Time flew by, and in a blink, it was Sunday.
Today, there was no school again. Yukinoshita Yukino, who had spent all day yesterday reading, prepared to go to the basement for some training after waking up, just like Leo.
But just as she was about to leave her room, she received a phone call.
"I didn't interrupt your holiday, did I, Yukino-chan?"
A familiar voice echoed from the other end of the phone, plunging Yukinoshita Yukino into a brief silence.
"Is something wrong?"
Yukinoshita Yukino tried her best to sound calm, even indifferent.
"Can't I call you for a chat if nothing's wrong?" Yukinoshita Haruno laughed as if inadvertently, "Or did Big Sister really interrupt your holiday, making it impossible for you to fawn over your little master?"
The moment the term "little master" was uttered, Yukinoshita Yukino knew that her elder sister, just as Leo had previously guessed, had already investigated some matters.
"You're really heartless, Yukino-chan." Yukinoshita Haruno's voice also lowered, saying with what sounded like anger and resentment, "Such a big thing happened, and you didn't tell anyone in the Family. If we hadn't found out ourselves, were you planning to keep it a secret forever?"
"...What good would telling do?" Yukinoshita Yukino was silent for a moment, then said expressionlessly, "Since it has already happened, we shouldn't dwell on the past, but look to the future. Even if the loss cannot be compensated, we must seize fleeting opportunities to make ourselves better."
"Isn't that the style of our Family?"
Yukinoshita Yukino's words also made Yukinoshita Haruno fall silent.
After a long while, Yukinoshita Haruno finally spoke with a complicated tone.
"I'm waiting for you at home; Mom is here too."
Leaving that sentence, Yukinoshita Haruno hung up the phone, leaving Yukinoshita Yukino speechless for a long time.
She knew she had to talk to her Family.
Otherwise, who knew what else might happen.
Thinking of this, Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath and walked out of the room.
She no longer had the intention of going to the basement for training but walked directly out of the mansion, into the garden, and towards the pavilion.
When she arrived at her destination, the owner of the estate was indeed there as she expected, and even the new companion who had joined yesterday was present.
At this moment, Leo and Yuuki Asuna were seated opposite each other in the pavilion, the former seemingly informing the latter of some matters.
"Your Family has already sent word that they will make time to visit today and meet with me. The time and place are yet to be determined. When the time comes, you'll come with me to properly meet your Family."
"Later, your sword instructor will also arrive directly at this estate via Magic Circle to meet with us."
"So, today will likely be very busy. You need to be mentally prepared."
Leo disclosed the day's schedule to Yuuki Asuna, and the girl nodded silently.
Yukinoshita Yukino paused in place for a while. Only after Leo had finished giving all his instructions did she step into the pavilion and approach him.
"Why are you here?" Leo had naturally seen Yukinoshita Yukino. Watching her walk towards him, he asked somewhat confusedly, "Didn't you say you were going to use the basement for some training today?"
Yuuki Asuna also looked at Yukinoshita Yukino, her eyes expressing inquiry.
"I probably won't have time today." Yukinoshita Yukino lowered her gaze and said, "I have to go home."
One sentence made Leo instantly understand what was going on.
"Haruno-senpai isn't bad; she actually found out some things so quickly." Leo praised with a sigh, then said, "Is she planning to have an honest talk with you?"
"It's to be expected, isn't it?" Yukinoshita Yukino took a deep breath and said, "My mother should also be present then."
"So?" Leo picked up his black tea, took a sip, and smiled, "Do you need me to go with you?"
"No." Yukinoshita Yukino shook her head decisively and said, "Big Sister asked me to go but didn't mention you, which proves that both she and my mother don't want you there."
"I also don't want them to look down on me, thinking I don't dare face them alone."
"So, I want to go by myself."
This was also a way of showing strength that was quite characteristic of Yukinoshita Yukino.
She wasn't not nervous; after all, whether it was her sister or her mother, they were both people with clearly higher family status than her, and she had always lived in their shadows, becoming particularly vulnerable in front of them.
But she had never thought of continuing like this forever. Deep down, she sincerely hoped that one day she could break free from the shadows cast by those two and live her own life.
Therefore, this time, she would face those two alone.
Looking at Yukinoshita Yukino like this, it was Yuuki Asuna's turn to feel as if she was seeing her past self, seeing her own reflection in this young companion.
