll find out tonight anyway, so... just don't ask for now."
"Oh?"
Bokue raised an eyebrow with interest.
But since Rias wanted him to wait, he'd wait.
Given how she was acting, it was probably another one of Auntie's creative ideas.
In any case—something to look forward to.
❁❁❁❁
Meanwhile, in a candlelit bedroom on the upper floors of the castle.
Venelana sat at her vanity, gazing into the mirror.
Her reflection no longer showed her usual brown hair. Instead, she'd used magic to dye it the exact same crimson red as Rias's.
Her naturally soft, downward-sloping eyes—which gave her such a gentle appearance—had been carefully lined to create the sharp, upturned look characteristic of her daughter.
Aside from being several cup sizes larger, the current Venelana was virtually indistinguishable from Rias. Even longtime retainers like Akeno and Koneko would have trouble telling them apart without looking very closely.
Mm, absolutely perfect.
The elegant woman smiled at her reflection, mentally giving herself a perfect score.
With this, she could disguise herself as Rias tonight and enjoy Bokue's "affection" alongside the other girls. Then, at the very peak of the climax, she'd suddenly dispel the hair-dyeing magic without warning.
I wonder what will happen then~
Though, this did mean Rias would have to play the role of "The Incompetent Daughter" for one night...
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