After the battle at the park at midnight--- Toujou Basara was confined to bed for a while.
After all, he overdid it even though his wound from the rooftop wasn't healed yet and on top he suffered a grave wound from having his stomach pierced.
Even so, he could avoid going to the hospital, because Yuki gave them a special recovery medicine from the Tribe.
They told the school that he had a summer cold. Same for Mio, so that she could nurse Basara.
It had been five days since the incident--- Basara finally recovered and could safely attend school again.
---And then. Basara was slowly going up the stairs at school, heading for the rooftop.
Currently it was right in the middle of fourth period. In other words, he was skipping. It was possible that he could be found by someone and above all, Mio was back to school from today on too. Originally he wasn't supposed to take his eyes off her, but
"Well, it should be okay…"
The enemy didn't attack again after the battle at the park. First Basara, then Mio and Yuki were injured and took a couple of days to recover, which should've been a perfect chance for the enemy to strike. Despite that, nothing happened at all, so apparently the case was settled for now.
…Mio's "certain Power" still remained gone.
Agitated by seeing Basara nearly dying, Mio ended up letting the power she inherited from Wilbert go out of control, but a full awakening--- didn't happen. Afterwards she tried to use the gravity magic numerous times, but it never worked. In the end, she was back to how she was before.
---Back then. Basara's <Banishing Shift> succeeded and completely erased Mio's rampaging power.
Maybe it erased the inherited power along with it--- was what Mio speculated. Mio's feelings to get revenge for her parents still remained, but the reason for the current Devil Lord to go after Mio was gone. Likewise it eliminated the need for the Hero Tribe to be wary of Mio and have Yuki observe her.
The situation was developing favourably. But,
…I'm afraid that's too good to be true.
At best, Basara's <Banishing Shift> only erased the torrent of Mio's power that had leaked to the outside.
Most likely, if he had tried to erase the power inside her, she herself would've gotten erased. But that alone, is something he didn't want to do.
Therefore Basara bet on the most difficult, but ideal possibility.
Thus, not everything was over now. Even so, it was peaceful for now.
Right now, he should be happy for at least that.
---After finishing the climb up the stairs, Basara got onto the rooftop. First his vision fell onto a clear blue color. The beautiful sky. A transparent blue sky that could only be witnessed in the summer. A bright sunlight was shining down, but it wasn't an unpleasant humidity. At times a cool and refreshing wind was blowing, gently caressing his body.
There Basara noticed that someone else was already present in the corner of the rooftop. It was a boy that looked up at the blue sky like Basara with both arms on the fence that prevented people from falling off--- Takigawa. When Takigawa noticed him,
"Hey--- Basacchi. Back to school and skipping already?"
He said with a teasing voice. While making a wry smile, Basara approached Takigawa.
"You're one to say. You boldly skipped before me."
"Got over your cold? Guess you really caught it from Naruse the other day?"
"Well, could be… Anyway, were you alright?"
"…Mh? Ah, you mean from the school store?"
Right, Takigawa remembered.
"That was too much, Basacchi. Suddenly ramming your elbow into my solar plexus and leaving me behind like that. Do you know how miserable I felt when I woke up all alone?"
"My bad… But I didn't mean that."
A wry smile. Then Toujou Basara said,
"At the park, I messed you up quite bad--- I'm impressed you didn't die."
In that moment, a cold silence spread on rooftop in the middle of summer.
"…….What're you talking about?"
"You wanna play dumb? Fine--- but don't regret it later."
Basara leaned over to Takigawa, who didn't change his expression despite that.
"Hey Basacchi…"
In response to the confused Takigawa, Basara flared up his eyes and swung his arm with Godspeed.
With a sword it would;ve been a side-slash. Indeed--- Brynhildr wasn't in his hand. But,
"------"
Instantly, Takigawa was far away. That--- wasn't something feasible for a normal human. All emotions had already vanished from Takigawa's face, whereas Basara laughed abruptly.
"Don't blame yourself, Takigawa, that's a natural reaction. After you didn't die from my consecutive attacks, you should have seen how I erased Mio's power… Anyone would absolutely chose to dodge when I give it killing intent, if only for show."
To Basara's words, Takigawa remained silent for a while.
But--- before long he made a big sigh, then resigning, scratched his head.
"Aww, and here I thought I had you fooled."
After saying so, Takigawa came over to him.
"--- When did you notice?"
"After everything was over. Thanks to you I was bedridden… While I lay in my bed covered in bandages, I had time to think about a lot of stuff."
Basara shrugged his shoulders.
"I got the clue after I defeated the white mask--- you at the park. When I tried to approach Mio, your subordinate "Shadow" pierced my stomach with a small sword… But that's the strange point. It tried to continue the fight even though it's commanding superior was defeated."
After all,
"You guys were ordered to retrieve Wilbert's power from Mio because you serve the current Devil Lord. Normally, one would retreat at once and report the situation."
"What about the possibility that it feared punishment for failing the mission and tried to save face at least?"
"Sure, that's possible--- But, there's another possibility."
Basara declared to Takigawa's words.
"That the ‘Shadow' wasn't the subordinate of the white mask, but was a puppet created by magic."
Then it would explain why the "Shadow" remained there. The "Shadow" wasn't all too powerful. Most likely it was a type of puppet that could only execute simple commands. The "Shadow" probably just obeyed Takigawa's order and attacked Basara.
"…But when the ‘Shadow' is a magic puppet, then it brings up new questions. You were surprised at the "Shadows" in the school store during the black-out at night. But you know, Devils might intentionally reveal their appearances, but puppets made by magic shouldn't be visible to normal humans."
"I see. But wouldn't you normally think then that the ‘Shadows' aren't magic puppets?"
"But it was worth testing out. If you had been a normal human, you wouldn't have reacted to my killing intent. A safe method to get confirmation, isn't it?"
"For that, your argumentation sounded like you were already sure of it…"
Takigawa still wasn't convinced, whereas Basara said "Kind of".
"…Remember how you told me at school store in that night that Mio looked flushed and embarrassed when she collapsed?"
