Shinomiya Family Study.
The second hand of the clock struck two o'clock with a sharp click.
Gan'an clenched his teeth, the muscles in his face tense.
The pendulum swung calmly, yet there was nothing serene about it.
"Damn brat!" He slammed his fist on the desk, making the pencils jump. "He said he'd bring her back later! And this is later? At two in the morning?!"
…
In the charming Gunma Prefecture, at the famous Kusatsu hot spring resort, stood the elegant La Vista Kusatsu Hills.
Inside one of the hotel's suites.
Moonlight streamed through the large windows, spilling across the wide bed.
Kaguya slept on her side, deeply asleep, her face faintly flushed and tiny drops of sweat glistening on her forehead.
She was wrapped in the blankets… and in Damian's arms. Her forehead rested against his neck, one hand placed on his chest, while he, reclining against the headboard, held her with one arm so she wouldn't move.
In his other hand, he held a phone whose dim light faintly illuminated the room.
The message was from "The Strongest Sorcerer":
[How's it going~? My~ dear~ Nii~ru~kun~ Do you like my little setup?~ (◕‿◕✿)]
Damian moved his fingers.
"Mm."
The reply came immediately:
[Eh~! Don't be so cold! (;へ:)]
[After all the work I did helping you~]
[Could you do me a tiny, tiiiny little favor and get rid of a nasty curse around here?]
[Pretty please~~]
Below the text was a location pin.
Damian raised an eyebrow, his expression unchanged.
But he closed his eyes and let his perception spread outward. Within seconds, he located the source: a powerful curse, special grade.
Opening his eyes again, he carefully slid his arm from around Kaguya's neck and tucked her gently under the blankets.
He stood up without making a sound.
And automatically, Yamato appeared in his hand.
He stepped out onto the balcony, the cold wind brushing against his face. He held the sheath in his left hand, his right resting lightly on the hilt.
A single motion.
Draw. Slash. Sheathe.
The sound vanished into the breeze, and Yamato disappeared.
Damian walked back inside without a sound and lay down beside her again.
Kaguya, still asleep, seemed to sense the familiar warmth and unconsciously shifted closer to his chest, letting out a faint sigh of contentment.
Damian brushed his fingers through her hair, rested his chin atop her head, and closed his eyes.
Shizuoka Prefecture, Mount Takakusa, night.
The snap of a breaking branch shattered the forest's silence.
Yuji twisted midair, barely dodging a black claw that tore through the tree behind him. He landed with a roll, wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand as his fist began to glow with cursed energy.
"Hey, Megumi!" he shouted, muscles tightening. "Summon Mahoraga!"
A few meters away, Megumi calmly formed hand signs, the shadow beneath his feet rippling.
"Don't give me orders."
His voice was dry, but his hands moved quickly. "Nue!"
A giant Shikigami emerged from his shadow with an electric roar. Blue lightning rained down, striking the creature that crawled between the trees.
The cursed spirit shrieked with a sharp, inhuman sound, like the cry of a baby. Its body, thin and covered with black moving inscriptions, looked like a living mummy.
It had no eyes, no nose, no ears—only a twisted grin stretching from cheek to cheek.
"And that thing needs Mahoraga?" Nobara rested her hammer on her shoulder and spun three nails between her fingers. "Yuji, did you get weak or what?"
"Shut up, both of you!" roared Megumi. His eyes sharpened when he noticed the spirit had gone completely still. "Itadori, give Kugisaki some space to charge! Kugisaki, use Resonance—!"
"Got it!"
"No problem!"
Yuji lunged forward, his fist wrapped in cursed energy, while Nobara threw her nails, tracing a silver arc through the air.
!
But suddenly, an almost imperceptible metallic sound sliced through the air.
The cursed spirit stopped.
The inscriptions crawling across its skin froze, and its claws hung in midair as a line of light formed from the top of its head to its abdomen, splitting it with surgical precision.
"…Crack…"
The body split into two perfect halves and fell like a chopped tree. The surface of the cut was so smooth it reflected the moonlight.
A second later, the cursed energy disintegrated, and the spirit turned to ash.
?
The three of them froze.
"...Huh?" Yuji stared at his own raised fist, blankly.
Nobara whistled and clapped. "Wow! Was that a slash from my idol?!"
Her grin widened. "It definitely was him!"
Megumi slowly lowered his hands, rubbing the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Aside from him, who else could do that?"
He pulled out his phone, the signal barely showing one bar. "The support team will take at least an hour."
Yuji sighed, scratching his head. "So… we came here for nothing? We didn't even get to warm up."
Megumi didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the darkness of the forest, where the shadows were absolute.
Among the trees, dozens of bodies devoured by curses could be seen, all kneeling in prayer-like positions.
"…The mission continues," he said firmly. "Go to where the bodies are. Set up a barrier and wait for the support team."
He took a step into the darkness. "Tonight, no one sleeps."
Nobara snorted, pulled out her phone, and snapped a picture of the bisected corpse.
"I'm sending this to Hana first."
Then she ran after Megumi.
"Hey, wait for me!"
…
Toshin, somewhere.
Satoru sat with one leg crossed over the other, idly swirling a glass. On his phone screen was the photo Megumi had sent him: a cursed spirit cleanly cut in two.
He smiled with amusement.
