"Oh Kaito-kun~" The youngest Hyoudou brother groaned and let his head fall against the wall as he was walking into his room.
"What do you want Himejima?"
"So mean~" She pouted while sitting on his bed, the spiky haired teen noticing Rias standing off to the side with her arms crossed.
"Why are you and Gremory here?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Your brother met up with the nun girl again and was attacked by a Fallen Angel who took her back. He's heading to the abandoned Church as we speak to fight the Fallen Angels there and get the nun girl back." Akeno answered him, getting a sound of surprise before he took a powerful step forward.
"What!? By himself?" He growled, glaring at both buxom women.
"When did I ever say that?~" She teased him, getting a growl from him and a snort from Rias "He's heading there right now with Kiba and Koneko."
Kaito calmed down though, his eyebrow also twitched as he looked at the aggravating dark haired girl.
"So what? You want me to go along with them or something?...Or stop them?" He asked with narrowed eyes at the silence that followed his proclamation.
"You may be able to defeat your brother, Kaito. But I doubt you'd be able to defeat Kiba or Koneko." Rias denied him with a shake of her head "I need you to stay around the back of the church and stop any stragglers from escaping."
"So I'm cleanup for Issei and his 'group'?" He asked with a raised eyebrow crossing his arms and leaning against his wall.
"That's right. Now we need to move quickly. So we get there before your brother." Rias said, flicking some of her hair back over her shoulder "Can you teleport there yourself or will you need to fly?"
"….I can get there myself. You two can go now."
"Try to show a little respect. Jeez." Akeno sighed while shrugging.
"It's fine, Akeno. I feel like this time a lot of his prickliness is coming from what his brother is doing. Am I right?" Rias asked with a small smirk and a raising of her own eyebrow.
"Fuck off." He disappeared as the Magic Circle beneath his feet elevated up his form before fizzling out after being completed.
"You're getting better at reading him Buchou?" Akeno noticed, standing up and walking beside Rias.
"Hmmm. I'm just getting better at reading Issei, they share a few tells." Rias admitted with a shake of her head, her hair flowing gently behind her in response.
"How shrewd of you Buchou." Akeno giggled before the two of them also disappeared.
XXXxxxXXX
10 Minutes later
Kaito sighed to himself as he knocked out yet another exiled priest as he tried to run out the back. The teen looking over and seeing the floating red Magic Circles, denoting either Akeno or Rias having made a magical barrier. Right as he began to scratch his head, he had to wobble on the spot as something underneath the church wobbled once more.
"Really? What the hell are you guys doing under there? Trying to bring the building down on your head?" He asked aloud, throwing the priest on top of a pile he had been creating.
"Sure seems like it huh?" An energetic female voice was heard from behind him.
In an instant a spear of shadow was heading towards the owner of the voice and Kaito was moving back. With a wave of her hand, the spear was shattered by a similar spear of ice. The girl's purple eyes gleaming with excitement as she watched Kaito hit the ground from his retreat in his full mercenary gear.
"There it is! Man, that's such a cool outfit! You could be like my mysterious ally. Or like some third party that's always doing mysterious stuff in the shadows!" The girl babbled, hopping out of the tree she was sitting in.
"I don't know who you are. But unless you're willing to pay, we definitely won't be allies of any kind." He responded, crouched down towards the ground.
"No no! On my tv show!" Kaito faltered at that, nearly falling over.
"E-Eh? Tv show? What the fuck are you talking about?"
"I have a Tv show! Obviously. The great Magical Girl Levia-tan!" She said, striking a pose.
The fact that she was wearing a magical girl outfit only just now registered in his mind, making him falter yet again.
"Good for you. Now why are you here?" He pulled the hilt of his shadowblade out.
"To talk to you, duh." She responded with a playful roll of her eyes.
"Not to back up the Fallen Angels?" He tested.
"Ew! Nope! I've had my familiar watching you recently cause you're the only one out of the two Peerages here that's noticed the other Pantheons." She responded with a giggle, creating a magical circle that a white bear-like creature came out of.
It even looked a little like a magical girl masc-
'Nooooooooo.'
The mascot creature yelped as it suddenly had three tendrils of shadows heading towards it, seeming to try and stab through it before they were all blocked by small circles of ice.
"Hey that's mean! Don't hurt my adorable little familiar! He's Levia-tan's magical girl mascot after all!" She giggled.