That had been a fact. Because the activated curse of the Master and Servant Contract was giving her pleasure.
Therefore Basara naturally didn't question Takigawa's words at that time.
"But when I thought about it, it was strange. Sure, Mio is strict with me and might have gotten embarrassed about it, but lately she had been going to the infirmary under the pretext of health problems. When you see her with a red face then, you normally would first think of a fever."
"…..So that‘s the reason."
Oops, Takigawa face-palmed.
"I screwed up… After seeing her strange reactions numerous times, I understood at once that her attendant succubus was involved. So it was harder to hold back my laughter than to pretend not to notice it. I tried to behave naturally, but… to think that lead me to a slip of words instead."
A disappointed wry smile. Then,
"---So? What now, Basacchi?"
Putting on a gruesome smile, Takigawa asked.
"I don't really mind if you want to continue from the park."
Upon that, the air around Basara and Takigawa suddenly became tense. Like the peaceful rooftop had suddenly turned into a battlefield.
For a while they confronted each other wordless. Basara made the first move. Relaxing his shoulders, he laughed.
"…Not today. As I'm right now, I have no chance against you alone. Besides--- Rather than fighting, I would like to negotiate with you."
"Negotiate…?"
Takigawa asked puzzled, whereas Basara nodded with "Yeah".
"I guess you got dispatched from the current Devil Lord faction to observe Mio. I'm sure you were ordered to stimulate the awakening of Wilbert's power if possible, but seeing as you went out of your way to pretend to be human and attend the same school as Mio, I can only imagine that you are to observe her."
Takigawa responded with silence. Taking it as an affirmation, Basara continued.
"The reason you chose a forceful method this time is because Mio gained a new family to protects her--- My existence. Mio's magic powers were triggered by the death of her foster parents. You surely plotted to have Wilbert's power awaken from the shock of seeing me in the same predicament. I was ideal for that, since you wanted to end your mission quickly, so you approached me, right?"
"…Well, partly. But it's true that I couldn't stand seeing you all alone. After all, I was out of the loop at first too, attending an unfamiliar human high school. Seeing you being left out on your first day made me remember those bitter days."
"…Really?"
Surprisingly his isolation was so great that the enemy sympathized with him.
However--- Basara suddenly smiled faintly. Because the killing intent coming from Takigawa in front of him vanished.
He must have gotten interested in what Basara wanted to say. Therefore,
"Either way, you got hasty and screwed up. The current Devil Lord, who wants to get his hands on Wilbert's power, only ordered you to observe, because it's possible that the power will disappear along with Mio if you carelessly killed her. But, now you got exposed as an observer. You even failed in your forceful method. Isn't that bad in a lot of ways for you?"
"I wonder… I think it won't turn into a problem if I seal your mouth by killing you."
"Even if you kill me, you can't afford to kill Mio. You can't cover it up. Takigawa, you're in trouble. That's why you were lamenting here alone."
Takigawa, astonished, kept silent to Basara's guess.
This was a good chance. So Basara proposed. The earlier mentioned "negotiations".
"Still--- if you say that you'll resume your original observer task from now on , then I won't mind helping you. I'll keep it a secret from the current Devil Lord faction that your true identity was exposed."
On Basara's proposal, Takigawa frowned.
"…What's the deal?"
"Due to your failure, they'll surely send in a new guy. A troublesome one that's stronger than you, to avoid the same failure. They might even give up on surveillance and make a forceful approach."
But,
"It took all of our current strength to compete with you, so we have no chance against such a guy. Even if we manage to win, just an even stronger one will appear next. At worst, they'll press on us with numbers. Then we really have no chance of winning. So it's much better for us for you to keep doing your observation like nothing happened for a while longer."
And,
"Like that, no one will know about your blunder either--- Not a bad deal, right?"
Joining hands with his enemy Takigawa.
That was the idea he got from the advice he received from the nurse Hasegawa Chisato.
She had said: If you make enemies, increase your allies. And for both allies and enemies the quantity wasn't important, but the quality--- One can't weigh the odds of quantity and quality. It must have meant that you shouldn't treat an enemy as an enemy to the bitter end, but make an effort to make your current enemy into your ally, when you wanted to gain new allies. Even if he was all alone in class right now, it was no reason to give up. It could be perfectly applied to the current situation around Mio as well.
Because Yuki, a current Hero, helped Mio at the park.
Enemies and allies changed, depending on the time. If so--- The determination to join hands with Takigawa was needed for Basara and the others to persevere. Then,
"…I see. Sure, your deal isn't bad."
Before long, Takigawa mumbled isolated to Basara's proposal.
"But you're forgetting… We're enemies. It wouldn't be strange to betray each other at any time when the situation changes. How do you plan to join hands without any trust?"
"I don't think we have to worry about that…"
The situation didn't leave much room, but he too was picky about his allies.
He wouldn't have negotiated to begin with, if he had thought it was impossible.
On Takigawa's words, Basara scratched his cheek.
"Because we're friends… isn't that enough?"
"Yeah, I'm afraid so."
Then, he said.
"Because I'm--- still alive now."
"What you tried to do was basically a shock therapy."
Basara declared in front of Takigawa.
"Then choosing a method that shocks Mio as much as possible would have been the most effective. But you didn't kill me…. Not only that, the ‘Shadow' that pierced my torso avoided my vital spots as best as possible with it's short sword. Pretty much like threading a pin--- with utmost caution. Precisely because of that I could save Mio and was saved myself, even after late treatment."
"Well, it simply means you were lucky."
"No. Like you had said, we were supposed to have a fight to the death. Sorry, but I'm not so naive to brush it off as pure luck after being saved from such a situation."
Besides, said Basara.
"The main part of your plan should have been to raise Mio's trust in me. Because then the shock from seeing me collapse would be huge. But in that case, there was one big obstacle."
"Hee… Who?"
"Maria. Now that Mio lost her foster parents, Maria, who kept staying at her side, is the person she can trust the most. She always stays close to Mio, more than I do."
