Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha

---Again a dream about that time.

With just his consciousness floating in the scenery of the past, Basara realized that he was dreaming. Deep crimson. The crazy eyes with that colour had looked down on Basara in the past.

The angry voices of a large crowd. The crying voice of a precious friend in the background.

Amidst that, a black silhouette slowly came closer.

"------"

Oblivious of all around. He had to do something--- that was all he thought.

But Basara's mind neared its limit on this tragedy happening before his eyes.

And in the next moment--- Basara's vision was coloured white.

His consciousness slowly faded away. He didn't know if he was saved or not.

Just--- Basara had heard someone's shout at the end.

Toujou Basara hadn't forgotten these words even now. The crying shout of a female repeated endlessly. Just like a curse--- It said, please give back that child.

"---! Hah…. Hah….---"

Basara opened his eyes and at the same time made a rough gasp. In a situation, where he looked up to the ceiling, he realized that he had woken up. Taking a deep breath, he calmed down his chaotic heartbeat.

…No matter how often I see that dream, I just can't get used to it…

Laying on his bed face up, Basara stared at his own right hand that he had brought up to his face.

"…Huh? Somehow, it's still hard to breathe…"

Even though he woke up from his dream, he still couldn't breathe properly. There,

"Ah---You're finally awake."

A sudden voice. When he lowered his gaze, on top of his summer blanket that he used instead of the normal bedspread--- a girl was mounting Basara around his hips with him pinched between her thighs. She had placed both her hands on his chest and showed an impish expression. That girl--- Naruse Mio looked down on Basara.

"Morning."

"….Morning."

Basara returned the morning greeting on reflex. Either Mio was just too light or it was because of the blanket, but he couldn't really feel that much of a weight. Still, this realistic feeling made Basara remember his current situation.

--- That he and she had started living together from yesterday on.

The movers had been requested to do everything from packing and sending the things over, for some extra pay.

And their work was good and speedy. It has been one week since they first met at the family restaurant.

The Toujou and Naruse Families safely started their living together after renting a single house. But,

"Ehm… What are you doing?"

"What you ask, waking you up of course. I thought boys would be happy about that."

On Basara's unmeant question, Mio smiled with "It's a service".

Most likely, Mio herself had intended for it, but--- this certainly was a service.

Usually in such cases, one would get on top of the stomach. But maybe she couldn't tell his posture due to the blanket, as Mio was sitting on Basara's hips. This was just like the cow-girl position.

Furthermore, the current season was midsummer. The season where a girl's clothes at the highest exposure rate of the year. In short, lightly dressed. Mio's attire this morning was a camisole-type brassiere top and hot pants. Her exposed thighs were dazzling his eyes and the feeling of her mounting him was the best as well.

But more importantly--- Basara's eyes were inadvertently attracted to some other spot.

….They sure are huge.

It had been on his mind ever since he saw her in the family restaurant. Mio's breasts were rather voluminous. Her corpulent swellings stretched out the highly elastic brassiere top all the way. The cleavage, where multiple fingers would fit in, wasn't to be ignored either, but sideline of her too big breasts--- a skin-coloured curve completely showed out from the side of the brassiere top.

"Hey, stop with the dumb face and get up already."

"Y- Yeah…"

What to do. She herself didn't seem to have noticed, but every time Mio's hands pressed on Basara's chest, her breasts shook and gave an all too superb sight. Inadvertently, Basara didn't move, whereupon-

"Hey, get up already or… Eh?"

As she suddenly noticed something, her expression changed into a doubtful one. And then, while confirming a sensation with her hand,

"…H- Hey, somehow… I feel something hard?"

Oh my? Basara tilted his head. Could it be, the effect of having her sit on his hips backfired?

"Ehm…is this the physiological phenomenon unique only to boys?"

"N- No! I wonder what it is… Maybe my cell?"

Yeah, Basara remembered. Last night he couldn't fall asleep, so he played on the portable game console. At some point he had had fallen asleep, but that had to be it. Actually,

"I'm grateful that you came to wake me up, but you're not sitting on my stomach, but my hips. When a girls sits there and a real physiological phenomenon happens, I can't be held responsible."

On Basara's words, Mio instantly turned bright red. She must have finally noticed her own defenselessness. He thought for sure that she would jump off and step on him in a panic.

"Y- Yeah…I can't deny that. Y- You're a boy after all."

Surprisingly enough, she withstood it. Most likely she wanted to stay emotionally superior to Basara. But it was quite obvious that she was agitated. Apparently she was fine when the things went the way she wanted, but was weak in unexpected situations. So to test it, Basara decided to tease her a bit.

"…Now then, guess I'll get up."

"Fueh!? Y- You're getting up?"

Basara said a "Yeah" to Mio, who immediately started to be restless.

"I can't really laze around here forever, can I. And you took the trouble of coming to wake me up."

"R- Right…. B- But"

Basara gave a wry smile to the flustered Mio. While looking up to Mio from below,

"If it's that troubling for you, wake me up normally next time. Not sitting on my hips."

It was meant as a gentle warning. But, Mio made a frustrated, red face.

"I, I'm not really troubled…. It, it's just a simple physiological phenomenon."

She was obstinate on a strange orientation. Basara had no time to stop her.

"C- C'mon, get up already!"

She grabbed Basara's blanket and pulled it off.

Upon that, something instantly shot up from under the blanket into the air--- into Mio's direction.

"Eh….?"

Inadvertently letting go of the blanket, Mio caught it. It was neither a cell phone nor a gaming console. Of course, it wasn't a physiological phenomenon either. It was a remarkable something that came from between his groin and shot up into the air. Then what was it? Basara's eyes fell onto the plastic case. It was something often used for games or an image editor software---or rather, a kind of software itself. The back of the package was facing his way, so Basara could read its title.

The name of the product with a cute girl on the cover was:

"Youth Special Edition: My real little stepsister and I"

It was a game about a little sister.

"Hi….Kya--!?"

