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"Is something wrong?"
Hill turned to look at Mine, confused. "I don't think there's anything weird about me, right?"
Mine: "..."
You're too much like me, that's the problem!
Damn it!
I need to boost my nutrition too.
I heard papaya milk works—no clue if it's true, but whatever.
I'm definitely trying it out later.
With no response from Mine, Hill turned to Minato and asked, "Master, there's nothing wrong, right?"
"Of course not," Minato said firmly. "Totally normal."
Didn't think much of it before...
But now, with this comparison...
It's kinda unfair, honestly.
Having someone like Mine among the followers might lead to some... unexpected side effects.
Mine gave Minato a long stare, then her expression dropped.
She didn't know why...
But she had a feeling Master was thinking up some really bad ideas again.
Ugh! She was born like this—what can she even do about it?!
"Alright, time to start."
Without waiting for them to answer, Minato held up two demon chess pieces and pressed them against their bodies.
"Mmgh!" ×2
Mine and Hill both let out a muffled groan.
As the magic circle lit up below them, they finally understood why even someone as strong as Esdeath couldn't handle it.
Their skin felt burning hot, and their breathing got heavier.
Soon enough...
A pair of wings stretched out from their backs, and a tail with a heart-shaped tip slowly curled out.
"T-This is... what they call demonic power?"
Feeling the strength flowing through her body, Mine clenched her pink fists.
She felt so strong now.
Honestly, if she punched her old self, there wouldn't even be time to cry.
"I... am I a demon now?" Hill blinked, staring curiously at the swaying tail behind her.
At that moment, Mine suddenly hugged Minato's leg tightly and said pitifully, "Master, I want to receive a blessing too."
She even tried to press her not-so-impressive assets against him.
And shot Hill some aggressive eye signals.
Opportunities like this don't come around often.
She'd already figured it out: sometimes you gotta be bold and just go for it.
Otherwise, who knows when your turn will come?
Seeing that, Hill awkwardly hugged Minato's other leg.
Compared to Mine, Minato suddenly felt like his right leg was being swallowed by an overwhelming wave.
Looking at the two girls, he couldn't help but smile.
"Welp... someone's about to get totally drained again."
Erica facepalmed.
Even though they'd only lived together for a few days...
That smile of his was way too familiar.
But seriously, you'd never guess from appearances—those two are gutsy.
They only just became his followers, and they're already pulling this?
"Hmm?"
Erica frowned.
Wait a sec—I was the first one to become his follower!
So doesn't that mean... these two just cut in line?!
Oh hell no.
She's the proud noble daughter of the famous Brownlite family.
She became a knight of the Crimson Black Cross at such a young age.
A genius known as the "Red Devil."
How could she let others jump ahead?
Wait, wait, wait—
What the hell am I thinking?!
Her cheeks flushed bright pink as she shook her head wildly.
When did... even giving yourself away become something you had to compete for?
T-This is seriously beneath the dignity of a noble lady!
Then, sneaking a glance at Minato's direction, she thought:
Hopefully he didn't notice me freaking out just now...
But by then, Minato and the two girls had already vanished—only the fading glow of the magic circle remained.
Seriously?
Did they really teleport that fast?
Erica was left feeling completely flustered.
A few days later...
Paranormal Research Club
"Minato, here's your black tea."
Akeno Himejima brought over a cup of freshly brewed tea and placed it in front of Minato.
"Thanks, Akeno-senpai."
Minato took the cup and looked over at Rias. "So, why'd you call me here? Don't tell me you want me to train Koneko and the others again?"
Ever since Minato's followers had gotten stronger...
Koneko had been dragging him off to spar with her constantly.
And Artoria, who was both powerful and super controlled, had become a fan favorite.
"Train them?"
Rias rolled her eyes. "Who knows if your idea of 'training' is even proper? I only have a few followers, you know."
She looked a bit annoyed at that.
She'd had her demon chess pieces way longer...
But still only had a small group of followers.
Meanwhile, Minato already had over ten.
And every one of them was insanely talented—it was kind of unfair.
Sigh!
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Rias said, "Anyway, no jokes—this is serious. It's about the Fallen Angels."
"Oh?"
Minato raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Don't tell me some Fallen Angel's dumb enough to stir up trouble in this city?"
"As if! Everyone knows the God-Slayer lives here."
Rias shook her head. "But word is—the White Dragon Emperor of the Fallen Angels might be coming."
"Him? What's that got to do with me?"
"Everything."
Rias gave him a serious look. "The White Dragon Emperor is battle-crazy. If he shows up, he might challenge you."
"Oh, I see. Well, no need to worry about me."
"Who's worried about you?!"
Rias looked exasperated. "I'm worried you'll accidentally kill him!"
Even though the White Dragon Emperor had a Sacred Gear powerful enough to slay gods, and was one of the strongest among the Fallen Angels...
She seriously doubted he'd be a match for Minato.
"Do I look like the kind of guy who kills people over a disagreement?" Minato asked, looking innocent.
"Don't you?"
Rias blinked. "Didn't Riser end up dead? He's still the only devil ever killed in a Rating Game."
"Well, he shouldn't have gone after my fiancée."
Minato shrugged and sipped his tea. "Anyway, what do you want me to do about this White Dragon Emperor?"
"I just hope that... under normal circumstances, you don't kill him."
Rias said seriously, "He's close to the leader of the Fallen Angels. If you kill him, it could trigger a huge mess."
"Well, since you said so, I'll do my best."
"Give me an actual promise! You're way too scary sometimes."
"....."