Therefore,
"The best way would've been to get rid of Maria and then to kill me, her last mental support, after you have cornered Mio's mentality to it's limit. Recently Maria has been patrolling the city by herself, hunting low-class stray devils. And you're stronger than her. You should have had enough chances to get rid of her. But--- You didn't do so."
Just like he was overlooking Maria. Just like he was actually being considerate of Mio.
Just like--- Someone else gave him the exact opposite order besides the one from the current Devil Lord.
---That said, he certainly wouldn't speak that out. It was merely a guess filled with Basara's wishful observations. But if Basara's guess turned out to be right, that fact should've been Takigawa Yahiro's secret, never to be revealed to others. But if Basara were to suggestively tell him that he realized that possibility--- and that he sympathized with his standing.
Then a trust would certainly be established. Big enough to join hands.
"That's the reason I trust you, Takigawa. I hope… that it'll become a reason for you to trust me too."
Then Basara cut off his words. Because he had already said everything he was supposed to say.
He had played his trump card. Now he could only wait for Takigawa's answer.
For a long time, Takigawa didn't say anything. He pondered about something the whole time. Basara had called it negotiations, but for Takigawa, it was partly a threat too. He was hesitant, which had to be positive. --- How much time had passed? Soon,
"Sorry, but your story doesn't tell me anything, Basacchi…"
"…I see."
No luck, huh.
"---But, this incident really jeopardized my position."
said Takigawa with a sigh.
"For now, I'll accept… your idea."
He spoke out the words Basara wanted to hear with a wry smile. Therefore,
"…Thanks."
Basara returned the smile.
---He didn't know if his earlier guess was right or wrong. Given that it was right, it would be a betrayal against the current Devil Lord if Takigawa admitted it and at the same time, he would fail his secret mission. There was no way Takigawa would unnecessarily admit that, even if Basara's guess was right. But at least for now, Takigawa said he would cooperate. Then it was a job well done today.
And then--- The chime rang the end of the fourth period. Lunch break started.
"Now then, I better go back."
Saying so, Takigawa started heading for the door of the rooftop. So,
"Hey, Takigawa."
In the end, there was still one thing he absolutely had to ask.
On Wilbert's order, two people raised Mio and watched over her growth and happiness.
"Do you know--- who killed Mio's foster parents?"
It was the first tragedy that befell Naruse Mio. The genesis of her revenge.
Takigawa wasn't the culprit. If he had been, Mio would have noticed it already.
However, if it was Takigawa, who observed Mio, or even---
"Yeah--- I do."
Standing up, Takigawa affirmed.
"…His name? What's he like?"
"Hey, Basacchi, we're technically allies now, right? It's not fair to get information one-sided."
"But…!"
Basara immediately tried to pester him, but held himself back. If he were to force things here, the finally gained truce with Takigawa would break.
"……No, you're right. Sorry, forget I asked."
Saying so, Basara cast down his eyes and suddenly heard a sigh from Takigawa. Then,
"---Zolgear."
Basara clearly heard the name Takigawa spoke out.
"Zolgear…"
"It's the guy, who observed Mio before me… But for now it's better if you don't know anything more."
After all,
"C'mon--- Let's go."
At the same time Takigawa said so, the door of the rooftop opened from the inside.
Out of it came a single girl--- Mio.
Shortly greeting Mio, Takigawa left the rooftop by saying "See you".
In return, Mio approached Basara.
"So silly… To think you two were skipping class here."
"Sorry. The weather was just too good…"
"Mhm… What did you talk about with Takigawa?"
"Not much. The good weather and such."
Basara couldn't lie to Mio's question. However--- He wouldn't tell her everything either.
He wouldn't tell Mio and Maria about Takigawa's real identity. Nor to Yuki. The alliance was more convenient when of course the enemy didn't know about it, but neither did Mio and the others. That way Takigawa could conduct himself easier.
…Besides.
If he told her, Mio would surely be against joining hands with Takigawa. He was the one, who attacked her, hurt Basara and made her power go out of control. Right now, Takigawa was nothing but an enemy affiliated with the current Devil Lord faction that killed her foster parents. Thus making her agree to joining hands with Takigawa would be difficult. ---So this was Basara's role.
Toujou Basara had decided to protect Naruse Mio. If he could protect her with the frontal attack, which Mio surely desired, it would be the best. However--- sadly that proved to be difficult. That being the case, he couldn't be picky in his methods. Because Mio's enemies were far stronger than they believed.
"…What's up?"
"No… nothing."
Mio puzzled looked up to him, as he had fallen silent, whereas Basara shook his head. Then he looked. At the girl he protected and swore to protect from now on as well. Upon that, Mio looked at him with a puzzled expression, which was cute. Before he noticed it--- Basara had touched Mio's cheek.
"Eh? Wh- Wha…?"
"Ah, sorry…It was unwitting."
When he thought that he managed to protect that expression, his hand had unconsciously reached out.
"……….."
Upon that, Mio turned around to the exit at Godspeed and when she confirmed that no one else was coming,
"S- Say…"
Saying so, her face turned just a bit red and she looked down.
"I… didn't thank you yet for saving me, right?"
"Mh? Yeah…"
Was that so? He wasn't particularly concerned about that.
"S- So… because of that."
Mio tightly grabbed the sleeve of Basara's uniform, then took one step forward to him.
A distance, where their bodies were about to touch each other.
So close.
…Huh.
Again. What was up with this atmosphere?
It had been the same, when he carried her to the infirmary due to the curse activation, but when Mio was all alone with him, her attitude sometimes changed. Specially ever since he saved her from the rampage, that tendency became more frequently. Even when she nursed him in his room, she suddenly became admirable when Maria left. Thus,
"R- Right now we're all alone…"
While flushing her cheeks, Mio slowly looked up to him.
"Just for a bit, you can do what you want with me, Brother…"
"---Brother? You're…"
Even though there was no mark on her neck. It was Mio's sign that she wanted to be subjugated by Basara.
"W- We could… even continue from the time in the infirmary."
"…Eh?"
Continuing that? Really? Right here?
"……………..---"
No, no, wait. Don't fall silent, myself! What was I imagining right now!
