Time passed quickly, and before long it was Sunday.
No school today. After spending all of yesterday reading, Yukino got up intending to head to the basement for training—just like Leo.
But just as she was about to leave her room, her phone rang.
"Am I interrupting your day off, little Yukino?"
A familiar voice echoed from the other end, and Yukino fell silent for a moment.
"What is it?"
She forced herself to sound calm—cold, even.
"Can I not call unless I have business?" Yukinoshita Haruno laughed lightly. "Or did big sis ruin your weekend and stop you from fawning over your little master?"
The moment she heard "little master," Yukino knew her sister had already investigated everything—just like Leo had predicted.
"You really are heartless, little Yukino." Haruno's tone dropped, sounding somewhere between annoyed and disappointed. "Something this big happened, and you didn't tell anyone in the family. If we hadn't found out ourselves, were you planning to hide it forever?"
"…And what would telling you change?" Yukino was silent for a moment, then spoke in her usual flat tone. "It already happened. There's no point clinging to the past. We should look forward. Even if we can't undo the loss, we should seize fleeting opportunities and make ourselves better."
"That's the family motto, isn't it?"
Her words silenced Haruno.
A long moment passed before Haruno finally spoke again, sounding complicated.
"I'm waiting for you at home. Mom is here too."
She hung up immediately after, leaving Yukino speechless for a long time.
She knew she had no choice but to talk to them.
Otherwise… who knew what would happen.
With that thought, Yukino took a deep breath and left her room.
Training was no longer on her mind. Instead, she walked out of the mansion, crossed the garden, and headed toward the pavilion.
When she arrived, she wasn't surprised to find the master of the estate already there—along with the newest addition to their group.
Leo and Asuna were sitting face-to-face in the pavilion, Leo explaining something to her.
"Your family responded. They'll make time today to come meet me. We don't have a set time or place yet—you'll come with me when the time comes and meet them properly."
"Your sword instructor will also arrive here through a magic circle later."
"So today will probably be busy. Get ready."
Asuna nodded silently, taking it all in.
Yukino waited until Leo finished speaking, then stepped into the pavilion and approached him.
"What brings you here?" Leo had already noticed her, and seeing her walk over, raised a brow. "Didn't you say you'd be training in the basement today?"
Asuna also looked at Yukino, curious.
"I won't have time today." Yukino lowered her gaze slightly. "I need to go home."
Leo understood immediately.
"Haruno-senpai is impressive. She found something this fast." He let out a small sigh. "She wants to talk things out with you?"
"It was inevitable." Yukino nodded faintly. "And my mother will be there too."
"So?" Leo sipped his tea, smiling. "Do you want me to go with you?"
"No." Yukino refused instantly. "She asked for me, not you. That means neither she nor my mother wants you present."
"I don't want them thinking I can't face them alone."
Classic Yukino—stubborn in her own quiet way.
It wasn't that she wasn't nervous. Both her sister and her mother outranked her in the family hierarchy. She'd lived in their shadow her whole life—she always felt small in front of them.
But she didn't want things to stay that way. Deep down, she'd always wished she could one day step out of that shadow and live as herself.
So this time, she would face them alone.
Seeing her like this made Asuna's expression soften. She saw her own past reflected in Yukino—her own life under complete family control, moving like a puppet through a predetermined path.
She hadn't expected that while she herself was on the verge of confronting her family for the first time, her senpai among Leo's servants would be facing something so similar.
Asuna opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but no words came out.
Leo, in contrast, stayed calm.
"That works too. With me there, some things would be harder to discuss—especially since they might already know what I am."
He reached into his coat and pulled out a devil flyer.
It wasn't the usual one.
Previously, devil flyers were made of old-looking parchment. This one was pure black—the parchment infused with a faint, obscure demonic power.
"I made this one specifically for our situation. It works the same as a normal devil flyer—you can summon me instantly. The difference is that normal ones can be intercepted. This one can't."
Leo explained to the two girls.
Magic circles weren't unstoppable. If a ward or Magic Formula blocking space transfer was set up, devils couldn't jump into the area.
But Leo's special version bypassed all of that. Even if a ward was already in place, it wouldn't stop the transfer.
The catch? Only specific people could activate it.
Leo had designed it based on his Servant Conversion trait. Only his servants—those carrying Evil Pieces linked to his trait—could trigger it. The jump worked by using the high-dimensional connection between himself and the Evil Pieces inside their bodies, bypassing normal interception rules.
"Take it. If you're in danger, the Evil Piece inside you will resonate with the Magic Formula on this flyer and activate it automatically. I can teleport to your location instantly."
He handed the black flyer to Yukino.
"If your family knows about you and me already, then they probably have ties to the Church. Consider this insurance."
Then he pulled out another black flyer and handed it to Asuna.
"Here. Don't say I'm playing favorites."
Asuna accepted it, flustered.
"Th-thank you…"
Yukino quietly tucked hers inside her uniform, as calm as ever.
"I'll head out, then."
With that, Yukino turned and left the pavilion, walking toward the estate gates.
Leo called a familiar—one of the ones trained to drive—to take her to the Yukinoshita residence.
"Will Yukinoshita-san… be okay?" Asuna asked, worry creeping into her voice.
"Relax. She'll be fine." Leo spoke with the confidence of someone who saw the future. "Since everything's happening at once, we might as well resolve both your family problems together. That way you two won't spend every day looking worried."
Asuna gave a strained smile.
How could she not worry?
She still felt lost by how fast everything had changed.
Just two days ago, she'd been an ordinary girl—a wealthy daughter receiving elite education, following a strict life plan set by her family. In only forty-eight hours, everything had shifted. She was about to confront her family for the first time.
It all felt unreal, almost like a dream.
Yet… the chaos had lit a fire inside her. For the first time, she felt the desire to change something—anything.
All girls had moments like this: a sudden refusal to accept the path laid out for them, a sudden impulse to change their fate.
Until now, Asuna had never had the chance to feel that impulse.
But this time, she did—even if only a spark.
"Being a devil, huh…"
She whispered inside her heart, and her gaze lifted toward the man in front of her.
He sat with perfect ease, sipping black tea, looking nothing like a devil at all—more like a refined young noble.
"Hm?"
Leo looked up, sensing her stare.
"She's here."
He stood up.
"Let's go welcome your teacher."