"He's a little stalker is what he is." Kaito responded with a grumble.
"Hey! Don't blame it on him. I asked him to follow after you." She responded while waggling her finger from side to side.
"Right. You wish to speak to me for some reason." He rolled his eyes, turning back towards the back entrance to the Church.
"Hmmmm. Nooooo! Why do you have to turn away from me while we're talking?"
"Because. This is my job at the moment. Make sure that no one escapes from the Church through this way." He responded, placing his hands in his pockets as the ground shook again.
"Ah, right. You're looking out for your brother in your own way. Right?" He blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in the girl's tone, tilting his head to look over at her out of the corner of his eye.
What he saw was physically the same girl as before. But the way she held herself and the expression on her face now seemed so much more…mature, for lack of a better term, than before.
She had her arms crossed underneath her breasts and was gazing at him with a soft yet serious expression.
"Unlike me, you may be the younger of two siblings. But nonetheless, you're being a wonderful brother." She said, smiling softly and tilting her head to the side.
"Yeah…thanks." He muttered awkwardly, turning his head back to gaze at the entrance.
Only for his eye to begin twitching a moment later when the little white familiar waddled past him, walking towards the exit.
"What's your familiar doing?"
"Setting up a magical field for me. So we can have a conversation that won't be interrupted." She admitted, getting a click of his tongue.
"You're really dedicated to having this meeting right now aren't you?" He scoffed with a smirk.
"I'm so busy. Now was the only time I could have it. Before the Church and that fried chicken come knocking, that is." She chuckled, walking closer to him.
"Must be pretty important then, huh?" He responded, watching the familiar waddle around and create magic circles around the exit of the church.
"More than you know~" She giggled teasingly, walking up beside him and stopping.
"So, who the fuck are you?" He asked, looking over at her.
"I thought you'd never ask. I'm Serafall Leviathan. And just like you're here to help your brother. I'm talking to you to help my younger sister."
"And she is?" He asked.
At the exit to the Church, the magic circles all linked together and flashed brightly before disappearing to the naked eye. A man trying to run out moments later as another tremble ran through the earth, only to pass through where the magic circles had been set up and collapse bonelessly to the ground.
"Hm. Impressive. I'll need to learn that combination." He grunted, his mind already whirring through the, admittedly small, library of magic circles he had memorized.
"Thank you!" She giggled while clapping her hands together "And my little sister is Sona Sitri."
"You're the Council President's big sister? Absorb all the fun-loving in the womb did you?"
"Oh I know! She can be such a big stick in the mud." Serafall whined "She never lets me give her any love!"
"Can't say I'm surprised." He replied, shifting his weight on the balls of his feet.
"It sucks! Ahhhh I'm getting sidetracked!" She shook her head side to side childishly before jumping around to stand in front of him.
"This is easily the worst job proposal I've ever gotten." He commented dryly, staring her in the eyes and getting a giggle from her.
"Oh wow. Even when I'm jumping around you do a much better job of staring me in the eyes than most guys I meet. Especially when you don't have a partner to release any pent up stress with!" Kaito could feel his cheeks flushing as he scowled.
"Whether I do or don't have such a partner is none of your business. Now tell me this stupid job or get lost."
"So focused! Great. Just what I needed! Like I said before, you're the only one out of So-tan and Ria-tan's Peerages that knows about the other pantheons in town. And you're even talking and interacting with all of them. As someone whose job it is to manage foreign relations of Devil-kind, I keep track of these things." She explained, walking around from leg to leg without bending either of them while holding a finger in the air.
"Huh. You weren't kidding about being important if you help manage that." He grunted.
"Now you get it!"
'Careful. Whoever this woman is. She's powerful. Easily more powerful than you.' Kaito twitched slightly at the news, not noticing Serafall snap her eyes over to him for a moment when he did.
"So! Basically I want to put you under my employ." He raised an eyebrow "I'll establish a way for us to communicate and I'll help invest in better gear and materials for you."
"What's the catch?" He asked, getting her to snap her fingers and point at him.
"Good question! I'll do all this for you. Buuuuuut you have to accept any mission I give you, within reason obviously. Wouldn't want it to get in the way of your King's orders after all." She giggled, laughing a little harder when his eye twitched.