Also, don't be silent either, Mio. Moreover, stop making such an embarrassed and resolute face. What do you think you're doing on the rooftop here? However, in the silence, the atmosphere gradually turned more strange, leading to deadlock, where something had to be done. And then,
"---Mm."
Finally Mio closed her eyes, as she made her resolve--- and entered a kiss scene.
At this point, Basara could no longer brush it away. Therefore,
"…….."
Making his resolve, Basara slowly brought his face closer to Mio's.
"…………………….Stop."
Suddenly his arm was pulled from the side.
"Eh…. Yuki?"
At a glance, Yuki was holding his hand, it was unknown when she had shown up.
"N- Nonaka? Why…!?"
"Cannot be careful enough… Stop seducing Basara."
"S- Seduce…? ---"
On Yuki's words, Mio's face turned red in a flash.
"N- No one was seducing him! Besides, first you rescue me, then you bother me now. What's the deal!?"
"None in particular. I did save you, but I said nothing about giving Basara to you."
And then, she turned to Basara.
"I was looking for you, Basara… Eat this."
"I- Is that a lunch box…?"
Basara inadvertently brightened up his expression on seeing the wrapped pouch that Yuki held out.
"Good old days… Reminds me, you have always been good at cooking."
"I made a lot of your favorite side dishes."
"…H- Hold it. I was going to have lunch with Basara after this too."
Mio shouted objecting. Upon that, Yuki showed a victorious smile.
"…Eating air?"
At the moment she declared so.
"---Please leave it to me, Mio-sama!"
BAM! With a loud sound, the door of the rooftop yanked open.
And a little succubus girl--- Maria approached us in a straight line.
"Hey wait, how did an outsider like you get in here!"
"Such a silly question, Basara-san. It was a peace of cake with my adult charm. After I begged them with 'My siblings forgot their lunches…" and teary eyes, they let me in right away!"
"That's simply a crying chil---"
"Anyway! We have lunch boxes prepared as well! Come on, Mio-sama… You cannot lose to this inexpressive childhood friend. Do that for Basara-san. The Ahh~ one."
Opening the basket in her hands, Maria urged Mio.
However, in front of others, Mio couldn't be honest.
"D- Don't be stupid… Why would I do that for someone like him!"
She shouted and her body immediately trembled with a "Hau". The curse of the Master and Servant Contract activated from her insolence.
"Again! You don't learn, do you!"
"It cannot be helped. Basara-san, please Ahh~ for Mio-sama… No, make her say Ahh~"
"What're you saying with a straight face?"
"To solve the curse, of course. Please leave it to me. I thought this might happen, so I prepared just the right dish--- No, the right object. Now Basara-san, take this thick sausage and shove it kind of roughly into her cute mout---"
"As if I could! Besides, why should I help satisfy your succubus lust!"
"A bit late for that. We three already did something even more amazing together. Even the other day, we three had a naked cake play in the ba--- Aww."
"…What do you mean?"
Yuki's voice, obviously filled with anger, interjected. Upon that, Maria laughed with Fufufu.
"Do you not know? Not so long ago, Basara-san became Mio-sama's Master."
"N- No way… I, I'll neva allo' it."
Ah, Yuki snapped.
"Sorry, but please give up. At any rate, Mio-sama will now offer both her body and soul to Basara-san--- Right in front of my eyes!"
"H- Hey, stop saying things on your own accord, Maria! I'll kill you a hundred times!"
As her symptoms were shallow, Mio recovered from the curse and flared up at Maria.
"Hey… girls."
At last the three girls started to quarrel, leaving Basara aside.
Therefore Basara made a single sigh--- But he suddenly changed his expression into a peaceful one.
The scene before his eyes should actually give him a headache. It was noisy… and so common, thus so precious. A daily routine with a happiness called ordinary.
…Can I protect this?
He didn't have an answer to that yet. Because their fight had only just started.
Even so, Basara had sent Jin a mail last night to report the events.
That he, the son managed to protect the family and house while his father was away.
There hadn't been a reply yet. Since it was his father, he might answer with "You still have a lot to learn".
But, even so he would surely get a passing grade.
He was looking forward to what Jin would say to him, now that he faced his past and stood up again.
He was already thinking up his words for a reply.
It were words of gratitude.
The son, who you protected by even throwing away your hero status in the past.
Now-- He certainly protected a girl that only he could save.
The ringtone of a cell phone sounded in the dark forest.
The place was in the demon realm. Actually it should've been a place where radio waves didn't reach.
"---Hello?"
Pressing the button--- The former Hero of the great war, Toujou Jin picked up the call.
"Oh, it's you… Yeah, I already know. ‘Cause I got a mail from him."
Jin was talking about Basara's mail to the dialogue partner.
---Normally it was impossible to use human telecommunication equipment in the demon realm.
However, during the great war the demon realm was infiltrated.
For that it was required to establish a way of communication as a lifeline, so various measurements were taken.
With the change of times, the method changed and right now a cell phone had a special magic chip, which turned it's own waves into frequencies and enabled communication to another world.
"That's why I told you that there's no need to worry. Even without this case, he would've stood up on the right occasion."
While Jin laughed,
"After all, Basara is my and--- their son."
Then he responded to the words of his communication partner.
"Well, I know you're worried about him… That's why I kept him at a distance, where you can see him. Then look after Basara and the girls while I'm away. Sorry, but it seems like it'll take a while longer here."
There he dropped his voice.
"Yeah. I really can't get in contact with ‘her'. Wilbert is dead. I was worried when she didn't even come to the meeting place at the crucial time, but… I think she's hiding herself to not get found, since the current Devil Lord changed."
Therefore,
"I'll try digging a bit deeper too. There's the matter with Mio too… There're surprisingly a lot of things to do. Don't worry… Yeah, I'll contact Basara."
Then Toujou Jin cut the call and slowly started walking.
Leaving the corpses of the countless devils that had come after him behind, his face showed a fearless smile.
Toujou Jin declared into the empty space.
"Don't get cocky from one success, Basara. You can't avoid it forever. Because you can't escape from Mio, nor from your past and fate."
