"...So that's why I killed that stupid master,"
I'm now explaining everything Kuroka knows to her little sister.
"I see... Then why is Kuroka-san still in this town?"
"Well, I just happened to end up here, and it feels comfortable…"
"Kuroka-san? Please just get to the point."
Just like when we first met, you cut off any kind of joke without hesitation...
"Ugh…"
"Hey, why are you hesitating after all that?"
"Shut up, nya!"
As we went back and forth like that, Koneko suddenly looked at me and asked, "Do you know about this?"
"I do, but what do you want me to do? If Kuroka stays quiet, should I be the one to say something?"
"…Well, then I'll listen. By the way, you seem quite different from before?"
"That was just me trying to take control of the conversation and I kinda went overboard… Sorry."
Honestly, I'd rather not dig that up again. It might just become a new embarrassing chapter in my personal history.
"Understood… So, what is it?"
"She's been worried that my little sister, who's now the master of the Gremory clan and her followers, might be bullying her. So she's been living in this town for the past three years. At one point, she said, 'I wish you'd forget about me and be able to smile like before, nya~.'"
"Nyaa~!? You heard that?!"
Shut up! If these two sisters are going to put on makeup, I'm going to break the serious mood for them!
While we were talking, Koneko looked down and after a moment, tears and quiet sobs started escaping.
"Nya-nya! Shirone!? Why are you crying? Uh... maybe I should just disappear after all..."
Just as Koneko was about to say that, Kuroka stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her face to face.
"Nya! Shirone!?"
At first, Kuroka's hands were flailing awkwardly, but soon they were hugging properly, maybe this would be okay after all.
"Ah, Shirone, I'm going to step out for about thirty minutes. Kuroka's probably still flustered, so please make sure she doesn't run away during that time."
"Nya! Wait a minute, Ikki!!"
Ignoring Kuroka, I turned to Koneko.
"Can you do that for me?"
She gave a small nod. Seeing that, I left the room, ignoring Kuroka's desperate voice of "Don't leave me, nya~."
====================
Thirty minutes later, when I returned to my room, the Nekomata sisters were sitting side by side on the bed.
Koneko looked very happy, you could tell because she had her cat ears and tail out (relaxation mode?) with a big smile on her face. Yeah, she was cute.
Looking at them both together, they really do look alike. Besides the obvious cat ears, their faces are strikingly similar. Koneko looks a bit younger right now, which makes sense, and if they matched hairstyles, they'd be practically twins. Well, their body measurements are still a work in progress...
Thwump!!
"Were you just thinking something?"
A pillow flew at me in one smooth motion.
She really has a sharp intuition, she's just as cute as Kuroka, but in a different way. Better not overthink it.
"…Anyway, I'm glad you two made up. By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Arima Ikki, first year, Class C at Kuoh Academy High School, and I'm a practitioner of immortal arts. Nice to meet you."
"I am…"
She hesitated, probably unsure whether to introduce herself as "Shirone" or "Koneko." Time to help her out.
"I know you have both names. Since you're still in the middle school division, we probably won't meet often at school. But starting next year, it'll be different, right? I'd like to call you 'Koneko,' if that's okay."
"Why is that?"
"If I usually call you 'Shirone,' I might slip up and say that by accident somewhere. That would definitely cause trouble. And if Kuroka finds out, it'd be a disaster."
"That makes sense. Then please call me 'Koneko', and may I call you Ikki-senpai?"
"Got it. Nice to meet you, Koneko."
"Nice to meet you."
We exchanged greetings, and then she asked, "So, Ikki-senpai, what exactly are you?"
"Well... just a normal guy?"
"Ikki, that explanation is tough, nya."
"No, but Kuroka, I was born in a regular family. I'm not part of any organization, never worked as a freelance immortal arts user or anything... so I guess I'm just a normal guy?"
Kuroka immediately denied it.
"Ikki is the fiancé of the daughter of the great Youkai ruling Kansai. So, you can't really say he's a normal person."
I see… so I lost my "normal guy" title without even realizing it.
"Ikki-senpai, you have a fiancé!?"
Koneko asked, surprised but clearly intrigued. Girls really do get hooked on romance stuff. Now, how should I answer...
"She's nine years old"
Wait, Kuroka!? That's not wrong, but can you at least give me a little chance to explain?!
Look! Koneko's already moved to the corner of the room glaring at me with contempt!
"You're a total pedo, that's the worst."
Wow, Koneko, where did you learn that slang!?
"Koneko! There's nothing shady about it! There were unavoidable circumstances, I swear!"
"That's right, Shirone. From now on, I expect you to tell everything, about the engagement and how Ikki screamed embarrassingly when we first met."
What a cruel cat!
"Say whatever you want! I'm out of here! I won't say a word!"
"Fufun! I knew you'd say that Shirone, wait a sec…"
They started whispering. Maybe I should run now? Just then, Koneko spoke up.
"Ikki-senpai, I have a question."
"A question?"
"Yes. Please tell me in detail about the embarrassing thing you screamed."
"Huh!? There's no way I'm answering that..."
"You said, 'I will answer any question from you with sincerity', that was your condition for making our contract."
"I come up with the questions, Shirone asks, and Ikki answers sincerely… no problem at all, nya"
…Right! Koneko seemed quiet before, but in the original story she's the kind who serves garlic dishes to the vampire Gaspar Vladi and always spits harsh words. With both sisters together, this is going to be brutal!
====================
About an hour later, there I was, blushing, soul half drained, wondering how things got this way.
For the next year, Koneko, having gotten over her fear of immortal arts and her sister, asked Kuroka to train her. While we kept renewing the no-tell conditions with summoning cards, they practiced immortal and Youkai arts explanations, meditation, and even practical combat training disguised as exercise.
No wonder she's a top-tier nekomata combat breed, she got stronger by leaps and bounds.
Rias Gremory, the master, thinks Koneko has finally shaken off her doubts with the new school term, but she's still troubled she can't report to her kind and gentle master that she's reconciled with her sister. Though she understands why, she gets a little down sometimes.
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Note: The seasons turned, and now in the second year at Kuoh Academy, the original story's timeline finally arrived.
Starting next time: the original story! Koneko got stronger, so I don't see Riser winning this time, lol.