Mio threw the software onto Basara's stomach and fell from the bed, as she lost her balance in that very moment.

"H- Hey, are you oka---Mh?"

Upon that, the package had turned upside down. Now Mio was looking at the backside with the summary written on it. The game screenshots of the cute girl were full of naked skin and mosaics.

---In short, it was an erotic game. Moreover, it was a training style game, betraying the light title.

The supposedly fresh morning atmosphere turned into the most awkward scene in the world for a moment.

"Wh- Why is such a thing in my bed…?"

Basara was fifteen years old. He didn't remember buying such a thing. However, while Mio was shivering on the floor,

"Y- Yo- You…You were playing such a game on the night where we started to live together? I knew it… you want to do the stuff from the game to us as well, right?"

"What do you mean you knew it! Actually, there's no way I have--- Oh?"

"Yah, hey….Kyaa!?"

When Basara hastily denied it while trying to get off the bed, he also lost his balance and fell onto the floor. His lower body must have been numb due to Mio sitting on it. At once, he was hanging over.

"Ah…."

Just like being pushed down. At a distance where the breath could be felt, their faces were close to each other.

So close that it made you hesitate to speak. The sweet aroma of a girl.

The moment he had collapsed, both straps of Mio's brassiere top slipped down her arms and her big breasts were about to spill out. It had slipped down so much that the tip was nearly visible.

Furthermore, one of Basara's knees was between her charming thighs that appeared out from her hot pants and if he were to move even just one millimetre, he would touch a place that he wasn't supposed to touch by all means.

And in a silence of a few seconds, which felt like an eternity, unable to make even a quiver,

"Y…."

"…Y?"

Mio finally uttered a voice and Basara repeated it.

"You perveeeeert!"

"Guaaaaaaah!?"

Mio's raised knee hit right into Basara's solar plexus. And while Basara's body floated a tiny bit, Mio escaped from the spot. At the door, she turned around to the writhing Basara on the floor,

"N- Next time you do anything weird to me, I'll kill you a hundred times!"

After saying so shouting, she left the room. Only Basara was left behind, writhing on the floor.

"Wait, it's a misunderstanding…"

Reaching out his hand, he mumbled moaning, but no one heard it.

From atop of his bed, the adorable illustration girl looked at him like she was sneering at him. The heroine of "Youth Special Edition: My little stepsister and I"--- made a gentle smile.

"Damn you… Dad. To plant such a crude thing into my bed."

As it was summer vacation, Basara headed down the stairs to the first floor, still in his pyjamas.

Actually, Jin would be troubled if Basara was hated. Did he not care if the remarriage blew up? Well, regardless of how the remarriage went, he wouldn't stand for having his character doubted on a misunderstanding.

"For starters, I have to properly clear up the misunderstanding later…"

When he opened the door to the living room, a delicious smell instantly tickled his nasal cavities.

Especially the aroma of roasted bread made his stomach react.

"Ah, Basara-san. Good morning."

At the end of his line of sight, Maria, cooking in the kitchen across, noticed him.

"Ah, yeah… Morning."

Basara lowered his head a bit. Apparently Mio hadn't talked about the earlier misunderstanding yet.

Jin and Mio weren't in the living room. They must be either at the toilet or in the bath, readying themselves. Making a sigh of relief, Basara headed for the kitchen.

"Mh~ Hop…"

There he could see Maria perfectly handling a big fry pan with her small body.

Even while being the youngest, Maria had taken on all house chores, partly due to the fact that she didn't go to school. Either way, she had been boasting how she had taken care of the chores before their living together as well.

Maria wore a white apron with frills, like a newly-wed wife would wear. Equipped on the young-looking Maria it actually gave off a rather erotic feeling, which troubled him.

Basara opened the refrigerator with a cup, which he had taken out of the cupboard, in one hand and poured milk from a pack in it.

"Please wait just a bit longer. I'll be done real soon!"

"Yeah, than---PFFT!?"

Inadvertently Basara snorted out the milk from his mouth, which gave birth to a little rainbow in the air.

Because he got a full look at Maria, who had turned around to face him, from the front.

"Oh my, you spilled it. You're so mischievous in the morning already, Basara-san."

Maria showed a calm smile and came closer trotting.

"H- Hey! Wait, Maria-chan!"

Basara hastily put up both of his hands in front to stop her.

"Eh? What's the matter?"

Maria tilted her head. It was a cute behaviour like from a penguin. It made you inadvertently incline your body as well. But, more importantly,

"Right back at you, what's with that outfit in the morning…?"

Basara pointed out. After all, she was naked in an apron--- A real naked apron. Even though it was already the 21th century. Not good, he had to calm down. It was a penguin. If he thought about it as a naked penguin in an apron, it somehow should--- as if!

"Ehm… Something wrong with it?"

Without time for Basara to stop her, Maria spun around on the spot once more. However,

"….H- Huh?"

Maria was properly wearing clothes. Because she wore a combination of a camisole and miniskirt underneath, it only looked like she was naked under the apron from the front. Then Maria,

"…Hohoho~n, I see."

When she looked down on her own attire, she smirked, as she had noticed what Basara had gotten so flustered about.

"You are an adolescent boy after all, Basara-san… Was it too stimulating for you? Did it arouse you?"

It certainly was quite stimulating. In a mainly pathetic way.

"…Did you have any weird thoughts?"

"No, no."

"Please get excited."

"Haha."

Basara wondered if this conversation wasn't a bit strange for siblings.

"Oh right. Earlier, Mio-chan went to wake you up, but how did it go?"

"….Thanks to that I'm fully awake now."

He couldn't really tell her that he received a knee kick before breakfast. However,

"No, no, that's not what I meant."

Maria shook her hand with that and with a serious expression,

"That software like thing that I smuggled into your bed--- Did Mio-chan see it?"

"SO IT WAS YOUUUUUUUUU!"

Basara screamed at once. Culprit found. To think that it would be Maria.