After the battle at the park at midnight--- Toujou Basara was confined to bed for a while.
After all, he overdid it even though his wound from the rooftop wasn't healed yet and on top he suffered a grave wound from having his stomach pierced.
Even so, he could avoid going to the hospital, because Yuki gave them a special recovery medicine from the Tribe.
They told the school that he had a summer cold. Same for Mio, so that she could nurse Basara.
It had been five days since the incident--- Basara finally recovered and could safely attend school again.
---And then. Basara was slowly going up the stairs at school, heading for the rooftop.
Currently it was right in the middle of fourth period. In other words, he was skipping. It was possible that he could be found by someone and above all, Mio was back to school from today on too. Originally he wasn't supposed to take his eyes off her, but
"Well, it should be okay…"
The enemy didn't attack again after the battle at the park. First Basara, then Mio and Yuki were injured and took a couple of days to recover, which should've been a perfect chance for the enemy to strike. Despite that, nothing happened at all, so apparently the case was settled for now.
…Mio's "certain Power" still remained gone.
Agitated by seeing Basara nearly dying, Mio ended up letting the power she inherited from Wilbert go out of control, but a full awakening--- didn't happen. Afterwards she tried to use the gravity magic numerous times, but it never worked. In the end, she was back to how she was before.
---Back then. Basara's <Banishing Shift> succeeded and completely erased Mio's rampaging power.
Maybe it erased the inherited power along with it--- was what Mio speculated. Mio's feelings to get revenge for her parents still remained, but the reason for the current Devil Lord to go after Mio was gone. Likewise it eliminated the need for the Hero Tribe to be wary of Mio and have Yuki observe her.
The situation was developing favourably. But,
…I'm afraid that's too good to be true.
At best, Basara's <Banishing Shift> only erased the torrent of Mio's power that had leaked to the outside.
Most likely, if he had tried to erase the power inside her, she herself would've gotten erased. But that alone, is something he didn't want to do.
Therefore Basara bet on the most difficult, but ideal possibility.
Thus, not everything was over now. Even so, it was peaceful for now.
Right now, he should be happy for at least that.
---After finishing the climb up the stairs, Basara got onto the rooftop. First his vision fell onto a clear blue color. The beautiful sky. A transparent blue sky that could only be witnessed in the summer. A bright sunlight was shining down, but it wasn't an unpleasant humidity. At times a cool and refreshing wind was blowing, gently caressing his body.
There Basara noticed that someone else was already present in the corner of the rooftop. It was a boy that looked up at the blue sky like Basara with both arms on the fence that prevented people from falling off--- Takigawa. When Takigawa noticed him,
"Hey--- Basacchi. Back to school and skipping already?"
He said with a teasing voice. While making a wry smile, Basara approached Takigawa.
"You're one to say. You boldly skipped before me."
"Got over your cold? Guess you really caught it from Naruse the other day?"
"Well, could be… Anyway, were you alright?"
"…Mh? Ah, you mean from the school store?"
Right, Takigawa remembered.
"That was too much, Basacchi. Suddenly ramming your elbow into my solar plexus and leaving me behind like that. Do you know how miserable I felt when I woke up all alone?"
"My bad… But I didn't mean that."
A wry smile. Then Toujou Basara said,
"At the park, I messed you up quite bad--- I'm impressed you didn't die."
In that moment, a cold silence spread on rooftop in the middle of summer.
"…….What're you talking about?"
"You wanna play dumb? Fine--- but don't regret it later."
Basara leaned over to Takigawa, who didn't change his expression despite that.
"Hey Basacchi…"
In response to the confused Takigawa, Basara flared up his eyes and swung his arm with Godspeed.
With a sword it would;ve been a side-slash. Indeed--- Brynhildr wasn't in his hand. But,
"------"
Instantly, Takigawa was far away. That--- wasn't something feasible for a normal human. All emotions had already vanished from Takigawa's face, whereas Basara laughed abruptly.
"Don't blame yourself, Takigawa, that's a natural reaction. After you didn't die from my consecutive attacks, you should have seen how I erased Mio's power… Anyone would absolutely chose to dodge when I give it killing intent, if only for show."
To Basara's words, Takigawa remained silent for a while.
But--- before long he made a big sigh, then resigning, scratched his head.
"Aww, and here I thought I had you fooled."
After saying so, Takigawa came over to him.
"--- When did you notice?"
"After everything was over. Thanks to you I was bedridden… While I lay in my bed covered in bandages, I had time to think about a lot of stuff."
Basara shrugged his shoulders.
"I got the clue after I defeated the white mask--- you at the park. When I tried to approach Mio, your subordinate "Shadow" pierced my stomach with a small sword… But that's the strange point. It tried to continue the fight even though it's commanding superior was defeated."
After all,
"You guys were ordered to retrieve Wilbert's power from Mio because you serve the current Devil Lord. Normally, one would retreat at once and report the situation."
"What about the possibility that it feared punishment for failing the mission and tried to save face at least?"
"Sure, that's possible--- But, there's another possibility."
Basara declared to Takigawa's words.
"That the ‘Shadow' wasn't the subordinate of the white mask, but was a puppet created by magic."
Then it would explain why the "Shadow" remained there. The "Shadow" wasn't all too powerful. Most likely it was a type of puppet that could only execute simple commands. The "Shadow" probably just obeyed Takigawa's order and attacked Basara.
"…But when the ‘Shadow' is a magic puppet, then it brings up new questions. You were surprised at the "Shadows" in the school store during the black-out at night. But you know, Devils might intentionally reveal their appearances, but puppets made by magic shouldn't be visible to normal humans."
"I see. But wouldn't you normally think then that the ‘Shadows' aren't magic puppets?"
"But it was worth testing out. If you had been a normal human, you wouldn't have reacted to my killing intent. A safe method to get confirmation, isn't it?"
"For that, your argumentation sounded like you were already sure of it…"
Takigawa still wasn't convinced, whereas Basara said "Kind of".
"…Remember how you told me at school store in that night that Mio looked flushed and embarrassed when she collapsed?"
