If Akuto were playing a galgame right now, a choice screen would probably pop up:
[Option 1: Accept Akeno's request, stop peering into her heart, and consummate things with her tonight. (Akeno's affection slightly increases)]
[Option 2: Refuse Akeno's request and continue peering into her heart. (Akeno's affection slightly decreases)]
As a true man, Akuto chose—Option 2.
"No. I refuse."
"Akeno, problems have to be faced to be solved. If you keep running, you'll never truly move forward."
"Whether it's you, or Koneko, Yuumi, Gasper—everyone has a past they don't want to confront."
"Since everyone has chosen to move ahead, you shouldn't stand still."
"Akuto-kun!"
Akeno's voice rose, cutting him off.
The gentleness in her eyes faded, leaving only helplessness and sorrow.
"Akuto-kun, you should already know my story from Rias, right? How do you plan to help me 'move on'?"
"Help me grow stronger, then go beat up Baraqiel? Or storm the Himejima clan and execute the culprits who drove my mother to her death?"
"Either way… it means nothing to me."
"I only want my mother to come back."
Tap.
A crystal tear fell to the ground—proof of the storm inside her heart.
She'd buried all of this deep within. But now, the softest place in her psyche had been laid bare by Akuto, in the most direct way.
At last, Akeno spoke her truest wish.
Baraqiel? Whatever. He'd never truly been her father and never bore a father's duty.
The Himejima clan? Whatever. Baraqiel already culled those who hunted Shuri. Was she supposed to go smash the Himejima main family now and humiliate them?
What she truly cared about… was only her mother, Shuri.
It was her fault. If she'd never been born, her mother's sorrowful fate wouldn't have been rubbed with salt.
If she hadn't existed, even if her mother's life were lonely, it wouldn't have ended in death.
If her mother could never be resurrected, then only time could dull the wound.
So Akuto mustn't pry into her heart.
Because if he did, she would remember the things she was trying so hard to forget. She would remember—the one who killed her mother… was her.
…
"Akuto-kun, I'm glad you're willing to accept a 'soiled' me like this."
"I said I'd accept you—and, like Rias, become your partner."
"So… Akuto-kun, since reviving my mother is impossible, please don't try to 'solve' my problem the way you do with the others. Can you do that?"
Akeno looked at him, her beautiful violet eyes brimming with tears—moving, and heartbreaking.
Staring at the lovely Akeno, Akuto spoke slowly:
"Akeno, what if I told you… resurrection is possible?"
"Eh?"
Akeno blinked. What did Akuto just say?
Seeing her shock, Akuto repeated himself.
"Akeno—what if I told you that even if the soul has dissipated and fallen into the cycle of rebirth… your mother, Shuri, still has a chance to return?"
Whoom—
Behind Akuto, ten Fallen Angel wings unfurled, black feathers swirling around Akeno like a night storm.
Hit by two bombshells at once, Akeno's mind lagged.
She hadn't misread it—Akuto's Fallen Angel aura wasn't like that of angels-turned-fallen. It felt… just like hers, and her mother's.
Akuto-kun… is a natural Fallen Angel, too?!
What was going on? Wasn't Akuto a pure-blood Leviathan devil? How did he also have Fallen Angel wings?
[Wait—if that's so, isn't Akuto just like me, bearing a tainted Fallen Angel bloodline… and a tainted devil bloodline, too?]
Realizing that, tears welled in Akeno's eyes again.
…
Akuto wrapped them both within his black wings, gently wiping the corner of Akeno's eyes.
"You didn't misread it, Akeno. I've awakened power belonging to the Fallen Angels."
"To be precise… I mutated into it."
"And it's not just Fallen Angel power—my devil power is also the result of mutation."
"You've noticed it too—not only Rias, but Koneko, Gasper, and Yuumi have all seen remarkable growth lately. That's because they've all been influenced by me—an anomaly."
"I am the greatest singularity in this world."
"With me here, nothing is impossible. Even pulling someone back from death can be done."
He stated the facts calmly.
"Akuto-kun…"
Akeno didn't voice doubt. She simply looked up at him with quiet trust.
If Akuto said he could do it, then she would believe him—resolutely.
From the day she met him, even if Akuto had a wandering eye and fell easily for pretty girls, he had never gone back on his word.