"Just what for did you place such a crude thing there…"

"What for..? Because you seemed to be unfamiliar with training your little stepsister."

"I don't even want to be familiar with it! Besides, why do I have to train her anyway!"

"Eh? B- But…"

There Maria was suddenly bewildered.

"Except for training, there are no other usages for a little stepsister, are there?"

"THERE ARE! Actually, what do you mean with usages!"

Oh god. He knew that middle schoolers these days couldn't be underestimated, but what exactly did this loli little sister take her older sister for? There Maria shook her clenched fists wildly up and down.

"B- But… that game seems rather great? In the end, your little stepsister becomes your complete slave and just with verbal abuse, she makes a stupid lustful expression and squirts all over. So you should learn from it, Basara-san."

"I don't care! Why do I have to learn from something like that!"

"I, I mean… Except for making a stupid lustful expression and squirting all over, a little stepsister has no raison d'être---"

"She has! A lot of them!"

Apologize to all 3D and 2D little stepsisters! No, more importantly,

"Ehm, Maria-san…?"

While using a respectful calling, Basara started to ask her. He didn't want to believe--- but on the possibility,

"That game… could it be yours?"

What should he do if it was hers? Basara gulped.

"Oh please, Basara-san, how could that be? I am still in middle school."

Maria shook her hand while laughing an Ahaha.

"You are going to take care of us now, Basara-san, so it's a kind of moving in gift."

"That's the worst for a moving in gift. Make it something more decent."

"…In other words, you're saying 'The game isn't satisfying, give me a decent body'?"

"Eh…?"

"I, I understand. It's embarrassing, but if that's what you desire, Basara-san…"

In front of Basara, whose eyes were on fire, Maria took off her apron. Shyly, she reached her hand into her miniskirt and when she rolled it up, she fidgeted around purposefully.

"Uh- Uhm… I'm not that familiar with training, but starting with it in the bright morning is a rather high level, isn't it?"

"Like hell I'm doing it! Besides, training itself is already something unmanageable for a middle/high schooler!"

"Mhm, what's the ruckus about?"

There was a voice from the door of the living room. It was Jin in pyjamas and the newspaper pinched under his arm. Basara hastily tried to make an excuse, but Maria reddened her cheeks before that.

"Ehm… Actually, I'm going to get my first training from Basara now."

"I already told you, I'm not going to---"

"---Hee, is that so."

Following, Mio came into the living room and sent Basara a glance like she was looking at a beast.

"Earlier… you pushed me down and now you're having a Youth Special Edition with Maria. Hee."

"Don't make me out to be the bad guy. My legs were just numb!"

And then Basara remembered with "Oh right".

"Listen, about the earlier software, Maria had---"

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

Instantly she played dumb.

"I have no idea what you mean. Basara-san, please do not push the responsibilities of your hobbies onto me."

"Kuh… Making an innocent face only now."

Even though she had put her hand into her skirt and was ready for training before, just to tease him.

"Dad…say something."

Father and son had lived together for years. His thoughts should be conveyed. Upon that, Jin, who had sat down at the table earlier, raised his head from the newspaper with a "Huh?", then rested his chin on his hand with a "Mhm".

"I understand that you're in high spirits over getting two cute little sisters--- but please, no crimes."

"It didn't convey at all!"

So unreasonable, Basara thought. This was supposed to be his home, yet why did he feel so away?

When starting a new living together, there were absolutely necessary things.

That day. While cleaning up the remaining luggage from the moving in that morning, they all went to the furniture store in the afternoon and bought newly needed things like curtains or sheets. Just looking around once in the broad store took a surprising amount of time. When they returned home, the sun was already setting.

---And presently. Toujou Basara was pedalling his bicycle.

To get to know the new city they moved to even a little better, he went around the neighbourhood.

"The evening is a bit more relaxing."

His muttered words were not a monologue. On the luggage carrier behind him sat Mio.

"Why do I have to…"

She mumbled dissatisfied while twining her arms around his waist. Riding a bicycle together with a girl. Moreover, one with huge breasts. A heart-pounding event for a man, yet the atmosphere was really strained.

"Don't say that… I don't know my way around here, but you come here often."

The high school Mio attended was close to the house they moved in to. Therefore when he went out, he had asked Mio if she could show him around the city. It seemed like she had understood that the software from this morning was a prank from Maria, but the awkwardness wouldn't disappear so easily. Mio had openly made a displeased expression and complained, but in the end she accepted to show him around.

"Hey… Basara, are you really attending the same school as me?"

"Seems so."

In response to the question from behind, Basara spoke words of affirmation.

---The school transfer was suggested by Jin. He could have commuted to his old school from the new house, but Mio's high school was in the walking distance. It also had a good tradition, so he decided to transfer.

He merely spent one term as a high schooler yet. Of course it wasn't like he hadn't gotten along with his classmates, but he had no regrets about leaving that school.

…Besides.

There was the stuff about Mio getting attacked previously. If Basara could ward off such a thing or risk even a little bit by attending the same school, a transfer was standing for reason.

Behind Mio just said "Mhm", not stating if she was against it or not. Basara and Mio slowly advanced on the bicycle in the madder red coloured city.

"…Hey. Can I ask what kind of dream you had this morning?"

"….Aw."

Suddenly asked with a casual tone, Basara scratched his cheek. Before Mio came to wake up him, he should have had a fierce nightmare. From Mio's viewpoint, it was an obvious question.

…I made her be anxious about me.

Basara ruminated what to do in an atmosphere, where Mio wouldn't urge him to answer.

Unfortunately, he couldn't tell an ordinary person like Mio about his circumstances. Therefore,

"In the past… when I lived in the country-side, lots of stuff happened. You could call it a trauma… Even now I sometimes dream of that time."

"…I see."

Mio said so shortly and didn't question any further. Still, for a little bit, he felt the atmosphere between them soften up. This must have been Mio's consideration.

Thanks.

If Basara were to tell her everything--- he would most likely be unable to live together with Mio and Maria any longer.