That had been a fact. Because the activated curse of the Master and Servant Contract was giving her pleasure.
Therefore Basara naturally didn't question Takigawa's words at that time.
"But when I thought about it, it was strange. Sure, Mio is strict with me and might have gotten embarrassed about it, but lately she had been going to the infirmary under the pretext of health problems. When you see her with a red face then, you normally would first think of a fever."
"…..So that‘s the reason."
Oops, Takigawa face-palmed.
"I screwed up… After seeing her strange reactions numerous times, I understood at once that her attendant succubus was involved. So it was harder to hold back my laughter than to pretend not to notice it. I tried to behave naturally, but… to think that lead me to a slip of words instead."
A disappointed wry smile. Then,
"---So? What now, Basacchi?"
Putting on a gruesome smile, Takigawa asked.
"I don't really mind if you want to continue from the park."
Upon that, the air around Basara and Takigawa suddenly became tense. Like the peaceful rooftop had suddenly turned into a battlefield.
For a while they confronted each other wordless. Basara made the first move. Relaxing his shoulders, he laughed.
"…Not today. As I'm right now, I have no chance against you alone. Besides--- Rather than fighting, I would like to negotiate with you."
"Negotiate…?"
Takigawa asked puzzled, whereas Basara nodded with "Yeah".
"I guess you got dispatched from the current Devil Lord faction to observe Mio. I'm sure you were ordered to stimulate the awakening of Wilbert's power if possible, but seeing as you went out of your way to pretend to be human and attend the same school as Mio, I can only imagine that you are to observe her."
Takigawa responded with silence. Taking it as an affirmation, Basara continued.
"The reason you chose a forceful method this time is because Mio gained a new family to protects her--- My existence. Mio's magic powers were triggered by the death of her foster parents. You surely plotted to have Wilbert's power awaken from the shock of seeing me in the same predicament. I was ideal for that, since you wanted to end your mission quickly, so you approached me, right?"
"…Well, partly. But it's true that I couldn't stand seeing you all alone. After all, I was out of the loop at first too, attending an unfamiliar human high school. Seeing you being left out on your first day made me remember those bitter days."
"…Really?"
Surprisingly his isolation was so great that the enemy sympathized with him.
However--- Basara suddenly smiled faintly. Because the killing intent coming from Takigawa in front of him vanished.
He must have gotten interested in what Basara wanted to say. Therefore,
"Either way, you got hasty and screwed up. The current Devil Lord, who wants to get his hands on Wilbert's power, only ordered you to observe, because it's possible that the power will disappear along with Mio if you carelessly killed her. But, now you got exposed as an observer. You even failed in your forceful method. Isn't that bad in a lot of ways for you?"
"I wonder… I think it won't turn into a problem if I seal your mouth by killing you."
"Even if you kill me, you can't afford to kill Mio. You can't cover it up. Takigawa, you're in trouble. That's why you were lamenting here alone."
Takigawa, astonished, kept silent to Basara's guess.
This was a good chance. So Basara proposed. The earlier mentioned "negotiations".
"Still--- if you say that you'll resume your original observer task from now on , then I won't mind helping you. I'll keep it a secret from the current Devil Lord faction that your true identity was exposed."
On Basara's proposal, Takigawa frowned.
"…What's the deal?"
"Due to your failure, they'll surely send in a new guy. A troublesome one that's stronger than you, to avoid the same failure. They might even give up on surveillance and make a forceful approach."
But,
"It took all of our current strength to compete with you, so we have no chance against such a guy. Even if we manage to win, just an even stronger one will appear next. At worst, they'll press on us with numbers. Then we really have no chance of winning. So it's much better for us for you to keep doing your observation like nothing happened for a while longer."
And,
"Like that, no one will know about your blunder either--- Not a bad deal, right?"
Joining hands with his enemy Takigawa.
That was the idea he got from the advice he received from the nurse Hasegawa Chisato.
She had said: If you make enemies, increase your allies. And for both allies and enemies the quantity wasn't important, but the quality--- One can't weigh the odds of quantity and quality. It must have meant that you shouldn't treat an enemy as an enemy to the bitter end, but make an effort to make your current enemy into your ally, when you wanted to gain new allies. Even if he was all alone in class right now, it was no reason to give up. It could be perfectly applied to the current situation around Mio as well.
Because Yuki, a current Hero, helped Mio at the park.
Enemies and allies changed, depending on the time. If so--- The determination to join hands with Takigawa was needed for Basara and the others to persevere. Then,
"…I see. Sure, your deal isn't bad."
Before long, Takigawa mumbled isolated to Basara's proposal.
"But you're forgetting… We're enemies. It wouldn't be strange to betray each other at any time when the situation changes. How do you plan to join hands without any trust?"
"I don't think we have to worry about that…"
The situation didn't leave much room, but he too was picky about his allies.
He wouldn't have negotiated to begin with, if he had thought it was impossible.
On Takigawa's words, Basara scratched his cheek.
"Because we're friends… isn't that enough?"
"Yeah, I'm afraid so."
Then, he said.
"Because I'm--- still alive now."
"What you tried to do was basically a shock therapy."
Basara declared in front of Takigawa.
"Then choosing a method that shocks Mio as much as possible would have been the most effective. But you didn't kill me…. Not only that, the ‘Shadow' that pierced my torso avoided my vital spots as best as possible with it's short sword. Pretty much like threading a pin--- with utmost caution. Precisely because of that I could save Mio and was saved myself, even after late treatment."
"Well, it simply means you were lucky."
"No. Like you had said, we were supposed to have a fight to the death. Sorry, but I'm not so naive to brush it off as pure luck after being saved from such a situation."
Besides, said Basara.
"The main part of your plan should have been to raise Mio's trust in me. Because then the shock from seeing me collapse would be huge. But in that case, there was one big obstacle."
"Hee… Who?"
"Maria. Now that Mio lost her foster parents, Maria, who kept staying at her side, is the person she can trust the most. She always stays close to Mio, more than I do."