"If you've been watching me…Or having him watching me." He pointed a finger rudely at Serafall's familiar "Then you should know how I feel about my current Peerage."
"Right right. You don't believe in blindly following your King unless they've proved themselves right?" She giggled, getting a slow nod from him "Don't worry. Like I said I'll be acting like an investor for you. So you'll get payments and stuff, kay?"
"Sounds good. I'm sure you'll-" He heard the sound of roaring energy and looked over to see an explosion of black and red energy "-Dammit Gremory. Set up a way to communicate and let me know when?"
"Yep yep! Now I gotta go before Ria-tan finds out I'm here. Promised to stay away and everything!" She winked and stuck her tongue out while bouncing on the spot as her Familiar disappeared "So don't tell anyone I was here either ok?"
"Yeah yeah. I can keep a secret." He waved her off.
"How rude! Oh well. Part of your charm I suppose. Buh-bye~" She gave him a playful wave before completely disappearing in a flash of ice-blue.
'Congrats brat. You've already started catching the attention of some of the upper class of the supernatural world'
'You really think she's that strong?' He wondered, having not sensed much himself and having to begrudgingly trust Betzalel's instincts on this one.
'Easily. If she had wanted you and your Peerage dead. She probably could have gotten all of you without moving from that tree'
'Goodie. At least she doesn't seem to mind if I don't play nice.'
'Small mercies brat. That's all you'll get as my vessel'
XXXxxxXXX
Three Days later
Kaito sighed as he looked down at the last of the small creatures, pinned to the ground by a multitude of shadow needles. Pulling out a small earpiece and putting it in before tapping a button on the side and waiting a moment.
"Kai-tan!" A voice crackled through, getting a tired sigh from the teen.
"Yeah it's me. Those creatures you told me about have been caught. All 23 of them are alive. Just like you wanted. Where am I dropping them off?" He talked into the earpiece, getting a thoughtful hum from the woman.
"You know Kuoh's gymnasium? Leave them in a pile there. I'll get Fuwa to come pick them up for me."
"And how long will that take? These things are imbued with something Holy. They definitely aren't normal." All he heard for a moment was the struggling of the creature below him before he heard Serafall sigh.
"Dang it. I thought they were just weak familiars sent by another faction. Like the Buddhist faction or something. But if that's true, then they definitely belong to the Fallen Angels."
"Why them and not the regular Angels? Doesn't fit their M.O. or something?" He questioned, already beginning to pick up all the creatures he had painstakingly captured.
"Oh believe me. As much as I would love a reason to go at that bitch Gabriel-" Kaito blinked and recoiled slightly in shock at the sudden vitriol "The Angels wouldn't do anything like this. This has Fallen Angel's written all over it. Imbue creatures with Holy Magic and set them loose on Devil territory. Slowly weakens us over time, long enough that most Low and Middle-class Devils never even notice, especially ones as new as you."
"I feel like there was something backhanded in that."
"What? Nooooo! You're Levia-tan's amazingly mysterious business partner! I'd never do that!"
"I still haven't agreed to join that show and nothing you say, do or offer will make me." He gruffly replied, beginning to create a teleportation circle beneath his feet.
"You really need a Familiar Kai-tan! Then you won't have to do drop offs like this all by yourself!"
"Give it a couple days. Though to help me decide, any natural predators of magical girl mascots?" He disappeared in a flash of red.
XXXxxxXXX
The next day, 10 am
"So Kaito-kun. Any idea what you might like?" Akeno purred, bumping shoulder to shoulder with him as the both of them walked through the Familiar Forest.
"Don't know." He admitted truthfully, listening to his brother whine as he walked alongside Rias, Asia and Koneko.
Kiba was humming pleasantly to himself between the two groups.
"Well that's no good. Nothing caught your eye so far?"
"Not in the slightest. Hey, Familiar Master!"
"Ah! What's the matter? Something catch your eye?" He asked, hopping off a tree branch to approach him.
"Nah. How long we staying here before we're kicked out?"
"Hmmmm, another four or so hours I'd say m'boy." He hummed, getting a nod from Kaito.
"Good. Himejima, let the others know I'll be back in three to three and a half hours. Sticking to paths is obviously doing nothing for me."
"Oh? Are you sure Kaito-kun? That could be quite dangerous." Akeno warned, frowning slightly.