Since they were asked to buy some ingredients along with their touring, Basara and Mio headed for the supermarket.

"We bought a lot…"

As they had just moved, they ended up not just buying ingredients, but also all kinds of seasonings.

"I'll go get the bicycle first. The stuff here is heavy, so just come to the exit with the cart."

"Mm, okay."

Leaving the nodding Mio behind, Basara left the store first.

He arrived at the parking lot for the bicycles and unlocked his bicycle lock, whereupon

"---Can I ask what kind of dream you had this morning?"

He remembered Mio's words and the bad dream from this morning flashbacked in his mind. Instantly,

"……---!"

Basara forgot how to breathe for a moment and pressed onto his chest as his heartbeat jumped up.

---How better would it be, if he could just forget. But, he couldn't afford to forget.

The incident five years ago. Basara was the victim and at the same time also the assailant.

Therefore, Toujou Basara was going to shoulder this pain for the rest of his life.

"…Aw, not good."

Remembering that Mio was waiting for him, Basara pushed his bicycle to the store's doorway. Upon that, he immediately spotted Mio crowded by people.

Geh, Basara grimaced. Mio was surrounded by four obviously bad guys.

And, Mio was shaking off the arm that was over-familiar put on her shoulder and glared at the guys fiercely.

"---Don't touch me. I'll kill you a hundred times, if you touch me! Hey, Basara!"

Such aggressiveness. An average high school boy might have gotten frightened by it. But unfortunately it had no real effect on these four guys. With a smirk on their faces, they didn't leave Mio alone.

"…Ehm, do you have any business with my companion?"

So for now, Basara tried to call out to them peacefully.

"---Huh? Who are you?"

"Well, her companion."

"Mhm… So what?"

Huh? Wouldn't one normally back off when realizing the girl had a guy with her?

In this kind of tense atmosphere, Mio looked at him with a stiff expression.

…Well, what now?

When Basara was pondering, the closest guy came closer with his head inclined diagonally while chewing messily on his gum. It was unknown if it was to threat or to provoke, either way he was good at making a pissed face.

"Basara, huh? What a lame name---"

"---Not so much as your face."

Saying so displeased, Basara pulled on the handlebar of his bicycle to raise it up. Letting the front wheel floating on the spot, the bicycle made a wheelie.

"Huh---?"

The guy looked up to it attracted and into his very face, Basara drove down the tire.

A direct hit. "Gueh", raising a short voice, the guy was knocked over to the back.

---On this sudden happening, everyone present there was dumbfounded.

Basara naturally made his bicycle stand again, then passed through the remaining three guys to reach Mio. There he grabbed the cloth bag with the purchased goods in the cart's basket.

"Bastard---!"

With an eye for the situation, Basara quickly opened the cap of the newly bought small bottle of seasoning and threw the contents at the guys that came to attack him.

"Guah!?"

"Ass, hole… Acchoo!"

"My, My eyes, it hurts…. Acchoo!"

Well, of course. It was 298 yen priced, plain old pepper.

"---Hey, stop standing there dumbfounded and run!"

"Eh? Eh?"

Grabbing the hand of the confused Mio and the cloth bag from the cart's basket, he ran off.

Right now, getting away from here as quickly as possible took priority. Basara rashly pushed the cloth bag into the bicycle front basket.

"Hold on, we're gonna drive!"

Letting Mio sit on behind, he took off at full speed. At the same time.

"Guah----!?"

The bicycle treaded on something. Most likely, it was the guy that was still laying on the ground after being hit with the tire. However, there was no time to feel sorry.

Basara pedalled standing up, retreating from the place at full speed.

And then--- they roared down the main road together on the bicycle for a while.

They shouldn't chase after them anymore, just with that timing, the traffic light turned red.

"Fuh, we should be safe here…"

His breathing was a bit out of order from the dash in midsummer and sweat gradually spread over his forehead. There,

"…Sorry. It's my fault."

Suddenly, Mio's voice from behind became audible. Mio placed her forehead on Basara's back and leaned her body a bit against him. Basara turned around over his shoulder and looked at Mio. As she was fretting over having Basara involved in her own troubles, Mio had cast down her eyes and was looking down with a bitter expression.

…So she can make a face like this too…

A new expression on Mio was before his eyes. But, Basara didn't want her to keep that expression. He couldn't find any suitable words to say---Still,

"Ehm--- How about we take a little detour home?"

At the same time the traffic light turned green, Basara turned the handlebar, which had started to let the bicycle run.

"…Eh?"

Mio raised a surprised voice on the change of course away from their house.

But Basara didn't stop. It was evening. If they went now, they should arrive at a perfect time.

The place Basara took Mio to was a park, proud of its broad ground.

There existed also a scenic outpost called the setting sun hill, but since it was famous with the locals, Mio, who attended school here, must have known about it. Therefore, Basara dared to take her to a rarely visited place.

It wasn't a public viewing platform, but a point where you could get an entire view of the city.

"Waah…!"

Mio, looking down on the cityscape, raised a voice of surprise and delight. Just like Basara had predicted, they had arrived at the perfect timing. The world was equivalently coloured in a gentle madder red, a spanning sunset scenery.

"So pretty… But you just moved here, so how did you know of this place?"

"When my dad decided on the house, I was with him and I heard that the park was famous, so I came here alone while dad signed the contract. And then I found this place by chance."

Basara lined up beside Mio.

"Quite the splendid view, isn't it."

"Yeah. I never knew… that there was a place like this here."

"Let's come at night next time. The night scenery at the park is famous as well. I'm sure it'll be pretty from here as well."

He suggested a little promise for the future. Upon that,

"Yeah… You're right. …Next time then."

Suddenly Mio's expression clouded. From their position they could see the earlier supermarket as well. She might have remembered about the quarrel with the guys. Basara scratched his cheek with his finger and an

"Ehm".

"Today… This morning, you came to wake me up."

On these words, Mio looked at him. So, Basara spoke with a slow tone.

