Chapter 238 Moving?
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Uncle Jin…”
Naruse Mio did not share Jin Toujou’s easygoing attitude. Her slim yet curvy frame remained tense, as though she were bracing for something.
”Maria and I already talked about it,” she said. “We’re happy where we are. We’d rather not move.”
Jin’s gaze drifted toward Aki. In only a few days, the boy seemed sharper somehow, as though another layer had been polished away.
”Is it because of this handsome young man?”
Mio’s face instantly turned bright red.
”I-It’s not!”
”Then why?” Jin asked with a shrug. “Basara might be a little dense, but it’s not like he’s hard to look at.”
”Huh?”
Mio narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She missed the meaning at first, but after the succubus beside her whispered something into her ear, realization struck.
(Joining families? You’ve got to be kidding.)
Mio was proud, stubborn, and deeply resistant to anyone deciding her future for her. The more Jin tried to play matchmaker, the more determined she became to stay exactly where she was.
Besides, while Basara seemed perfectly decent, her thoughts inevitably drifted toward Aki. Compared to the bond they had built together and everything they had already been through, Basara still felt like a stranger.
”Relax. I’m just teasing you.”
Jin waved the matter away. Even he had learned enough during his investigation to know that Aki’s personal life was complicated, but Mio’s reaction made it clear there was no point pushing the issue.
”That said, I’d trust Basara to protect you two a lot more than that spoiled Gremory girl.”
Blood was blood, after all.
”Uncle Jin,” Maria said as she paced lightly across the room with her hands behind her back, “even if we don’t live together, that doesn’t mean Basara-san can’t still look after Mio-sama, right? Since you’re moving here, he’ll be attending Kuoh Academy too, won’t he?”
Basara nodded.
”Yeah. I report in next week. Class 2-A, I think.”
”Then we’ll be classmates~”
The succubus flashed a grin that made her intentions painfully obvious.
”So if Mio-sama ever gets into trouble, we’ll leave it to you, Basara-san!”
Basara looked down at his right hand and let out a self-conscious laugh.
”I’d like to make a cool promise like that, but maybe don’t expect too much.”
”It’s fine! If Basara-san can’t handle it, there’s always Aki-san!”
Maria giggled before tapping her forehead.
”Oops. Said that out loud.”
Jin crushed out his cigarette while watching the heavy expression on Basara’s face.
He chose not to press the issue.
The incident at the village had not been Basara’s fault alone. The adults—especially the Hero Village elders—shared responsibility for what had happened. Yet Basara had ended up carrying much of that burden himself, a fact that weighed heavily on Jin.
”I was worried Basara would get lonely and hoped you two sisters would keep him company.”
As he lit another cigarette, his phone suddenly buzzed.
”Looks like he’ll just have to find himself a girlfriend sooner rather than later.”
Basara opened his mouth to argue, but the look in Jin’s eyes made him pause.
”Dad… you’re leaving again? Where this time?”
”Abroad. Might be a while.”
Jin slipped the phone into his pocket and began gathering his things.
”Dad, so soon? At least stay and have a meal with us.”
Mio’s voice softened slightly. The last time they had met, she had been too guarded for a proper family gathering. She had hoped today would be different.
Basara looked equally disappointed.
Jin reached over and ruffled his son’s spiky hair.
”Next time. If you get lonely, call Aki or Mio. Better yet, make some friends. This should be the last time we have to move.”
With the Three Factions Talk approaching, peace finally seemed within reach. Even if they could not openly acknowledge every family connection, meeting from time to time would no longer be impossible. Basara was growing up, becoming independent, and the years of constant relocation were finally nearing an end.
The four of them walked Jin to the front door.
”All right. I’ve already called a taxi. You kids should head back too.”
As they stood at the entrance, Aki finally voiced the question that had been lingering in his mind.
”Uncle Jin… was it you back then?”
Meeting Jin had stirred a strange sense of familiarity. While everyone else had been talking, he had gradually pieced it together. The feeling came from the day he had saved Mio’s adoptive parents.
A faint smile appeared on Jin’s face.
”Sharp kid. If you weren’t such a womanizer, I’d say you were a pretty good match for Mio.”
”You give me too much credit, Uncle. I’ve still got a long way to go.”
Mio and the others looked back and forth between them in confusion, feeling as though they had walked into the middle of a conversation without hearing the beginning.
Jin laughed.
”Well, I’ve got thirty years on you.”
”Safe travels, Uncle Jin. I’ll make sure things are handled here.”
”If only Basara had half your thick skin, my life would be a lot easier.”
Still chuckling, Jin stepped into the waiting taxi.
”See you. Call if you need anything.”
Once the taxi disappeared from sight, the four remaining teenagers headed out for a meal together. After making plans to meet again at school the following week, Aki accompanied the Naruse sisters home.
