Chapter 381: The Threat from Kensei Kanase
In the end, Mahiro still went to watch Yuuma and Asagi's match.
But it was just a glance, exactly as originally planned—showing his face, checking in, and giving them a bit of encouragement.
Then he let the two girls freely sweat it out on the field.
And he chose to quietly leave.
Walking through the quiet campus, feeling the shadows cast by sunlight filtering through the leaves, Mahiro felt a wave of contentment.
It seemed that ever since the Black Death Emperor Sect Incident, after pushing Shizuka Koyomi down, Yukina's surveillance frequency had decreased significantly.
The little girl who used to follow him every step of the way had recently started participating in school activities occasionally.
He wasn't sure whether this was due to Shizuka Koyomi's orders or if Yukina's rigid, stubborn mind had finally come to its own realization.
Most likely, it was the former.
He didn't hold too much hope for Yukina...
Just as he was enjoying this moment of peace, a faint, soft meow suddenly caught his attention.
Vaguely, he also heard a gentle girl's voice.
"Ah... wait a minute..."
Mahiro instinctively turned his gaze toward the sound and saw a familiar girl's figure emerging from the bushes of the nearest flower bed.
The girl was wearing Saikai Academy's uniform.
To prevent scratches from the trees, she wore a black high-necked long-sleeved shirt under her cool school uniform.
Beneath her short skirt, a pair of slender, well-proportioned legs were tightly wrapped in black tights.
She was holding a small black kitten as she slowly stood up from the bushes.
Under the sunlight, the girl seemed to glow with a faint halo.
Mahiro couldn't help but call out her name.
As her hair swayed, it softened the contours of her face even more.
"Kanon?"
The girl paused slightly at the call. When she looked up and saw Mahiro, her pale blue eyes, like a frozen river, sparkled with joy.
"Mahiro-nii!"
Kan-on held the kitten with one hand and happily waved to him with the other.
Compared to the silver-haired loli from years past, Kan-on had grown quite a bit now. She had gradually matured, shedding some of her childishness and gaining a touch of maturity, making her shine even more brightly.
By the time Mahiro walked over, Kan-on had already emerged from the flower bed, still holding the kitten.
"Mahiro-nii, please wait a moment."
As she spoke, she crouched down again and opened the handbag placed at her feet.
However, the bag wasn't just filled with textbooks for school—it also contained cans of milk for kittens, cat food, toys, and other such items.
Mahiro couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his eye.
He knew Kan-on had adopted many stray cats and housed them in the abandoned monastery behind the school.
He also knew Kan-on cared deeply for those little ones.
But wasn't this a bit too much?
Perhaps his gaze was too direct, causing Kan-on's cheeks to flush faintly. As she fed the kitten in her arms, she explained softly:
"Mahiro-nii... these, these were bought with the money I earned from part-time jobs after school, not with the money you gave me..."
As soon as she finished speaking, a light karate chop gently landed on the top of Kan-on's head.
At the girl's soft cry of pain, Mahiro sighed helplessly:
"I wasn't trying to say that, and it's not important anyway. What matters is that I remember there should still be over a dozen at the convent, right? Can you handle taking care of them all now? You've even brought them to school... I understand you have a kind heart, Kanon, but it wouldn't be good if these little ones interfere with your studies.
You wouldn't want your future self to see abandoned cats and be unable to adopt them, would you?"
"I-I'm sorry. It's because the convent is already full... It's all my fault..." Kanon lowered her head and murmured softly, stealing uneasy glances at Mahiro like a child who had done something wrong.
This only made Mahiro feel even more speechless.
"Why are you apologizing? I'm not criticizing your actions at all. What I meant was, haven't you considered letting others adopt them?"
"We're already doing that. Nagisa and Yukina have been helping me find suitable adopters lately. After all, I'm shy by nature, and boys tend to avoid me. If they weren't around, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to ask others if they'd be willing to adopt them."
Hearing Kanon's words, Mahiro was somewhat surprised.
Despite her seemingly unapproachable aura, Kanon was a rare beauty in this world.
And not just ordinary beauty—it was a powerful sense of holiness, which had earned her the nickname "Saint" in middle school.
But it had to be said, it was quite fitting.
One could say that Kanon Kanase seemed more like a holy figure than the Lotan Lingkia Extermination Priest from before. If an angel fell from heaven or reincarnated as a human, they would probably be like Kanon—possessing such grace and beauty, and being such a calm and lovely girl. Yet her classmates avoided her?
To be honest, Mahiro found it a little hard to believe.
Moreover, what he hadn't expected was that he thought Yukina hadn't been following him around like a little tail lately, and Nagisa had been coming home late every day because of training and rehearsals for school sports competitions.
It turned out they were actually helping Kanon find new homes for those abandoned cats.
Most importantly, these two girls had kept it from him!
Mahiro had already decided he needed to teach them a lesson.
With that thought, Mahiro reached into Kanon's handbag, took out a can of cat food, opened it, and fed the kitten.
Then he looked up at the sky.
He realized he had unknowingly spent over an hour with Little Kanon, and it was already lunchtime.