And she had seen it herself—the dead companions of Yuumi returning to life.
If it was Akuto-kun… maybe it really was possible.
…
Within the cocoon of black wings, Akeno took Akuto's hand and looked up at him—he was much taller than she was.
"Akuto-kun, could you close your eyes for a moment?"
"…"
Akuto knew what she wanted to do. He didn't particularly like "gratitude-type" returns, but he wasn't in the habit of refusing what came to his door.
What you can secure now, secure now. Even if this "gratitude" outweighed "affection" at the moment—he would turn it into affection in the future.
Smack—
Akeno rose on tiptoe and offered her maiden's lips.
Savoring Akeno's unique scent, Akuto opened his eyes, one hand circling her slender waist, the other lifting the back of her head. The silky glide of her black hair flowed through his fingers as he began an unabashed siege.
Akeno was inexperienced and clumsy at first. But with Akuto's masterful technique, she soon shed her shyness—and responded with heat.
Ten minutes later, Akuto released Akeno—eyes dewy, legs weak.
With the succubus bloodline's help and Akuto's skill, her first deep kiss was blissful—and unforgettable.
Her only complaint was that his kiss had been a bit too direct. Too aggressive.
She wanted to roll her eyes at him—who kisses a girl that wildly on the second kiss?
But she didn't even have the strength for that. She could only nestle into his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
…
Holding Akeno, a light flared at Akuto's ear—the glow of a comms array.
Since he'd promised to revive Shuri, Akuto began preparations immediately.
To assemble the right materials for soul-calling, he reached out to a girl who'd once passed him her contact sigil during a formal rite.
[Hello, is this Lady Seekvaira of the Archduke House? This is Akuto.]
…
The girl Akuto contacted was Seekvaira, next head of the Agares family.
Her looks and poise were somewhat similar to Sona's—cool, bespectacled, and a pure-blood heiress.
In the Underworld, the Four Maou stood at the summit. But besides them, three houses held pre-eminent standing among the 72 Pillars:
Great King House — Bael (Rank 1 of the 72)
Archduke House — Agares (Rank 2 of the 72)
Noble Prince House — Vassago (Rank 3 of the 72)
Seekvaira was the next head of the Archduke House.
Only future female heads from these three houses—and the four Maou houses—were eligible for the title "Underworld Princess."
At present, the Underworld had three such top-tier "princesses":
The Maou Lucifer's younger sister — Rias Gremory.
The Maou Leviathan's younger sister — Sona Sitri.
The Archduke House's next head — Seekvaira Agares.
…
By Underworld standing, Seekvaira even outstripped Rias and Sona.
After all, Rias and Sona couldn't inherit their brother's or sister's Maou seats; Seekvaira truly would inherit the Agares leadership.
Even in terms of strength, Seekvaira was top-tier. Back when Rias and Sona were merely High-Class Devils, Seekvaira had already stepped into Ultimate-Class.
Now, with her power and keen command ability, she'd begun steering the Agares resource network.
The Archduke House operated the Underworld's largest resource exchange platform—by the numbers, over 30% of all Underworld trade flowed through Agares channels.
Akuto sought Seekvaira because he needed resources only she could mobilize.
[Akuto-sama, how may I assist you?]
Though they weren't close, Seekvaira used "Akuto-sama" out of formal respect.
Normally, given her status and power, Akuto didn't need her deference.
But since this was the first time he'd approached her for collaboration, she decided to be thoroughly professional.
[Yes, Seekvaira—there is a matter for which I need the Agares network.]
[How long would it take, using the Archduke House's resources, to locate Soul-Returning Herb, Nether Reishi, and Dragonspume Blossom?]
From the God of the Bible's endless knowledge, Akuto had learned this triad—Soul-Returning Herb, Nether Reishi, paired with Dragonspume Blossom—could briefly recall a departed soul from the Underworld.
Since his Myriad-Worlds Rebirth Pool required both body and soul, and Shuri's soul had long since entered reincarnation, Akuto first had to pinpoint—where in the cycle Shuri currently was.
[Eh? Those items? Let me check right away.]
Seekvaira hadn't expected such an easy chance to work directly with Akuto—and threw herself into the search at once.
…
(End of Chapter)
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