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Bokue had never imagined that after leaving home for just a few days—not even a full week yet—his apartment would already have been occupied by strangers.
Of course, he had heard stories where homeless people often squatted in empty properties.
But those incidents typically happened in rural villas out in the countryside. If someone dared squat in a luxury apartment in a wealthy neighborhood in a big city, the police there would certainly remind them whether their guns were just props or not.
Similarly, his apartment wasn't quite a standalone mansion, but it was still an upscale residence. While it couldn't compare directly to Asagi's extravagant penthouse occupying the entire thirty-third floor, it wasn't far behind. His own unit was located in a high-rise, mid-level eleventh floor, with only two units per elevator, still firmly within Tokyo's luxury category.
Indeed, there was a price gap between the mid-level and top-floor penthouses, but essentially they were both situated within the same high-end building. Regardless of floor—whether thirty-three or eleven—entry required a resident-exclusive keycard. It was a basic measure of security for luxury apartments, designed precisely to prevent random outsiders from wandering in.
Yet these two girls had apparently managed to bypass this security entirely. Not only had they successfully entered the apartment building, they'd even somehow broken into his own apartment.
This was interesting.
Without hesitation, Bokue unlocked the door and stepped directly inside.
He didn't bother concealing his presence. The noise of him unlocking the door, stepping in, and closing it behind himself was all done casually, just as if he were simply returning home after a day out.
The clear sequence of sounds immediately silenced the two girls chatting in the living room.
Bokue had fully expected this reaction. He calmly stepped through the entryway, walked into the living room, and then turned his gaze toward the two girls standing by his sofa—one taller, one shorter.
The shorter one had silvery hair styled in a bob cut, wore a gothic-styled black dress, and—most distinctively—had a pair of demon-like horns protruding from her head.
The taller one—
Long, red twin tails, an impressive bust, and a simple yet comfortable tank top that accentuated her well-developed curves. At first glance, she bore a striking resemblance to Rias—perhaps about seventy percent similar. The major differences were that Rias had more refined, noble facial features and carried herself clearly as an aristocratic princess, while this girl's face had a slight babyish charm, exuding the innocent allure of a girl-next-door beauty.
Could she possibly be—
Bokue raised an eyebrow slightly.
But before he could voice anything, the petite silver-haired gothic girl stepped forward first, bowing deeply in a sincere ninety-degree angle, her voice sweet and pleading:
"Um, excuse me… Are you perhaps the owner of this apartment? I'm terribly sorry for intruding without permission, but could you kindly let us stay here just for one night? We'll leave first thing in the morning, I promise!"
"Very polite. But first—who exactly are you two?" Bokue remained unmoved.
"We're—" The silver-haired girl hesitated briefly, then immediately continued smoothly.
She pointed toward the busty red-haired girl:
"This lady here is Mio-sama. Naruse Mio, to be exact~"
She then pointed at herself:
"And I'm Maria. Naruse Maria! Mio-sama's cute little sister!"
She even struck an adorable pose, winking mischievously.
"…"
It sounded like she'd clearly stated everything—their names, their family relations—but upon reflection, she'd actually revealed nothing at all. Names and family connections were easy enough to fabricate. Besides, these two didn't even seem remotely related.
Bokue patiently repeated his question:
"Let me ask again—who exactly are you two?"
"Hm?" Maria blinked, puzzled. She tilted her head innocently.
"Just like I said: I'm Naruse Maria, and she's my older sister, Naruse Mio. To be honest, our parents used to be quite important figures, but they were assassinated, which is why we're in such trouble now. Currently, we're being chased by people—oh wait, I mean, we're competing with some rivals who are hunting for us, trying to force us into signing away our parents' inheritance! Please have mercy and shelter us for just one night…?"
"Enough, enough." Bokue interrupted with a wave of his hand.
"Leaving aside the question of whether they're rivals or pursuers—first off, neither of you is actually Human, right?"
"Eh?" The silver-haired girl froze instantly.
Bokue tapped the side of his own head meaningfully.
"You're a succubus, aren't you? You've forgotten to hide your horns."
"Ah!?" Maria gasped, belatedly realizing it herself. She hurriedly touched the demonic horns protruding from her head.
"Oh dear, I guess we got busted~" Maria awkwardly admitted, laughing sheepishly. "Technically, these are the horns of a succubus—well, a dream demon, to be precise. But the rest of the story is still entirely true! Please show some mercy on us poor orphaned girls—"
Before she could start another dramatic sobbing act, Bokue's next words froze both girls solid in shock.
"So, Wilbert really is dead, huh?"
!!!
Instantly, both girls tensed, pupils constricting sharply as their earlier carefree facade shattered, replaced by a deeply wary combat stance.
"Maria, stay alert!" the red-haired girl commanded sharply.
"Understood, Mio-sama!" Maria responded, instantly readying herself.
Without hesitation, Naruse Mio quickly gathered her magical power, twin magic circles flaring instantly to life before her. Simultaneously, Maria's casual gothic attire shimmered and transformed into sleek, black combat gear, clearly designed for close-quarters combat.
"Who exactly are you!? Are you from the Moderate Faction or the Current Demon Lord Faction!?" Mio demanded sharply.
"What if I told you neither?" Bokue responded calmly, his voice cool and authoritative. He held a hand out casually to indicate they could relax, although every word dripped with overwhelming arrogance.
"Your Northern Realm factions? Moderate or Current Demon Lord or whatever—they're nothing to me. I could flatten both factions single-handedly."
"…Then who exactly are you?" The tables had turned entirely; now Mio and Maria were the ones interrogating him.
Bokue shrugged slightly.
"I'm the current Acting Head of the Keikain Clan of Kyoto, Bokue Keikain. Those who know me typically just call me Bokue."
"Kei…Kain?" Maria repeated blankly, confusion clear in her voice.
Fortunately, Mio reacted quickly enough to explain quietly to her companion:
"It's a famous clan of powerful Onmyōji from Kyoto."
"Uh, an Onmyōji…?" Maria's confusion morphed into visible doubt.
Maria had seen a few portrayals of Onmyōji in human world television, but honestly, they had always seemed weak. Forget facing the Northern Realm's current Demon Lord faction—even Maria herself felt confident she could casually flatten an entire group of them single-handedly.
But before Maria could further voice her doubts, dozens of magical space-gates suddenly flickered open outside both windows spanning the north and south sides of the living room.
In the very next heartbeat, hordes of vicious demon wolves from the Demon Realm poured forth, baring fangs as they rushed through midair straight toward the windows, intent on crashing inside.
"Looks like they've tracked your magical energy right here," Bokue commented mildly, turning his head to observe the incoming swarm calmly.
"Mio-sama!" Maria cried urgently.
"I see it!" Mio swiftly redirected her prepared magic circles toward the oncoming threat, readying her magic to repel the attack.
"Don't cause unnecessary damage. If you break my new TV, I'll be seriously annoyed. I bought that only recently," Bokue warned them casually.
As he spoke, brilliant golden flames ignited silently around him, bathing the entire room in divine illumination, as though the very Gods themselves had blessed the small apartment.
Then Bokue uttered a single word—a command imbued with unquestionable authority, power, and dominance:
"GET OUT."
Instantly, every demonic beast froze mid-charge, overwhelmed by an irresistible, crushing force, the very air trembling as the command forcibly expelled all evil presence from existence!
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