Therefore,
"The best way would've been to get rid of Maria and then to kill me, her last mental support, after you have cornered Mio's mentality to it's limit. Recently Maria has been patrolling the city by herself, hunting low-class stray devils. And you're stronger than her. You should have had enough chances to get rid of her. But--- You didn't do so."
Just like he was overlooking Maria. Just like he was actually being considerate of Mio.
Just like--- Someone else gave him the exact opposite order besides the one from the current Devil Lord.
---That said, he certainly wouldn't speak that out. It was merely a guess filled with Basara's wishful observations. But if Basara's guess turned out to be right, that fact should've been Takigawa Yahiro's secret, never to be revealed to others. But if Basara were to suggestively tell him that he realized that possibility--- and that he sympathized with his standing.
Then a trust would certainly be established. Big enough to join hands.
"That's the reason I trust you, Takigawa. I hope… that it'll become a reason for you to trust me too."
Then Basara cut off his words. Because he had already said everything he was supposed to say.
He had played his trump card. Now he could only wait for Takigawa's answer.
For a long time, Takigawa didn't say anything. He pondered about something the whole time. Basara had called it negotiations, but for Takigawa, it was partly a threat too. He was hesitant, which had to be positive. --- How much time had passed? Soon,
"Sorry, but your story doesn't tell me anything, Basacchi…"
"…I see."
No luck, huh.
"---But, this incident really jeopardized my position."
said Takigawa with a sigh.
"For now, I'll accept… your idea."
He spoke out the words Basara wanted to hear with a wry smile. Therefore,
"…Thanks."
Basara returned the smile.
---He didn't know if his earlier guess was right or wrong. Given that it was right, it would be a betrayal against the current Devil Lord if Takigawa admitted it and at the same time, he would fail his secret mission. There was no way Takigawa would unnecessarily admit that, even if Basara's guess was right. But at least for now, Takigawa said he would cooperate. Then it was a job well done today.
And then--- The chime rang the end of the fourth period. Lunch break started.
"Now then, I better go back."
Saying so, Takigawa started heading for the door of the rooftop. So,
"Hey, Takigawa."
In the end, there was still one thing he absolutely had to ask.
On Wilbert's order, two people raised Mio and watched over her growth and happiness.
"Do you know--- who killed Mio's foster parents?"
It was the first tragedy that befell Naruse Mio. The genesis of her revenge.
Takigawa wasn't the culprit. If he had been, Mio would have noticed it already.
However, if it was Takigawa, who observed Mio, or even---
"Yeah--- I do."
Standing up, Takigawa affirmed.
"…His name? What's he like?"
"Hey, Basacchi, we're technically allies now, right? It's not fair to get information one-sided."
"But…!"
Basara immediately tried to pester him, but held himself back. If he were to force things here, the finally gained truce with Takigawa would break.
"……No, you're right. Sorry, forget I asked."
Saying so, Basara cast down his eyes and suddenly heard a sigh from Takigawa. Then,
"---Zolgear."
Basara clearly heard the name Takigawa spoke out.
"Zolgear…"
"It's the guy, who observed Mio before me… But for now it's better if you don't know anything more."
After all,
"C'mon--- Let's go."
At the same time Takigawa said so, the door of the rooftop opened from the inside.
Out of it came a single girl--- Mio.
Shortly greeting Mio, Takigawa left the rooftop by saying "See you".
In return, Mio approached Basara.
"So silly… To think you two were skipping class here."
"Sorry. The weather was just too good…"
"Mhm… What did you talk about with Takigawa?"
"Not much. The good weather and such."
Basara couldn't lie to Mio's question. However--- He wouldn't tell her everything either.
He wouldn't tell Mio and Maria about Takigawa's real identity. Nor to Yuki. The alliance was more convenient when of course the enemy didn't know about it, but neither did Mio and the others. That way Takigawa could conduct himself easier.
…Besides.
If he told her, Mio would surely be against joining hands with Takigawa. He was the one, who attacked her, hurt Basara and made her power go out of control. Right now, Takigawa was nothing but an enemy affiliated with the current Devil Lord faction that killed her foster parents. Thus making her agree to joining hands with Takigawa would be difficult. ---So this was Basara's role.
Toujou Basara had decided to protect Naruse Mio. If he could protect her with the frontal attack, which Mio surely desired, it would be the best. However--- sadly that proved to be difficult. That being the case, he couldn't be picky in his methods. Because Mio's enemies were far stronger than they believed.
"…What's up?"
"No… nothing."
Mio puzzled looked up to him, as he had fallen silent, whereas Basara shook his head. Then he looked. At the girl he protected and swore to protect from now on as well. Upon that, Mio looked at him with a puzzled expression, which was cute. Before he noticed it--- Basara had touched Mio's cheek.
"Eh? Wh- Wha…?"
"Ah, sorry…It was unwitting."
When he thought that he managed to protect that expression, his hand had unconsciously reached out.
"……….."
Upon that, Mio turned around to the exit at Godspeed and when she confirmed that no one else was coming,
"S- Say…"
Saying so, her face turned just a bit red and she looked down.
"I… didn't thank you yet for saving me, right?"
"Mh? Yeah…"
Was that so? He wasn't particularly concerned about that.
"S- So… because of that."
Mio tightly grabbed the sleeve of Basara's uniform, then took one step forward to him.
A distance, where their bodies were about to touch each other.
So close.
…Huh.
Again. What was up with this atmosphere?
It had been the same, when he carried her to the infirmary due to the curse activation, but when Mio was all alone with him, her attitude sometimes changed. Specially ever since he saved her from the rampage, that tendency became more frequently. Even when she nursed him in his room, she suddenly became admirable when Maria left. Thus,
"R- Right now we're all alone…"
While flushing her cheeks, Mio slowly looked up to him.
"Just for a bit, you can do what you want with me, Brother…"
"---Brother? You're…"
Even though there was no mark on her neck. It was Mio's sign that she wanted to be subjugated by Basara.
"W- We could… even continue from the time in the infirmary."
"…Eh?"
Continuing that? Really? Right here?
"……………..---"
No, no, wait. Don't fall silent, myself! What was I imagining right now!