"The girls right m'boy. Off the path are the more dangerous beasts to avoid." The Familiar Master also tried to warn him, only to get waved off.
"I'm not planning to fight anyways. Regardless, if I stay here I'll get nothing. And I can't quite accept that." He responded, looking off in the distance with a hard look.
Akeno frowned more at the look on his face, reaching out only to recoil back as he took off into the forest without any warning whatsoever. Standing stock-still for a moment she only felt her eye begin to twitch at once again being ditched by Kaito.
Meanwhile, Kaito just ran through the forest, using it as a chance to practice some of his maneuvering. Not even faltering when he heard the dark chuckle from within himself.
'Even now you're training. For a Draconic host you don't spend much time enjoying the fruits of your labor. How disappointing.'
'I'm not anywhere near strong enough to do such a thing'
'Heh. More common sense than most hatchlings these days. Oh?...' His eyes widened a little at the interested noise that Betzalel made before tilting his head when he felt something approaching.
It was far away but seemed to be approaching fast. Too fast. It was so far away that it shouldn't have even registered in Kaito's senses.
As much as he hated to admit his own weakness, he was aware of his own limits.
Though there was something familiar about whatever was pinging in his senses. Whatever it was, it was either something he'd met in some form before or it was using magic he was-
'Oh great. Whatever's coming here is using Shadow Magic…I think a test of shadows versus shadows could be interesting.' He thought with a grin, continuing to run forward and feeling whatever was approaching, shifting its trajectory to follow after him.
Eventually he slid to a stop, spinning in the middle of his slide and releasing a burst of shadows that intercepted a bolt of black lightning. For a moment the lightning crackled and arc'd off the clashing point between both magics before it fizzled out as a large form of a creature formed out of swirling shadows. Ducking while twirling to the side, Kaito dodged the paw larger than his head that swiped past. Lifting his foot till his knee touched his chest he slammed it down, cracking the ground beneath his feet and creating a semi-circular wall of shadows that blocked the creature's following attack.
Only to tense up and pale at the sound of growling behind him. As quick as he possibly could, he covered himself head to toe in a thick shadow armour before being swatted away and through a tree. Letting his defense go, he grunted as he hit the ground painfully before using the opportunity to flip onto his feet and grind to a stop.
Looking up as the wind began to pick up, he narrowed his eyes at the sight of a pure black hound that looked similar to a Newfoundland with intense red eyes. Even on all fours it was taller than him, and definitely wider.
"You're a familiar, aren't you? Why such a hostile greeting?" The dog snarled at him, scraping one of its paws against the ground threateningly.
'That's a Black Dog.'
'No. I couldn't tell? I thought it's coat was a lovely shade of sapphire myself' He thought back to Betzalel sarcastically, only to wince at the roar of fury the Dragon let out.
'Pathetic Ingrate! I wasn't commenting on it's colour! I was informing you of its species.' The wind picked up more and Kaito vaguely noticed clouds forming overhead 'They're magical creatures from England. Said to be an omen of death and occasionally electrical storms. Also, they often have a connection to the biblical Devil'
"Is that so?" He spoke aloud, a grin growing on his face. "Then considering it wants to fight, lets see if I can convince him I'd be a good Master." The Black Dog barked once before disappearing in a swirl of shadows.
Upon feeling the brush of fur behind him, Kaito immediately ducked to the ground, luckily avoiding the jaws that rushed towards his shoulder before leaping away. The teen swiping a hand up and raising a spiked mass of darkness from the shadow of a nearby tree, managing to get some mild injuries on the Black Dog by piercing it in a few areas, none of them vital.
His next move was interrupted by a weak but near instantaneous bolt of black lightning that struck his coat and exploded with a loud crackle of electricity. Said attack causing his building magic to fizzle out and the teen to stumble backwards. In the time it took him to regain his bearings again, the Black Dog was already on him. It paws swiping at him with zero mercy or hesitation in its attacks.
Dodging the first and blocking the second using the pads of the Black Dog, Kaito grunted before he was thrown to the side by the superior physical might of the Black Dog. Hitting the ground he shouted out in pain, but still managed to flare his wings out and flip himself to slide along the ground feet first. Slamming a hand on the ground, he formed a black Magic Circle.