"A family, you see--- is probably something where any troubles or bothers for each other can be forgiven."

"Eh…?"

"To you, I'm a somewhat favourable existence, on the level of coming to wake me up, right now, correct? Of course it's not completely settled yet if our parents will marry… But we're going to live together anyway. By helping each other out with trivial things and acknowledging each other, I believe we're slowly becoming a family."

Because

"At least, I think that what I did at the supermarket was a natural thing to do. I'm sure, it's the same for my dad. If you or Maria-chan would get into that kind of trouble again, my dad or me will help you anytime. But, that's not something you should worry or feel reluctant about. I mean, it's the same natural thing as coming to wake me up in the morning."

For now, he had tried to somehow put his feelings into words.

"…….."

However, Mio shut her mouth and stayed quiet. Maybe he was too roundabout?

…I'm not good with words after all.

At times like this, Jin would have been able to convey it with more plain and simple words, but to his regret, Basara couldn't speak as confident as his father.

"Ehm, what I mean is."

Dropping his gaze to the ground, he tried to somehow consolidate his words, whereupon,

"…So cheeky."

Mio suddenly mumbled, to which Basara raised his head. Besides him, Mio wore a smile.

"Right now, you might have a been a bit like a big brother."

"…Really?"

"Yeah. Just a bit though."

Ohh. Kind of a good mood.

"Then how about we forgive and forget the incidents at---"

"Not yet."

Said coldly, Mio's voice was yet bright. The earlier tense atmosphere seemed like a lie. So Basara thought. Their way to becoming a real family might still be long though.

But right now, Mio and he might have shortened the distance by a step. Therefore,

"Now then, about time we go back. I'm getting hungry anyways."

Back to the same house--- like a family. Basara turned on his heels and headed for the parked bicycle.

"…Yeah. Maria and Jin-san are also waiting."

He heard Mio's calm voice from behind, then her footsteps followed. Their two shadows slowly advanced in the same direction.

---But,

"------"

With his back to her and only seeing her shadow, Basara couldn't see Mio's expression at that time.

Mio's bitter expression that was filled with an even greater sadness than before.

A week had passed, since they started to live together.

All the same, they still hadn't got away from the "More than acquaintances, less than family" stage.

Still, compared to the beginning, a lot of the awkwardness had disappeared--- At that time,

"---It turns out I'm going overseas for work tomorrow for a while."

"Eh…?"

Upon coming home, Basara inadvertently asked in return on Jin's sudden words at the front door.

Mio and Maria couldn't hear it. Right now, the two of them were preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"An Italian customer wants a picture of Arabia. So I'm making a quick visit to Dubai."

Jin's job was a freelancer photographer. A professional that lived on taking pictures.

For that, he sometimes had to go overseas to take pictures, but

"H- Hold your horses!"

Basara hastily chased after Jin, who was slowly going up the stairs after giving him a light clap on the shoulder.

"What do you suddenly mean with Dubai!"

Following after Jin into his room, Basara asked. However, Jin said shortly.

"It's a well trusted customer, so I have no choice."

Preparing for tomorrow's job, Jin started to put the lens on his camera.

Jin was a renowned photographer with customers all over the world. The name [JIN] was rather famous in part of the business and his pictures itself were evaluated to have an artistic nature, like paintings. He had a lot of fans and his annual income was one or two digits higher than an average photographer in the business.

"I know that clients are important, but… can't you turn it down?"

Presently it was an important and delicate period as they just had started to live together with Mio and Maria.

If the only adult left the house now, the mental support would be gone.

"We already have enough savings to make a decent living…"

"Trust is the most important thing in freelancing. When I turn him down once, he won't come requesting me anymore."

"But… you're the head of our family. It's your job to protect the family."

"That's precisely why I'm going. Listen, while I'm gone, it's your job as the eldest son to protect the family."

"That's…"

Told convincing like that, Basara had no words to argue back. Jin lightly rested his hand on Basara's shoulder.

He smiled.

"Don't worry. You can do it--- After all, you're the son I'm so proud of."

---And then the night of the next day.

"Okay, take care of the house."

With these short words, Jin left in a taxi.

"Geez…"

Basara dropped his gaze onto the object in his hands--- A single picture that Jin handed him. It was the commemorative picture of the four of them in front of the house, taken yesterday. Like expected, Basara's expression was stiff on it.

"…Mh?"

However, Basara suddenly felt something amiss with the picture.

In the picture, Mio and Maria were certainly showing a smile. Yet,

…Just my imagination?

Probably due to the effect of the light, Mio's face looked somewhat sad. She indeed might feel worried with the adult, Jin, out of the house.

"---Okay."

Basara left his room determined. While going down the stairs, he thought about ordering Sushi or Eel today. Jin had given him the credit card and eating delicious food was the best way to cheer up at such times.

So Basara opened the door of the living room

"Hey girls, about tonight's dinner---"

He could only say that much. As he then noticed the heavy atmosphere in the room.

"…….."

"…….."

Mio, sitting on the sofa, and Maria, sitting on a chair at the dining table, stayed quiet on Basara calling. But there was a reaction. They gave him a freezing cold glare.

---That was why Basara sighed wearily.

Aww, here it was. At last. He thought it was definitely strange to suddenly get two cute little sisters, even if there was a slight problem with their personalities.

It had finally come, the backlash of all the good luck so far.

Understandable. Not only did the only adult leave, but the young girls and boy were going to live under the same roof all by themselves now. Of course they would get cautious upon being suddenly thrown into such a situation. Still,

"……………….."

"……………….."

wasn't this silence a bit too long? It was just like with a complete outage of TV or radio.

"Uhm, how about we order something… Like Sushi or Eel."

Even the high-grade one is acceptable, was what he suggested with a subtle polite tone. Upon that,

"…You know, Basara, I have a favor to ask."

Mio finally opened her tight-lipped mouth.

"Yeah, sure, what's it? If there's something you want, just say it."