Partway through the walk, he glanced at Mio.
”So why did you make a point of bringing me along? Was this some kind of meet-the-parents event?”
Mio nearly tripped.
”Pfft. As if! It was just… just…”
The truth was difficult to explain.
When she learned the Toujous were family, her first instinct had been to hear Aki’s opinion. When Jin suggested moving in together, her immediate reaction had been that she wanted things to stay the way they were.
But saying any of that out loud felt impossible.
”Just what?”
”Shut up! Shut up!”
Unable to find the words, the twin-tailed girl attacked the conversation instead.
”Aww, Mio-sama and Aki-san are so close.”
Maria clasped her hands together dramatically.
”Unlike me, nobody cares about me. Even Uncle Jin only thinks about Mio-sama.”
”What are you talking about? You’re a perverted succubus. Do you really need someone worrying about your love life?”
Maria immediately dropped the act and wrapped herself around Mio’s arm.
”Mio-sama, I don’t want a partner. I just want to stay with you forever.”
”Y-You… shut up!”
The straightforward declaration sent another wave of red across Mio’s face.
Watching the sisters bicker, Aki could not help smiling.
It was a strange relationship. Maria had not known Mio for very long, yet her attachment ran surprisingly deep. Whether it came from shared hardships, family ties, or simply the way their personalities fit together, Aki could not say.
Whatever the reason, the two of them seemed destined to keep chasing each other in circles.
And judging by the look on Mio’s face, Maria was enjoying every second of it.
—
Summary:
Jin Toujou prepares to leave on a long trip abroad, effectively ending the period of constant moving for the family. Mio and Maria decide against moving in with the Toujou household, preferring their current situation. Aki walks the sisters home, pondering the complex dynamics of his relationships and their intertwined familial ties.
—
Trivia:
Aki senses a strange familiarity with Jin Toujou’s aura, linked to a past event involving Mio’s adoptive parents.
The Three Factions Talk is approaching, which will stabilize the family’s situation and potentially end the need for secrecy.
Maria shows an intense, possibly supernatural, attachment to her new sister Mio.
Basara is expected to start at Kuoh Academy in Class 2-A the following week.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Jin – A handsome, middle-aged man with half-rimmed glasses and a penchant for smoking, he is Basara’s father and a powerhouse of the hero clan. While navigating a complex web of Underworld allegiances, he acts as a guardian to his son and a potential protector for Mio. He is currently preparing to travel abroad for work.
• Naruse Mio – A supporter and cheerleader for the Gremory peerage.
• Naruse – The family name carried by Mio, her sister Maria, and their parents. This significant lineage is deeply tied to the history involving Wilbert and is central to the current pursuit.
• Toujou – The Toujou family name, carried by Koneko.
• Mio – A delicate, prideful, and busty red-haired Demon King’s daughter with peach eyes and twin tails, she is a pure-blooded Devil from the Naruse family. Possessing latent fire magic, this tsundere transferred to Kuoh Academy to avoid pursuers. Inquisitive about the Underworld and the Occult Research Club, she resists control over her fate, struggling with her lineage and complex relationship with Aki.
• Maria – Shela’s daughter and a rare Demon King/Succubus Queen descendant, this transfer student is Mio’s younger half-sister and a Kuoh Academy member of Rias Gremory’s peerage. Usually a petite, white-haired girl sealing her mature form, she follows Mio into the Underworld. Playful, forward, and occasionally manipulative, she is a tactical aide to Aki and a protective, supportive presence for Mio.
• Aki – A tall, handsome Kuoh Academy strategist and Red Dragon Emperor successor with smooth, jade-like skin and a wild, sturdy physique. This mixed-blood Devil/Fallen Angel/Nekoshou is a dominant, authoritative powerhouse who uses dual cultivation, lightning magic, and high martial strength to heal others. Rias’s key pillar, he protects the Naruse sisters and Mio amid complex supernatural conflicts.
• Basara – A handsome, spiky-haired young man with a rugged edge and a distinct scar, Jin Toujou’s son and Chisato’s nephew is an earnest youth who shoulders a heavy lineage. Recently uprooted from a Hero Village into the Toujou family, this magic novice possesses the unique Banishing Shift ability. A veteran at transferring schools, he acts with ease in academic settings, though his upcoming transfer already leaves a notable, anticipated absence.
• Y – The first initial/part of the name Y Ddraig Goch.
• Gremory – Rias Gremory, a pure-blood devil of the prestigious Gremory house, has striking crimson hair, blue eyes, a curvy figure, and a prominent bust. Wielding top-level demonic power, she governs Kuoh Academy’s hidden hierarchy and leads her household in a high-stakes competition against the rival Phoenix clan.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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