25: Chapter 25

Luo Yu raised his hand and rapped Kuroka on the forehead. "Speak properly, and stop talking nonsense here. Otherwise, beat it back to wherever you came from."

Then he turned to explain to Sona and the others, "Don't listen to her nonsense. She doesn't even count as a friend; she just stubbornly tagged along."

Kuroka's mouth still wouldn't stop, and she added an even more outrageous comment, "Having babies?"

Tsubaki Shinra widened her eyes, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Luo Yu and Kuroka.

Sona's heart suddenly tightened, as if someone had grabbed hold of something inside her, leaving her feeling stifled.

She could tell that what this girl was saying might not be true, but there was definitely something going on between her and Luo Yu.

This feeling made her very uncomfortable.

Luo Yu cast a cold glance at Kuroka.

Kuroka immediately shut her mouth; she knew that if she really riled this guy up, he wouldn't be polite with her. "You don't need to take what she said to heart, just treat her as an ordinary friend of mine. Sona, please arrange a room for her."

Sona didn't respond immediately. She stared at him for quite a while before quietly uttering three words: "I understand."

Her tone sounded as cold as usual, but upon closer listening, there was an indescribable low undertone. "How boring, and here I wanted to sleep with Luo Yu."

Kuroka muttered softly.

Luo Yu simply pretended not to hear.

The morning sunlight spilled into the villa as Tsubaki Shinra arrived on time for her appointment.

Tomorrow was the opening day of Kuoh Academy. She had previously agreed with Sona to enroll together, so she would be staying in this villa for the time being.

Lately, she had been adapting to her devil body, and her strength had firmly reached the level of a High-Class Devil.

If she also factored in the Sacred Gear inside her body, she was not inferior at all compared to pure-blooded Devils like Sona and Rias Gremory. This was also what Sona valued the most.

The maid led her through the garden, and Tsubaki Shinra suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She froze on the spot, her eyes staring straight at a dancing figure not far away. "Miss Tsubaki, what's wrong?"

Seeing her dazed, the maid asked softly. "I can't be mistaken, those are Master's moves!"

Hearing the maid's call, Tsubaki Shinra suddenly snapped out of it. Ignoring the maid's shouts behind her, she ran straight toward that figure.

Tsubaki Shinra wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking with satisfaction at the results in front of her.

A wooden dummy stood there, its vital areas covered in fist prints, and its two arms had already been broken by her.

With her past physical fitness, let alone breaking it like this, just hitting a solid wooden dummy with her fists would have been enough to hurt her.

Tsubaki Shinra was able to hold out for so long entirely thanks to the physical techniques taught by her master, along with her master's wife using Secret Medicine to temper her body every now and then.

As she sweated profusely, she calculated in her mind: 'After practicing for a few more months, I should be able to get the hang of these moves Master taught me... When the time comes, maybe I can go on missions with him and slay a few devils myself.'

This girl had absolutely no idea that she had already stepped into a devil's den. She was still dreaming the majestic dream of an Exorcist, thinking of one day slaying all the evil spirits in the world.

Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine.

Someone was approaching.

Before she could even turn around, a hand tightly gripped her arms with astonishing strength. "Who taught you these skills?"

A cold, urgent voice rang in her ear.

Tsubaki Shinra turned around and saw an unfamiliar girl, who also had a long sword hanging at her waist, of the exact same style as hers. "Speak!"

Seeing her stay silent, Tsubaki Shinra applied more force. Tsubaki Shinra gasped in pain. "Who are you? My master taught me, who else could it be?"

Tsubaki Shinra's face wrinkled in pain. "Your master?!"

Tsubaki Shinra froze, and just as she was about to press for where that person was, her body shuddered.

A few seconds later, she let go of Tsubaki Shinra, turned, and rushed toward the villa. "Hiss... That hurts like hell. What on earth is the deal with that violent woman?"

Tsubaki Shinra rubbed her wrist, muttering under her breath.

Even now, she had no idea what had happened, having been mysteriously treated so roughly by a woman of unknown origin. "She should be your senior disciple sister."

Sona had stood behind her at some point, looking in the direction Tsubaki Shinra had run off to with a complex expression. "Master's wife? Could it be that besides me and Sister Reiya Kusaka, Master has an eldest senior disciple sister above us?"

Tsubaki Shinra widened her eyes in shock.

She had completely unexpected that Luo Yu actually had this layer of relationship.

Looking at her master's wife's expression, she probably didn't know beforehand either.

Indeed, Sona had not expected that the person Tsubaki Shinra was looking for was actually Luo Yu.

She murmured softly, "Luo Yu... just how many things are you still hiding?"

From the Holy Sword, to that 'Shirone' with whom he had an ambiguous relationship, and now to this Tsubaki Shinra who claimed to be his disciple...

In her eyes, Luo Yu was like someone shrouded in a thick fog, impossible to see clearly.

If she hadn't accidentally run into Tsubaki Shinra today, his identity as a master would probably have remained hidden.

Just like when Tsubaki Shinra underwent her Devil Reincarnation, Luo Yu had pretended to be a complete stranger.

No, perhaps he had accompanied her to wait in the hall for Tsubaki Shinra just to catch a glimpse of his disciple.

But why hide it even from his disciple, who was desperately searching for him?

Just what was it for?

When the knock on the door sounded, it carried a clear urgency and nervousness.