Basara immediately closed in to Mio.

She wanted a favor. That trivial matter alone made him quite happy.

And then--- Toujou Basara heard Mio's "favor". It was said with a marrow and bone piercing cold voice.

"---Get out of this house."

Basara froze up for a moment and searched for words to say.

"Ehm…"

Yeah. Kind of shocking. He was a bit surprised. After all she asked him to leave the house without any pretext.

There was a limit to talking past each other.

"…Sorry, but can you say that again?"

For now, Basara wished that he misheard her--- though there was little hope.

"------"

Upon that, Maria raised her hand lightly in his direction. The hand was raised for a proposal--- No, not really. The palm of the small hand was held up towards Basara.

"Eh---?"

Maria's hand glowed--- At that moment.

Basara was suddenly hit by a kind of gust and blown against the wall.

"Guah---!?"

An impact on his back. Losing his breath for a moment, he inadvertently coughed violently. There,

"---Basara-san, did you not hear what Mio-sama said?"

Who knows when she got there, but Maria was standing right before him.

She showed a ruthless expression, which made her appear like a different person from until now.

"Just now… what was that. Who are you…?"

On Basara's sudden--- no, inevitable question,

"Hee… You are staying rather calm."

Maria said a bit surprised. The decisive words that would change Toujou Basara's life.

"Humans, who see magic for the first time, usually fall into a panic."

"Magic…?"

Maria affirmed the frowning Basara with a "Yes".

"Did you believe it to be a product of fiction or fantasy? Magic actually exists--- No, not just magic. Races apart from humans do as well."

At the same time she said that, something spread on Maria's back with a blue radiance. Something that humans absolutely didn't possess---Black wings. Her ears also changed into a pointed shape unlike before.

Not human. Even if they didn't believe in their existence, everyone knew their name.

"So you were a devil?"

"Exactly."

The moment he mumbled it, there came an instant reply without pause.

An affirmation. At once he didn't want to believe it, but it seemed to be true.

"And we will have you leave, Basara-san. Mio-sama will take this house."

Maria said with her chest puffed up, whereas Mio stayed silent ever since her "Get out".

…Mio-sama, huh…

Maria had changed her way of calling Mio, so Basara understood their relationship. Therefore he asked.

"…What's going on, Mio? Is this your doing?"

"Watch your tongue, Basara-san. You, a mere human, are being too disrespectful to the future Devil Lord."

Maria replied to Basara's question from the side.

"Devil Lord…. she?"

"There is a race called Devils. It is only natural to have someone rule over them. Just like our archenemies, the God Tribe, has a high-ranking God as a ruler.

By the way, your so called Heroes do exist as well, though they are basically living in an isolated village to hide their existence, so normal humans do not know about them."

"…………"

Basara replied with silence to the calmly told story. Even when he was suddenly told all that, he still couldn't believe the situation he was in.

"…What does the Devil Lord want with my house? I'm sure a Lord will have a huge mansion in the Demon Realm."

"There are all kind of circumstances to it. I have no obligation to tell you about it. Anyway. Mio-sama and I will take this house--- To make it our base in the human world."

It was all a scheme to get a base of operation in the human world. Then,

"Then the remarriage between our parents---"

"Now that is something non-existent. We met Jin-san by coincidence on the street. He looked like a generous good person, really… So I altered his memories with my succubus magic."

Succubus. A seductive devil that takes the form of a female and appears in dreams. If that was what Maria truly was, she would have no trouble to make a dream appear as reality.

"So you tricked my dad with magic by creating false memories of meeting your mother, who doesn't even exist, and even remarrying her…"

"Yes. And you are the next one, Basara-san."

Saying so, Maria held up her hand towards Basara.

"Basara-san leaves the house until Jin-san comes back, because he couldn't adapt to living with two girls after Jin-san left--- That kind of memory should do."

In regards to that, Basara still stayed silent and watched at Maria, then at Mio.

Upon that, Mio quietly stood up from the sofa and finally returned Basara's gaze.

"Sorry, but--- We'll take this house."

She declared coldly. With the same look in the eyes as at the incident with the delinquents the other day.

"Obediently receive Maria's magic and get out of the house already. Otherwise I'll scream and give you a memory about how you used violence against us and that you have to turn yourself in. Then I'll call the police. You don't really want to go into the brig for violence against your sisters, do you?"

"…….I see."

Basara looked downward on Mio's words and just looked short and isolated.

Upon that, Maria's hand facing him glowed.

"What will it be, Mio-sama? It might be summer, but I do feel a bit sorry for letting him sleep outside. Returning to the countryside, where he was born, and living with his relatives…. how does that sound?"

"…Yeah, that's good."

Mio said.

"Bye, bye, Brother…It was not for long, but it was kind of fun."

With these words as a signal, the light in Maria's hand was released towards Basara.

What Maria had set free was a succubus magic that manipulated memories by showing a dream.

Because of that, Basara's memories got altered and he left his own house--- or so it was supposed to be. However,

"….Oh?"

The memory manipulation magic certainly affected Basara--- yet, he didn't move.

…How strange.

While tilting her head, she was about to release another memory manipulation magic towards Basara.

"Eh…?"

Maria suddenly blinked her eyes. Basara, who was supposed to be in front of her, had disappeared.

On the small possibility, Maria turned around right away--- to her blind spot.

Upon that, in the middle of the living room--- there stood Basara.

In a moment he had gotten behind her. Maria gulped on that fact.

"A- Are you resisting? …Then it will be painful."

She sent Basara a fierce glare. She didn't want to hurt him, but now there was no other choice. Maria chanted the wind magic that had blown away Basara earlier and released it. The produced wind went straight for Basara--- At that moment. KEEEK, with a shrill roar, the wind magic was erased.

"Wha….?"

For a moment, she thought that she saw a white line coming from the side--- And in the next moment, her magic was erased. Maria looked in surprise. Basara in front of her eyes was suddenly holding a huge sword in his hands. That his arm was covered in armor up to the elbow was mostly due to a contract with the sword.