So he invited her:
"Kanon, how about having lunch with your big brother?"
"Eh...?"
Kanon was taken aback for a moment, then looked hesitantly at the little kitten happily devouring the canned food on the ground.
Just as she was about to shake her head and refuse, Mahiro spoke again.
"It's fine. We'll wait here for it to finish, then take it with us!"
This time, Kanon didn't refuse. Instead, she nodded happily.
"Thank you, Mahiro-nii."
Not long after, the little kitten finished its meal and was taken by him and Kanon to the school cafeteria.
Although the cafeteria was still under repair due to the damage from the conflict on the day of Giada's visit, the other half remained open for business as usual.
This lunch was treated by Mahiro, and the meal was quite lavish.
After enjoying a satisfying lunch, Mahiro prepared to bid farewell to Kanon.
"Alright, I'm heading back to sleep now. Kanon, you should go settle your little cat and make sure it doesn't run around the school anymore."
"Mm, I will," Kanon nodded earnestly.
"Oh, and something strange will happen in the city tonight, so Mahiro-nii, please don't go out."
As they parted, Kanon said something inexplicable to Mahiro.
Her words made Mahiro pause in his steps. He turned back to look at the girl, whose face was filled with sincerity and gentleness, and his gaze gradually grew thoughtful.
"Is it dangerous?"
"Very dangerous, so Mahiro-nii, please don't leave your home tonight. I don't want you to get hurt."
"Alright, I understand."
Mahiro didn't say anything more, simply agreeing.
Kanon watched his gradually receding figure, her expression tinged with a hint of melancholy.
"I'm sorry, Mahiro-nii... I hope you can forgive me, Kanon..."
A faint, guilt-tinged voice quietly dissipated amidst the noisy campus.
Nighttime.
Like the Hour of the Demon.
This was the quiet time for humans, but also the time of revelry for the Demon Race's Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.
However, on the streets of the human residential district, which had already fallen into silence, a black sedan slipped into the night, followed by a van.
Their target was an orphanage, built just a few years ago, deep within the residential area.
By the time the two vehicles arrived, a figure was already standing in front of the orphanage, seemingly having waited for them for some time.
A cool night breeze quietly swept by.
The girl's silver hair swayed, her gaze bright and captivating.
Bathed in moonlight, she seemed draped in a layer of pure, holy light.
That person was none other than Kanase Kanon, who had been feeding cats with Mahiro just that afternoon!
At that moment, the door of the black sedan opened.
From the front passenger seat stepped out a tall, graceful woman. She walked to the back and opened the door, ushering out a middle-aged man in a white lab coat.
When the man saw Kanase Kanon, his face was filled with emotion and pity, but deep in his eyes, a trace of greed flickered.
"Kanon..."
"Please don't call me that, Mr. Kanase Kensei."
Indeed, the newcomer was the lead researcher and instigator of the Artificial Angel project—Kanase Kensei.
By his side was his secretary, the T-type Vampire who had once attacked the armored airship of the Aldegyr royal family in Northern Europe—Beatrice Basler.
And as his bodyguard, also an assailant—Lowe Kirishima.
Behind them was another girl with hollow eyes, like a marionette.
She wore a pure white hospital gown, her body emaciated, appearing malnourished and broken.
However, Kanon's cold attitude at this moment greatly displeased Beatrice.
In her eyes, Kanase Kanon was no different from that Aldegyr sow—merely a tool, a Vessel.
Just as she was about to step forward to teach this little girl a lesson, Kanase Kensei reached out and stopped her.
At the same time, he turned a kindly smile toward Kanon Kanase across from him, speaking in the gentlest tone he could muster:
"Kanon, your mother was my sister. I am your uncle. There's no need for such formality between us. If it weren't for that man Mahiro preventing us from meeting these past few years, we should have been living together long ago..."
No matter what Kanase Kensei said, Kanon Kanase remained unmoved, her gaze fixed coldly on the man.
There was not a trace of emotion in her eyes, only an icy, unwavering resistance.
"...I agree to your conditions, Mr. Kanase. I will go with you. But will you keep your promise and spare everyone at the orphanage?"
Kanon's voice was icy, almost devoid of any emotion—utterly different from the warm saintly figure she was during the day, more like an angel of judgment about to deliver divine punishment.
As for why Kanon was behaving this way,
the reasons were actually quite simple.
First, because Kanase Kensei had tried to convince her that her savior, Mahiro, was a bad person.
Second, because Kanase Kensei had threatened her.
The reason this man was here, and why Kanon Kanase was waiting at the orphanage entrance at this hour, was precisely because Kanase Kensei had threatened her.
As long as she obediently followed him, he would not harm the orphanage or the children inside.
To protect those children, Kanon naturally chose to agree and accepted his condition not to tell Mahiro.
So now, it would be strange if Kanon showed him any kindness!
Yet Kanase Kensei continued to play the role of the "caring father," smiling gently:
"Of course..."
Before he could finish, Beatrice frowned slightly and stepped forward to interrupt: "Kensei, the children in this orphanage are all excellent spiritual medium Vessels. Are you really going to give them up like this? Don't forget your agreement with the investors!"
