Koneko Toujou suddenly appeared right in front of me and hit me straight with a pointed question.
She's definitely already certain about it, isn't she? I bet she can smell it on me, there's no hiding it!
Honestly, I was wondering why she was even here, but then I remembered, her master, Rias Gremory, is based in the Occult Research Club at the high school. So it's not unusual at all for Kotone, even as a middle schooler, to hang around here after school.
And Kuroka must know her little sister's in the high school Occult Club, right? Was she just careless? Or maybe it's some curse from the Toujou family? But hey, I can't really talk, I've made plenty of careless mistakes myself!
"......... What are you talking about?"
I decided to dodge the question for now.
"Don't try to dodge it!"
Whoa, she cut me off in an instant.
What now? What's the best way to keep things calm? I don't think she'd ever betray Kuroka, but right now she thinks I've been betrayed by my own sister.
And here I am, the scent of my sister clinging to me. In her confusion, she might just report me to Rias Gremory without thinking it through. That can't happen! No matter what the circumstances, Kuroka right now is a runaway SS-rank demon!
If it were the Rias Gremory I know, she might not send a hunting squad but could very well dispatch a capture team... Even if I manage to convince Kotone to keep quiet, if the truth comes out later, both she and her master could get into huge trouble for harboring a wanted fugitive. Think, Ikki!
When I wiped my sweaty hand on my pants, I felt something hard in my pocket, maybe this could work? Even if it's just a bad performance, I have to steer this on my terms.
"I don't know what you're talking about. But let's talk business instead."
Channeling the vibe of a fearless final boss (think Azazel-sensei), I threw out that line.
"...Business?"
"Yes, business, demon-kun."
At those words, she immediately took a step back.
"Don't be so wary. As you can see, I'm just a normal human. I want to make a contract with you."
I pulled out a single card from my pocket, the summoning card I got recently. I kept it as a memento.
"A contract?"
"Exactly. Tonight, I'm going to summon you with this card. Of course, I want you to come alone. Maybe you'll find out what you want to know... but no tattling to your master, alright? If Rias Gremory gets involved, things could get messy."
I boosted my strength and instantly slipped behind her.
"You understand who'd have the upper hand in a fight, right? I'll say it again, come alone and don't tell anyone. Then maybe everything will work out peacefully."
And just like that, I vanished.
====================
"So? Got an excuse?"
Now we're in my room, where I'm full-on doing a dramatic dogeza (bowing apologetically).
"I panicked. I was out of my mind then. I'm sorry!"
I think I even got carried away with the act, Azazel style.
Kuroka watched me with a sort of exhausted, deflated look, she probably thinks I'm hopeless.
"Haah, it's partly my fault for being careless, and there's no use dwelling on the past when time's short. So, what do you plan to do now?"
"I told your sister too, I want you to make a contract with me. Just a simple chat, but with the condition that you won't share what you hear or see here with anyone, directly or indirectly."
She's probably suspicious as hell, but I haven't shown any proof that Kuroka exists yet. If I can get this contract sealed first, maybe things will settle down.
"Alright then, I'll go far away for a bit. You handle things smoothly, okay?"
She summoned a magic circle at her feet and teleported away.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!"
I somehow destroyed the magic circle just in time and hugged Kuroka tightly. This might actually be the first time I hugged her on my own initiative, but I don't care about appearances now!
...Wow, she's so soft, and her waist is so slim! Thinking that, I desperately held her back.
"It's impossible! I can't fix this without you, Kuroka! This is our chance to make up!"
"Nya! Let go, Nya! How am I supposed to face her now?!"
"Any face is fine if you tell the truth! The rest you can improvise!"
"That's just dumping it all on me, Nya!"
While we argued back and forth, night fell. It's about time to summon her.
"...Fine, I'll meet Shirone. But Ikki! If she hates me, I'm leaving this town, and you're coming with me! I'll squeeze every last drop out of you!"
For a moment, that sly thought crossed my mind, but surely that won't happen.
"Okay, just hide for now! I'm about to summon her!"
I let go of Kuroka and waited until she left the room, then focused on Koneko Toujou while summoning her with the card.
A magic circle appeared in the center of the room, and Kotone emerged, immediately scanning the room with sharp eyes while keeping her distance.
"...Is it just you?"
She's fully on alert, which makes sense. I stayed in "final boss" mode (Azazel style) too, maybe I'm calmer than I thought or maybe I'm just losing it.
I crossed my arms and gave her a confident smirk.
"Don't be so wary, demon-kun. Let's have a peaceful chat."
"A chat?"
"That's right. Demons grant humans' wishes, right? My request is just a simple conversation here in this room. But you're forbidden to tell anyone else, by any means, what you see or hear here."
She stayed silent, her expression hard. If you look closely, sweat drips down her cheek.
She must be feeling a mix of impatience, anxiety, and fear all at once.
"If you accept these terms, I'll answer any question you have honestly. So? Don't you want to know something? Then make a contract with me."
Oh man, at this point, I can't even tell who's demanding the contract anymore, and I can't stop the performance! Someone please stop my rampage!
"...Alright. I accept the contract under those terms."
Just after she squeezed out those words, the door burst open and Kuroka delivered a fierce body blow to me.
"What are you doing?! Scaring Shirone like that deserves death! 'Make a contract if you want knowledge', who do you think you are, Mephistopheles?!"
Oh, so instead of a final boss, I ended up playing Mephistopheles. Looks like my acting still needs work.
"Hey... sis?"
"Nya! Shirone! This is, um, well..."
And so, the two Nekomata sisters were finally reunited.
=============
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