"Je~." He tapped the table with his knuckles, letting out a soft laugh. "You're such a tsundere, Nero-kun~."
His tone was half teasing, half admiring. Then he forwarded the picture to someone else and leaned back on the couch, whistling.
…
The next morning, La Vista Kusatsu Hills Hotel, Gunma Prefecture.
The first rays of sunlight filtered through the large windows, spreading across the tangled sheets.
The golden light caressed Kaguya's sleeping face.
Her eyelashes trembled before she slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Damian's jaw—strong and perfectly defined.
The next thing she heard was the deep, steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
Thump... thump... thump...
The sound surrounded her, and with it came the memories of the previous night.
She remembered the moment she had gathered the courage to tell him she didn't want to go home.
She remembered how, in response, he had drawn that katana, opening a glowing cross-shaped rift in the air, as if space itself were a mere sheet of paper.
After that, everything had become a blur of heat, moans, and skin.
She discovered… that to conceive, it wasn't just about hugs and kisses. It was something more… intense, intertwined, almost wild.
Sweat had stuck her hair to her forehead, her breath came out in gasps between moans, and her mind went blank amid the pleasure—until, exhausted, she sank into darkness.
"Mm…" a soft sound escaped her lips.
Realizing it, she clamped her mouth shut and buried her face against Damian's chest, her ears so red they seemed to burn.
Her heart was racing uncontrollably. Instinctively, she dared to glance up, hoping he was still asleep.
But she met his gaze.
Those deep amber eyes, filled with calm and a gentle morning laziness.
Kaguya felt shame wash over her entire body and quickly sank under the sheets, leaving only one red ear poking out.
Damian smiled, wrapped an arm around her, and pulled her closer. His chin brushed the top of her head.
"Good morning, Kaguya."
"G-g-good morning!" she replied, her face completely on fire.
Damian laughed quietly. He tilted his head and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. Then, without saying another word, he pulled the sheets aside and stood up.
His bare body stretched under the morning light. Every movement highlighted his defined muscles, and the golden glow of the sun accentuated each line.
The memories hit Kaguya like a wave.
"AAAAH!" she screamed, hiding under the sheets until she was completely covered, curled up into a trembling ball.
Damian chuckled.
As he dressed with calm, unhurried movements, he approached the edge of the bed and looked at her with a smile.
"I'm going to get breakfast," he said, his voice still rough from sleep. "What do you want?"
The lump under the sheets shifted slightly, and a small opening formed at the top, revealing two timid eyes.
"Strawberry… cream cake…"
Damian nodded. "Alright."
The door closed softly behind him.
Kaguya suddenly thrust her head out from under the covers, breathing in the fresh air.
Her face was still burning. She quickly pressed a hand to her cheek, trying to cool it, and shook her head several times to drive away the memories of the previous night.
She slid carefully out of bed, but as soon as her feet touched the floor a slight pain in her lower abdomen made her gasp sharply.
She stopped, pressed her lips together, and, leaning against the wall, walked slowly toward the bathroom.
A while later she emerged wrapped in a bathrobe, her wet hair falling over her shoulders. She walked with short, cautious steps.
Damian had already returned. Breakfast was set on a round table by the window.
Seeing her move with difficulty, he approached without a word and lifted her effortlessly into his arms.
Kaguya cried out, clutching instinctively at his neck, the blush returning to her face.
Damian placed her gently on the padded chair and sat opposite her.
On the table he set a cake decorated with strawberries and white cream, next to a cup of warm milk.
Kaguya picked up the fork carefully and began to eat in small bites. The sweet flavor melted on her tongue, and little by little the embarrassment faded, replaced by a warm sense of calm.
Damian watched her silently, a faint smile on his face. "Kaguya."
"Hm?" She looked up, a bit of cream at the corner of her lips.
"Starting tomorrow," he said calmly, "you will no longer be able to have such sweet breakfasts."
Kaguya froze, fork halfway to her mouth.
Her face flushed again. She knew he was right. In the strict Shinomiya household, a breakfast like that would have been unthinkable.
Still, she lowered her gaze and stabbed the fork into the cake, murmuring softly something like a protest, though the small smile on her lips betrayed her completely.
…
Shinomiya Mansion — Patriarch's study.
Light streamed through the lattice and drew lines across Gan'an's pale face. His eyes were bloodshot, dark circles pronounced; he kept staring at the wall clock.
The hands read eight twenty-four.
"E…ight… twenty… four… !?"
A torrent of images flooded his mind: Kaguya out until dawn, in the arms of a man… each thought made him less able to control himself.
He slammed his hand down on the desk; the table shook and the dishes jumped, shattering. Papers and objects fell and rolled across the floor.
"DAMNED BRAT! I WILL KILL YOU!" he roared, rage about to consume him.
He leapt to his feet, ripping at his hair until his kimono hung askew. "MY KAGUYA!"
The heavy study door opened just a crack. The aged face of the butler appeared in the gap, showing a mixture of compassion and resignation.
In a respectful voice, with the calmest tone he could manage, he pronounced the most painful words possible:
"Sir… Miss Kaguya… has still not returned."
Gan'an's hands, which were still tangled in his hair, tightened suddenly.
And a not very abundant lock, previously carefully styled, was torn from its root by his own fury.
________
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