The power of a contracted weapon feed back even onto the user's body.

"…What are you surprised for?"

Basara slowly raised his head. He glared at her with a sharp glance, almost like a different person.

"You said it yourself. That Devils like you and the God Tribe, your enemies, exist."

A breath.

"And also---that a tribe of Heroes exists."

"No way… How?"

Next to him, Mio raised a voice dumbfounded.

"I mean, the Heroes are in hiding… Why are you here, living like a normal human…"

"Now I don't have any obligation to tell you that."

Maria gave Basara, who coldly disregarded her, a surprised glance.

…How could this be…

No wonder the memory manipulation magic didn't work. Succubus could only manipulate memories by dreams on someone with weaker magical power--- Namely, normal humans, who were defenseless against magical power. It didn't work on anti-devil experts like Heroes.

But--- Maria was more confused about a different surprise than this fact.

Impossible, she thought. Namely, Basara's action just now.

Sure enough Maria didn't use an offence wind magic. She wanted to give him a bit of pain by sending him flying, so she just hit him with aviation magic. It wasn't harmful, nor powerful. So it wasn't all that strange that a Hero repelled or cut it off.

---Still, Basara had erased Maria's magic by swinging his sword. No, not just that. Once magic was activated, it generated some kind of magical remains, no matter the protection against it. Despite that, there was not a single trace left of the magic that Basara had cut off. It was completely erased. As if it had never existed to begin with.

"I no longer… have any ties to Heroes or Devils."

Basara slowly took a step forward.

"But unfortunately for you, I have no plans to go down silently."

Saying so, Basara moved flicking.

A Godspeed that closed the distance between them in an instant as if it had never been there.

"------!"

Not good. Maria stood before Mio right away to cover her. At the same time.

Basara's sword swung down on Maria and Mio.

"------"

Toujou Basara looked at the two girls, who were tightly shutting their eyes, that he tried to slash.

The sword in his hand--- stopped a paper-length away from them.

"….Ah."

Maria and Mio, realizing that they were safe, sunk down on the floor.

Their legs had given in. That was why Basara undid the incarnation of his magic sword--- Brynhildr.

"Why…"

On Mio's dumbfounded question, Basara turned his back to them wordless.

He felt a fierce rage towards them. Something that could never be forgiven. Yet,

"…Get out."

Basara muttered isolated.

"I don't care if you're Devils or the Devil Lord. But, our household hasn't the time to sustain folks that deceive me and more importantly my dad. I'll let you off for now. I'll send your luggage after you later, so---hurry up and get out."

Then, after a few minutes---the living room of the Toujou Household was enveloped in silence.

After regaining their strength in their legs, Mio and Maria had left the house.

Basara turned his magic sword Brynhildr back into its stand-by form, a pendant-chain, and sat on the sofa.

"……"

Grinding his teeth, he held down his right hand, which wouldn't stop shaking.

…It's okay.

Basara desperately persuaded himself. He hadn't fought in a long time. His flair for it hadn't returned yet. That was why it was a complete coincidence that he activated that skill.

---Five years ago, when he was at the village of the Hero Tribe, Toujou Basara caused a grave problem.

[A certain incident] made his own power go out of control.

Originally it caused so much damage that it wouldn't allow him to live like he was now.

Still, as a result of all kinds of circumstances, it turned into him leaving the village together with Jin. In other words, he was chased out. And coming to Tokyo, father and son started to live in the unfamiliar city lifestyle.

"…..Damn."

Basara muttered loathsome. But, it wasn't directed at Mio or Maria.

Of course, Toujou Basara had no intention to forgive them. It was an inevitable fact that they tried to deceive Jin and him. But there was another one, who he couldn't stand.

---It was the guy, who was once called the strongest of all Heroes.

It was a Hero with an even greater power than himself, his father---Jin.

There was no way that this man didn't catch up on Mio and Maria's scheme. Maria had said that she manipulated his memories with magic, but Jin should have fended that off without doubt.

That was why Basara took the phone and dialed Jin's cell phone number.

"---Hello. What's up?"

After a few seconds of ringing, an all too familiar voice spilled out of the phone and Basara replied with a low voice.

"Dad… Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. The taxi driver is kind of tight-lipped anyway, so I'm bored."

Mixed in Jin's casual tone, he could faintly hear the sound of a low wind blowing. Most likely, the taxi Jin was in was currently driving on the highway. The driver would get to hear their conversation, but Jin would surely come up with some kind of excuses. Therefore,

"---What's the idea?"

Basara asked. Even as he tried to stay calm, anger resonated in his voice. Upon that,

"That was quick… You already noticed it? I expected you to take a bit longer."

Jin said freely without any sign of shame.

"I knew it. You were aware that they were devils---Since when?"

Tightly clenching the phone, Basara asked impassive.

"Right from the beginning. I knew them before they found me in the city."

"…Found? What do you mean…?"

On Jin's words, Basara frowned. Maria had said "We met Jin by chance in the city".

"Well, I'm sure those two thought it was just a coincidence."

Jin said in a nonchalant tone, then continued with "But".

"A while ago, I got some news that the [village] was secretly on the move. It's been close to five years that we left the village. It didn't seem like they were going to bother with us after all this time, so I just kept an eye on things for a while….but then the situation took a sudden change not long ago. It was relatively close by, so I decided to check out who it was, just in case."

A breath.

"After all---The elders gave them the surveillance rank S-."

"Surveillance rank S-? Those two?"

Basara's Tribe gave devils a ranking according to the threat they posed. And the Rank S- was one of the highest. Only S and S+ were higher.

….For real?

The devils usually lived in a different world from the human world--- called the Demon Realm. Of course some of them came over to the human world and caused some trouble at times, but it had been only low-ranked devils. Basically they didn't leave their own world.

Because presently, there was a truce between the devils and the Heroes.