The circle formed out with the faintest roar of a dragon, the Magic Circle so dark it seemed to suck the light out of the surrounding area. Though the Black Dog seemed to not care in the slightest, barking at him as it rushed forward. Pausing mid-air as chains of shadow burst from the Magic Circle and wrapped around both the Black Dog itself and also many of the trees surrounding them.
Grinning in satisfaction, he began to tighten the chains, only for a feeling of foreign magic to invade his chains and make him wince.
'It's trying to do something to my chains?' He thought to himself, wincing as he felt another magical invasion and saw the Black Dog beginning to sink into his chains.
'Pathetic mutt.' Betzalel growled angrily in his mind, an emotion that Kaito was beginning to feel as well.
"I am NOT!" He flared his magic and the Black Dog yelped as all of its body that had been merged into the chain violently popped back out.
"LOSING." He growled and channeled more and more magic into his chains, tightening them as well.
"TO A FAMILIAR!" Draconic slitted eyes glared at the Black Dog as it was raised into the air.
Before Kaito chopped his arm down and slammed the familiar into the ground violently enough to crack the ground underneath both the Black Dog and himself. Still with his magic flaring around him, and unaware of the changes to his eyes, Kaito continued to glare at the dust cloud. Only to feel his shadow chains tighten up around something that was no longer there.
"Of course that wouldn't be enough to take it down." He commented to himself, gritting his teeth and preparing for another surprise attack, letting his Magic Circle fade away.
Only to blink in surprise when the winds that had been picking up, instead began to die down. Keeping his draconic gaze on the dust cloud as it died down. Seeing the form of the Black Dog giving him a curious look.
"Oh? Finished the fight?" He questioned, his fingers twitching in preparation to cast anything if the familiar continued to attack.
The Black Dog just nodded, showing that it could at least understand what he was saying.
'Ugh. Just when things were beginning to get interesting. You're a horrible vessel, mongrel' Betzalel sighed in boredom.
'I don't exist as some twisted show for you to watch, Dragon.' He responded, unfazed by the angry growl he got in return.
"Will you accept me as your Master, Black Dog?" He asked, getting a curious sound from the hound before it walked over, standing tall and proud.
Also clearly waiting for him to do something.
With a deep inhale and exhaled, Kaito placed his hand on it's head. Dredging up all the knowledge he had gained since being reincarnated to piece together what he should be doing in this situation.
"I, Kaito Hyoudou, Reincarnated Devil wielding the Sacred Gear 'Shadow Bender'. Offer you the position as my familiar. I ask that you bind yourself to me and serve me in both the calmest and most tumultuous of times. To the altitudes of the Heavens and the depths of the Underworlds you will follow me." As he spoke, a lazily spinning Magic Circle began to pulse to life between the two of them.
Growling for a moment the Black Dog let out a powerful bark, the Magic Circle glowing so brightly Kaito had to close his eyes. The teen kept them squeezed shut before the light finally began to die down, letting Kaito open them just in time to see the Magic Circle sink into the Black Dog, and for Kaito to feel a magical connection form.
"Heh. Great." He grinned, letting his mana, that had been running on high since the Black Dog got here, finally begin to settle down.
The receding of his outflowing power also sapped away the Draconic eyes he had gained, turning them back to their regular human shaped pupils and steeliness.
"Now, do you wish to go off on your own or stay with me?" Kaito asked, turning back to where he had split off from his Peerage.
In response he got a bark equating to 'I don't like to socialise' and snorted at his new Familiar.
"Yeah. It's very loud with this group. You'd probably hate my brother as well." He joked before blasting away from his Familiar, using his wings to cover more ground.
'Brat. You couldn't have stumbled upon a better Familiar.'
'Why? Because it uses the same type of Magic as I do?' Kaito thought gruffly, continuing to fly.
The sound of roars and animal life below him was unique, but not wholly unpleasant.
'Of course.' Betzalel replied haughtily, letting out a bark of laughter 'But also because despite your brain being so small it hasn't dawned on you yet. Your new Familiar has skills you have yet to think of, let alone figure it out.'
'Thanks for the heads up. Now if only you could always be even this helpful' Kaito grouched to himself, hearing his Dragon huff in annoyance.
'And have you rely on me for everything? Not a chance on your life, pathetic ingrate.'
'And there's the grouchy asshole I know.' Kaito thought dryly, feeling a pulse of anger flow through him from Betzalel.
"KYAAAAAHHHHHH!" A feminine scream was heard, startling him enough that he immediately began to nosedive.