Also, don't be silent either, Mio. Moreover, stop making such an embarrassed and resolute face. What do you think you're doing on the rooftop here? However, in the silence, the atmosphere gradually turned more strange, leading to deadlock, where something had to be done. And then,
"---Mm."
Finally Mio closed her eyes, as she made her resolve--- and entered a kiss scene.
At this point, Basara could no longer brush it away. Therefore,
"…….."
Making his resolve, Basara slowly brought his face closer to Mio's.
"…………………….Stop."
Suddenly his arm was pulled from the side.
"Eh…. Yuki?"
At a glance, Yuki was holding his hand, it was unknown when she had shown up.
"N- Nonaka? Why…!?"
"Cannot be careful enough… Stop seducing Basara."
"S- Seduce…? ---"
On Yuki's words, Mio's face turned red in a flash.
"N- No one was seducing him! Besides, first you rescue me, then you bother me now. What's the deal!?"
"None in particular. I did save you, but I said nothing about giving Basara to you."
And then, she turned to Basara.
"I was looking for you, Basara… Eat this."
"I- Is that a lunch box…?"
Basara inadvertently brightened up his expression on seeing the wrapped pouch that Yuki held out.
"Good old days… Reminds me, you have always been good at cooking."
"I made a lot of your favorite side dishes."
"…H- Hold it. I was going to have lunch with Basara after this too."
Mio shouted objecting. Upon that, Yuki showed a victorious smile.
"…Eating air?"
At the moment she declared so.
"---Please leave it to me, Mio-sama!"
BAM! With a loud sound, the door of the rooftop yanked open.
And a little succubus girl--- Maria approached us in a straight line.
"Hey wait, how did an outsider like you get in here!"
"Such a silly question, Basara-san. It was a peace of cake with my adult charm. After I begged them with 'My siblings forgot their lunches…" and teary eyes, they let me in right away!"
"That's simply a crying chil---"
"Anyway! We have lunch boxes prepared as well! Come on, Mio-sama… You cannot lose to this inexpressive childhood friend. Do that for Basara-san. The Ahh~ one."
Opening the basket in her hands, Maria urged Mio.
However, in front of others, Mio couldn't be honest.
"D- Don't be stupid… Why would I do that for someone like him!"
She shouted and her body immediately trembled with a "Hau". The curse of the Master and Servant Contract activated from her insolence.
"Again! You don't learn, do you!"
"It cannot be helped. Basara-san, please Ahh~ for Mio-sama… No, make her say Ahh~"
"What're you saying with a straight face?"
"To solve the curse, of course. Please leave it to me. I thought this might happen, so I prepared just the right dish--- No, the right object. Now Basara-san, take this thick sausage and shove it kind of roughly into her cute mout---"
"As if I could! Besides, why should I help satisfy your succubus lust!"
"A bit late for that. We three already did something even more amazing together. Even the other day, we three had a naked cake play in the ba--- Aww."
"…What do you mean?"
Yuki's voice, obviously filled with anger, interjected. Upon that, Maria laughed with Fufufu.
"Do you not know? Not so long ago, Basara-san became Mio-sama's Master."
"N- No way… I, I'll neva allo' it."
Ah, Yuki snapped.
"Sorry, but please give up. At any rate, Mio-sama will now offer both her body and soul to Basara-san--- Right in front of my eyes!"
"H- Hey, stop saying things on your own accord, Maria! I'll kill you a hundred times!"
As her symptoms were shallow, Mio recovered from the curse and flared up at Maria.
"Hey… girls."
At last the three girls started to quarrel, leaving Basara aside.
Therefore Basara made a single sigh--- But he suddenly changed his expression into a peaceful one.
The scene before his eyes should actually give him a headache. It was noisy… and so common, thus so precious. A daily routine with a happiness called ordinary.
…Can I protect this?
He didn't have an answer to that yet. Because their fight had only just started.
Even so, Basara had sent Jin a mail last night to report the events.
That he, the son managed to protect the family and house while his father was away.
There hadn't been a reply yet. Since it was his father, he might answer with "You still have a lot to learn".
But, even so he would surely get a passing grade.
He was looking forward to what Jin would say to him, now that he faced his past and stood up again.
He was already thinking up his words for a reply.
It were words of gratitude.
The son, who you protected by even throwing away your hero status in the past.
Now-- He certainly protected a girl that only he could save.
The ringtone of a cell phone sounded in the dark forest.
The place was in the demon realm. Actually it should've been a place where radio waves didn't reach.
"---Hello?"
Pressing the button--- The former Hero of the great war, Toujou Jin picked up the call.
"Oh, it's you… Yeah, I already know. ‘Cause I got a mail from him."
Jin was talking about Basara's mail to the dialogue partner.
---Normally it was impossible to use human telecommunication equipment in the demon realm.
However, during the great war the demon realm was infiltrated.
For that it was required to establish a way of communication as a lifeline, so various measurements were taken.
With the change of times, the method changed and right now a cell phone had a special magic chip, which turned it's own waves into frequencies and enabled communication to another world.
"That's why I told you that there's no need to worry. Even without this case, he would've stood up on the right occasion."
While Jin laughed,
"After all, Basara is my and--- their son."
Then he responded to the words of his communication partner.
"Well, I know you're worried about him… That's why I kept him at a distance, where you can see him. Then look after Basara and the girls while I'm away. Sorry, but it seems like it'll take a while longer here."
There he dropped his voice.
"Yeah. I really can't get in contact with ‘her'. Wilbert is dead. I was worried when she didn't even come to the meeting place at the crucial time, but… I think she's hiding herself to not get found, since the current Devil Lord changed."
Therefore,
"I'll try digging a bit deeper too. There's the matter with Mio too… There're surprisingly a lot of things to do. Don't worry… Yeah, I'll contact Basara."
Then Toujou Jin cut the call and slowly started walking.
Leaving the corpses of the countless devils that had come after him behind, his face showed a fearless smile.
Toujou Jin declared into the empty space.
"Don't get cocky from one success, Basara. You can't avoid it forever. Because you can't escape from Mio, nor from your past and fate."