Luo Yu sat in his room, sensing that familiar aura rapidly approaching.

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

He had miscalculated.

He had thought Tsubaki Shinra wouldn't perceive his identity so quickly, but who knew she was much sharper than imagined.

When he taught her physical techniques back then, although they were generally the same as what Tsubaki Shinra was learning now, there were still some differences in the details.

And she had actually caught on to just that tiny difference.

He had originally planned to acknowledge her after the 'God Fall' plan was over.

This would save a lot of trouble.

Even if he ultimately failed, not acknowledging her would prevent her from being implicated.

But now, the accident had already happened, and it was too late to say anything. "Knock, knock, knock—"

The knocking was urgent and erratic, revealing the apprehension and excitement in the knocker's heart at this moment. "Come in, Little Tsubaki."

The door was pushed open.

Tsubaki Shinra stood at the doorway, her breathing somewhat hurried.

The moment she heard that form of address, her body trembled slightly.

This voice, this tone...

It was all too familiar.

She took a deep breath and stepped inside.

When her gaze fell upon the young girl in the room, she froze.

It was not what she had imagined.

She had expected to see a figure clad in red armor, but what appeared before her was a girl about her age.

She had seen this person before.

Sona's fiancé.

A trace of hesitation welled up in Tsubaki Shinra's heart.

Too young.

In her fantasy, her master's appearance should be that of a mature, middle-aged man, decisive in killing and highly experienced.

But this face before her...

"Little Tsubaki, you've really grown up."

Luo Yu looked at her, his eyes filled with a smile.

The Tsubaki Shinra before him was no longer the little bean sprout who used to follow behind him; she was now about the same height as him, and she carried a mature aura. "Master..."

Tsubaki Shinra's hesitation completely vanished at this moment.

The smile in those eyes and the gentleness in that tone could not lie.

She was certain.

The person before her was indeed the master she had been searching for all these years.

He was her final reliance in her heart after she escaped from the Shinra Clan.

Her eyes instantly turned red. "I'm sorry, Little Tsubaki, you've suffered all these years."

Luo Yu walked up to her and gently reached out to wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Master—"

Tsubaki Shinra looked at him, and all the grievances and confusion accumulated in her heart over the years suddenly surged up.

Tears fell uncontrollably.

Luo Yu sighed softly.

Luo Yu sighed, feeling a bit sour in his heart. He reached out and pulled the stubborn little girl into his arms, gently patting her back and rubbing her hair just like when she was a child.

After a long while.

Only then did Tsubaki Shinra raise her head from Luo Yu's chest, her eyes red and still carrying a few tears. "I've been to the Underworld, sneaked into the Church... and even ran around the Norse, Greek, and Hindu Pantheons... but there was no sign of Master in any of those places. In the end, having no other choice, I could only return to the place where we first met, Kuoh Town."

She paused, her voice carrying a hint of grievance. "Master has always been here, but why..."

"Little Tsubaki, I didn't hide it from you on purpose. In a few days, you will naturally understand."

Tsubaki Shinra didn't press any further. She knew in her heart that if her master didn't have an unavoidable reason, he definitely wouldn't refuse to acknowledge her. "By the way, Master, I reincarnated as a devil without your permission. You won't be angry, right?"

She looked at Luo Yu a bit nervously. "Human potential is indeed a bit lacking. Even with a Sacred Gear, we're still far behind races like gods and devils. Although reincarnating as a devil isn't the best path, it's passable."

Hearing Luo Yu say this, the stone in Tsubaki Shinra's heart finally fell to the ground.

But immediately after, she remembered another thing—the pure-blooded Devil who had reincarnated her was actually her master's fiancée.

Her heart suddenly felt stifled, an indescribable awkwardness and discomfort washing over her.

Clearly, she was the one who knew Master first, so why should a devil...

She knew that her master's engagement to that pure-blooded Devil was nothing more than a contract set by the elders of both sides.

She had accidentally heard Sona mention this when they first met.

Sona had come to the Human World precisely to fulfill this marriage.

Only, she didn't know back then that the person was her master. If it weren't for her master, she would never have agreed to become Sona's Peerage Member.

Originally, Tsubaki Shinra had planned to sever her peerage relationship with Sona after finding her master.

But now...

She had found her master, but she didn't know what to do instead. She subconsciously gripped the corner of Luo Yu's clothes, terrified that he would suddenly disappear before her again.

Inside the bamboo pavilion in the garden.

Sona sat alone, her expression somewhat complex, glancing toward Luo Yu's room from time to time. An inexplicable irritability welled up in her heart, leaving her with no mind to even look at the chess endgame set up in front of her. "My, has the eldest daughter of our House Sitri finally had her first awakening of love?"

A charming, teasing voice suddenly rang in Sona's ear.

Sona frowned, looking at Kuroka, who had appeared before her at some unknown point. Before the other party spoke, she hadn't sensed a thing. "Miss Shirone... You are a devil, aren't you? A Stray Devil."

"As expected of the heir of House Sitri. Even though I hid so carefully, you still saw through me."

Kuroka looked around, finding no place where she had exposed a flaw, feeling a bit puzzled in her heart.

As the morning sunlight just spilled through the windows, children who had played wildly during the holidays crawled out of their blankets one by one with bitter faces.

Today was the day for returning students to go back to school, as well as the registration day for new students.

Inside the villa, Sona and her companions had all woken up very early.