"Silence!"
Kanase Kensei hissed in a low voice.
Beatrice trembled slightly, her face showing fear.
As a member of the Demon Race, and a Vampire no less, she was actually afraid of a human man!
But she truly had no choice but to fear him.
Because this man held control over an Artificial Angel.
She had personally witnessed just how terrifying that thing was.
The light that annihilated everything was still fresh in her memory.
Then, Kanase Kensei turned back to Kanon with a gentle expression:
"Uncle will definitely keep his promises to you, Kanon. If you don't believe me, I can adopt them all, just like I did years ago, and let them live with you. How does that sound?"
Hearing this, Kanon's face instantly paled, and she instinctively took two steps back.
"Mr. Kanase, you're lying to me! You promised that if I went with you, you would spare everyone. You're going back on your word!"
At her words, Kanase Kensei's expression flickered with a moment of unease.
He had disguised himself so well—he couldn't understand how he had been exposed!
Little did he know, one night when Kanon was on her way to care for the kittens at the convent, she had coincidentally encountered a severely injured girl.
That girl was just like the masked girl now following behind Kanase Kensei—emaciated in figure, wearing a pure white hospital gown, only stained red with blood.
Most crucially, when she removed the girl's mask, she discovered the other was actually a girl around her own age!
It was also after that day that she saw Kanase Kensei again.
And from that moment on, she understood clearly what Kanase Kensei was actually doing!
She also finally grasped what those conversations between Mahiro-nii and Kanase Kensei in front of the hospital room years ago had truly been about!
If he were allowed to adopt her companions, wouldn't they just become those Vessel tools that woman spoke of?!
This absolutely cannot be allowed!
Just as Kanase Kensei was about to explain something, a somewhat heavy set of footsteps interrupted the conversation between uncle and niece.
Immediately after, a frivolous voice quietly sounded.
"Well, isn't this a touching reunion. Though, come to think of it, I'm also something of a brother to Kanase Kanon, so mind if I join in?"
"Mahiro!"
Kanase Kensei stared darkly at the newcomer.
That figure, that face—he could never forget it. Even if turned to ashes, Kanase Kensei would recognize him!
The person he most wanted to kill all these years!
The man who had stopped him from adopting Kanon back then—Yotsuba Mahiro!
However, behind him followed a girl, wearing loose casual sportswear, a guitar case slung on her back, her long black hair casually flowing down her back.
"Mahiro-nii! Yukina!"
Kanon was just about to call out to them like that, but Mahiro's gaze drifted over, and Kanon immediately shut her mouth, timidly lowering her head.
She looked exactly like a child who had done something wrong.
And Mahiro, shifting his gaze back to Kanase Kensei and the others, couldn't help but sneer:
"Can't say you aren't bold, Kanase Kensei. I just paid a little less attention to the orphanage recently, and you come running over trying to kidnap Kanon? Have you forgotten what I told you back then? Are you truly not afraid of death?"
"Enough nonsense, Mahiro! Matters between me and my niece are none of your concern!"
Kanase Kensei nearly ground his teeth to dust, roaring loudly without a shred of decorum.
Beatrice, standing nearby, naturally also knew Yotsuba Mahiro was not to be trifled with, so she secretly exchanged a look with her Beastmen companion.
The two immediately reached a tacit understanding.
Beatrice suddenly lunged at the unprepared Kanon, striking her neck with a chop, rendering her unconscious.
Meanwhile, the Beastman had already Semi-Beastified and charged toward Mahiro.
[O divine child of Suanni and exalted Sword Shaman, I entreat here: Dawn of Exorcism, Divine Wolf of Yukasumi, hasten with the divine might of steel to aid me in vanquishing evil gods and a hundred demons!]
Yukina swiftly drew Snowdrift Wolf and completed the chant. As the Divine Oscillation Wave Drive Ritual activated, she directly raised the silver spear and charged at the Beastman.
But the next second, Mahiro grabbed her by the collar and yanked her back.
"You go save Kanon."
With those words, he casually tossed Yukina toward Beatrice.
He would face the fight alone.
Facing the beastmen now mere steps away, Mahiro remained motionless, hands in his pockets, his pitch-black pupils gradually tinged with crimson as an ancient magic circle swirled within them.
"Mist Dispersion."
Suddenly, the charging beastmen burst into a cloud of dust that surged toward him.
A cluster of crystal-blue flames briefly dispelled the night like a torch before silently extinguishing.
The scattered dust was then blown away by the surging magical power erupting from Mahiro's body.
Sensing this terrifying level of magical power, Kanase Kensei's inner rage instantly vanished, cold sweat gradually beading on his forehead.
Without even lifting a hand, his subordinate had died so silently!
Not even a corpse remained!
At this moment, Kanase Kensei clearly realized just how terrifying the man Mahiro truly was!
But—
"Number Six, kill him!"
Kanase Kensei directly pulled out a phone-like controller, manipulating the girl beside him.
Instantly, the girl let out an inhuman cry of agony.
Immediately after, a pair of revolting wings sprouted from her back as she charged toward Mahiro!