The Reincarnated Devil yelped and flailed his arms for a moment, flapping his wings and managing to level himself out, but not before he busted through more than his fair share of tree branches.
"What the fuck? Over there?" He muttered to himself, flapping his wings once again and launching himself forward faster and faster.
Hearing the screaming and….moaning(?) getting louder he flew down, flipping himself on his feet and drawing his wings back into him. He looked around, only to pause and stare at the absolutely ridiculous sight in front of him.
Green slime covered all the girls of the occult Research club. Kiba was stumbling around and wildly swinging his sword while blinded by a strip of green slime around his eyes. His brother was yelling something about saving to a bank and had blood dripping down his face.
"It's melting our clothes!?" Rias exclaimed before moaning.
"O-Oh dear! I-I can't activate my magic either!" Akeno moaned out, and Kaito felt something burst, probably a blood vessel knowing his luck.
"I leave for barely over half an hour and find this when I get back?" Kaito growled, getting a shout of surprise from his brother.
"K-Kaito-kun? Haaaah!" Akeno moaned out again, bending over erotically as the slime seemed to tighten and slither over her body.
"Kaito! Look! I found my new familiar!"
"The…slime?" Kaito asked with a deadpan look and a sweatdrop.
"Yes! Isn't it the super ultra best Familiar a guy like me could ask for? With a Familiar like this, every gozanga in the world is going to be free for me to see whenever I want!" Kaito stared at his brother in silence for a few moments.
"No. Absolutely not. If this thing is actually your Familiar. Call it off. Or it dies." Kaito warned, getting a whine from his brother, before dark energy began to waft off the youngest Hyoudou brother like thick smoke.
"KAITO NOOOOOOO!" There was a loud bang and an explosion of dust that could be seen for hundreds of meters around them.
XXXxxxXXX
A few days later
"Drop off's been completed, Leviathan." Kaito called into his magical earpiece, preparing a teleportation circle under his feet from a double order Devil contract and Mercenary mission.
"You're so quick with these Kai-tan!" Serafall cooed into her end of the communication.
"I've gotten practice with my magic since I was reincarnated." Kaito muttered dryly as he teleported.
"Oh I know~" Serafall giggled "If I had the chance I'd steal you from Rias' Peerage the moment I could!"
"I don't know whether to feel glad or uncomfortable." He spoke, hearing a small crash from Issei's room.
"You should totally feel glad! Being in my Peerage has heaps of perks!"
"Oh boy. I'm jumping for the hills." Kaito drawled sarcastically.
"Hehe. Oh also, you'll be getting a visit from a maid soon. Or well, your brother will." Kaito instantly let his expression harden at the serious warning from his benefactor.
"Is that a good or bad thing?"
"It should be fine. She's a maid through and through. And nobody in your Peerage is strong enough to pose a true threat. So at worst she'd just incapacitate him."
"Hm. Well thanks for the heads up." Kaito snorted, expanding his senses.
"No problem Kai-tan~ Oh. And when you meet Phenex and his peerage sometime soon? Try not to show too much of what you can do. Trust me, you'll want to keep your combat skills hidden." Serafall gave him one last warning before giggling and cheerfully drawing out her last goodbye, hanging up right as he felt a powerful pulse of magic from Issei's room.
'Is that the "maid" Leviathan talked about?' Kaito asked, transforming out of his mercenary gear and into his school uniform.
Walking out of his room, he walked around and knocked on Issei's door.
"Yo, Issei. Heard a bang and felt some Magic. You good in there?" He spoke, hearing some hushed yet furious whispers before Issei spoke up.
"Y-Y-Yeah dude. I-It's all good."
He rolled his eyes at the blatant lie from his brother before blinking in surprise as the door opened and he was met face to face with a rather buxom silver-haired maid.
"My apologies for myself and Lady Rias causing you undue worry, brother of the Red Dragon Emperor. I am Grayfia, and I'll be leaving with Lady Rias in due time."
"Grayfia!" Rias yelled out in indignation "I'm sorry Issei. I was panicked and wasn't thinking properly. Let's just forget this happened, ok?"
As she hugged Issei, Kaito couldn't help but feel like things were going to get very, very annoying in the near future.
XXXxxxXXX
This is part of a double update. So authors note and review replies will be covered in chapter 10.