Although she wasn't like Yukinoshita Yukino, harboring deep-seated inferiority and resistance towards her Family, she also lived in the shadow of her Family, having her entire life arranged like a puppet on strings.
She hadn't expected that just as she was about to confront her Family's difficulties for the first time due to sudden changes in her life, Yukinoshita Yukino, an elder Retainer, would also face the same thing.
Yuuki Asuna's gaze towards Yukinoshita Yukino changed, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out.
Leo, on the other hand, remained very calm.
"That's good too. Some things would indeed be difficult to explain clearly if I, an outsider, were present, especially since your Family might already know my true identity."
Leo said as he took out a devil chess piece flyer from his pocket.
This was a devil chess piece flyer that was somewhat different from previous versions.
The previous devil chess piece flyers used ordinary-looking retro parchment, while this devil chess piece flyer used a specially made, entirely black parchment, from which a subtle magical power emanated.
"This is a simplified Magic Circle I specially created based on our situation. Its function is the same as ordinary devil chess piece flyers—it can instantly summon us. The only difference is that the former might be intercepted, while this one is basically uninterceptable."
Leo explained to Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuuki Asuna.
The Magic Circles used by devils on a daily basis were not without ways to block them. As long as a barrier was set up near the destination, or a spell specifically designed to intercept spatial transfers, devils would not be able to jump there using a Magic Circle and would be intercepted by the barrier or spell.
However, Leo's specially made simplified Magic Circle had no such hidden dangers. Even if a barrier or interception spell was set up in advance at the destination, it could not prevent the jump. But it had strict usage conditions, or rather, only specific targets could trigger it.
This was developed by Leo based on his "Familiarization" characteristic. Only Retainers whose bodies contained a devil chess piece connected by his characteristic could trigger it. The principle was to use the connection between himself and the devil chess piece within the Retainer's body to perform a higher-dimensional spatial jump, which could effectively bypass the existence of intercepting barriers or spells.
"Take this with you. If you encounter danger, the devil chess piece in your body will automatically resonate with the special Magic Circle on this, activating it, and I will be able to instantly arrive at your location."
Leo handed the black devil chess piece flyer to Yukinoshita Yukino and instructed her.
"Since your Family already knows my and your true identities, it's highly probable that they have already established contact with the Church. This can be considered a precaution."
Saying that, Leo also took out another black devil chess piece flyer and handed it to Yuuki Asuna, who was beside him.
"Here, you have one too. Don't say I'm biased."
Upon hearing this, Yuuki Asuna accepted it as if flattered.
"Tha-thank you."
Yuuki Asuna thanked him in a low voice.
Yukinoshita Yukino silently hid the flyer in the lining of her uniform, her expression as indifferent as ever.
"Then I'll go first."
After saying that, Yukinoshita Yukino turned around, left the pavilion, and walked towards the outside of the estate.
Leo tentatively contacted the familiar responsible for driving within the estate, asking him to take Yukinoshita Yukino to the Yukinoshita Family.
"Miss Yukinoshita... will she be okay?"
Yuuki Asuna, however, started to worry a little.
"Don't worry, it's not a big problem." Leo, as if he could see through everything and predict the future, smiled and said, "Since we've encountered this, it's just right to solve both your and Yukino's family problems together, saving you from looking worried every day."
Yuuki Asuna gave a wry smile.
How could she not be worried?
Even now, she still felt bewildered by how quickly events were unfolding!
Just two days ago, she was an ordinary human, a rich young lady following her Family's arranged life plan to receive elite education. Now, only two days later, her life trajectory had changed drastically, and she was about to confront her Family because of it. All of this felt utterly unreal to Yuuki Asuna, like a dream.
But, it must be said, this incident also ignited a fire within Yuuki Asuna, making her want to take this opportunity to make some changes.
Girls, they all have such moments. At some point, they suddenly don't want to follow their Family's arrangements and live a life that's predictable, feeling an urge to change everything.
Before this, Yuuki Asuna hadn't had the chance to feel such an urge.
But this time, such an urge suddenly arose in her heart, even if it was just a faint trace.
"Being a devil..."
Yuuki Asuna murmured to herself, then suddenly looked at the man in front of her.
He was leisurely holding a cup of black tea, drinking it at a relaxed pace. He didn't look like a devil at all, but more like a noble scion from a prestigious family.
"Hmm?"
Under Yuuki Asuna's gaze, Leo inexplicably raised his head.
"They're here."
Leo stood up as if he had sensed something.
"Let's go, to greet your teacher."