---The fight between Heroes and Devils in this world had gone on for so long that neither side knew how long exactly it had lasted. But that was a thing from before Basara's birth--- His father's generation had put an end to it. The new Devil Lord had put a hold on the fight with the Heroes and God Tribe and withdrawn all devils from the human world.

So the devils that came to the human worlds were all rogue devils with low surveillance ranks, like E or D, or termination targets.

"These two are S-…"

Basara mumbled in disbelief. And then he looked at the palm of his right hand.

Even if they were just -, he had never believed to meet two S ranks in his life.

"To be more precise, Mio got the surveillance rank S-. Maria is only under watch as someone by her side."

"Mio…"

There Basara suddenly remembered Maria's words. The earlier battle in the living room. Even if they let their guard down as they didn't know that he was a Hero, as far as he could tell, Mio didn't pose that much of a danger. Therefore he had taken Maria's words as a made-up threat, but

"So she… really is the future Devil Lord?"

Saying so, Basara still denied that possibility. That couldn't be. After all,

"I mean, the Devil Lord has always been a man…. Even presently."

Wilbert--- the name of the current Devil Lord that had withdrawn the devils from the human world and was known for his moderate policy. Originally the devils' enemy was the God Tribe, "archenemy" as Maria had called it. So the devils only thought of humans as insects and merely tried to overthrow the human world for the sake of launching an attack on Heaven. From all these devils, Wilbert was the first moderate one that abstained from revenge against the Gods and was laying the path for a peaceful living in the Demon Realm. Above all, it should have been forbidden for them to hurt humans recklessly.

That precisely was the reason that the human world was so peaceful in the last six years.

However. Jin's voice through the phone overturned Basara's thoughts.

"The Devil Lord Wilbert died--- Roughly one year ago, it seems."

"Eh---?"

Basara couldn't comprehend the reported shocking truth at first.

"I, never heard of…"

"Because we cut all ties with the [village]. I only learned about it quite recently."

Besides, Jin added.

"If I had told you carelessly--- You would just have had that nightmare again."

"That's…"

Basara paused inadvertently. After all, he just had that nightmare the other day.

"But… that means, Mio is the next Devil Lord?"

"No. Apparently some other high-class Devil currently reigns in Wilbert's stead over the Demon Realm. And he seems to be quite the hardliner… He's after Mio, as she's Wilbert's only daughter and the successor of his power."

The Devil Lord Wilbert was known for his moderate politics, but his power stood out in the history of previous Devil Lords. That precisely was the reason as to why he could convince the combative devils to stop the fights and withdraw from the human world. If Mio had inherited that power of the strongest Devil Lord,

Then she was indispensable for someone that wanted to rule as the new Devil Lord. But,

"Wait a sec…"

There was still something he didn't understand. It was,

"I get the gist of things…. But, why did you take in these two then?"

That was--- beyond him by all means. By doing so, not just the Devils, but even the village would turn against him. It also contradicted the fact that he hid the previous Devil Lord's death to Basara just out of consideration.

"I told you that I have to check on things, right?"

Then, with the same casual tone like before, Jin's words were filled with seriousness.

"The moderate Wilbert had a lot of enemies amongst the Devils. For these guys the daughter of their hated Devil Lord would make a perfect hostage. Wilbert himself surely understood that the best. I heard that as soon as his daughter was born, he sent her to the human world and let her be raised as a human in absolutely secrecy by subordinates that played the parents…."

Even if it meant being apart from her--- he did it for the happiness of his beloved daughter.

That surely must have been a heart-breaking decision.

"But ironically, after Wilbert's death--- His enormous power was transferred to Naruse Mio, whom he had sent away to keep her away from the dispute. She was a normal girl in middle school at that time… I'm sure you know what happened afterwards."

The new Devil Lord couldn't ignore Mio's existence. Nor the subordinates that played her parents. And right now, the parents that raised her were gone. It wasn't hard to guess what tragedy had befallen Mio.

"How… How can that be."

Basara said by squeezing out his voice.

"Our tribe and Devils can use supernatural powers because we know of the laws beyond the human world. Half a year ago, she was just an average girl, not knowing of it. Right now she mostly knows how to use her power, but she only inherited the Devil Lord's power itself and it's still not fully awakened. That's why the village set her as a surveillance target instead of a termination one."

Moreover, Jin added.

"The moderate faction lost a lot of power after Wilbert's death. That fact that Maria is her only guard is proof enough of that. Unfortunately, I don't believe that these two alone can oppose the current Devil Lord's faction. If left alone, they will lose their lives sooner or later."

"So, you pretended to be manipulated…"

He finally understood Jin's intention.

Basara sighed and shouted his words into the phone in the next moment.

"You damn imbecile--- Tell me this earlier!"

Then Basara could have helped.

"Sorry. I had decided from the beginning that you three would stand on equal grounds."

Jin said with a laugh.

"I hid the fact that they were devils and we had been Heroes. If one side were to know the truth about the other, they would think they had been deceived and all trust would be gone. But if both hid something, then it's a shared pain, right? Both sides had been deceived, giving you guys room for compromising---with me, aware of everything, as the bad guy."

"…That means that job offer also was a lie?"

If it was just to protect Mio and Maria, staying with them would be best. That Jin left the house despite that meant that he had a reason for doing so.

"Well, guess so. Sorry, but I have to check upon a few things---so I'm off to the Demon Realm for a bit."

That meant getting behind the enemy's line. Of course, Jin had once been heralded as the strongest Hero. And amidst the great battles, he apparently had went numerous times into the Demon Realm, but

"Is that… safe?"

"Yeah, don't worry. I can't tell you any details, but I just want to get in touch with someone. If all goes well, Mio might not be chased anymore."

Aha. So he would do something about the source. Then,

"Okay… Leave things here to me. I'll do something about it."

"I'm counting on you, my son. So? How are the girls? Well, from the look of it, I guess---"

Jin was still saying something, but Basara put down the phone, ending the call.

And then, he was already running in the next moment--- towards the front door.