Chapter 237 Toujou Family Affairs
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Rating Game had concluded, and Aki had foolishly assumed he would finally get a chance to rest. Instead, the Underworld seemed determined to test him with an endless stream of probes and provocations. As if that was not enough, Naruse Mio had just delivered what she insisted was a piece of good news.
Standing before the villa gate, Aki glanced at the small nameplate mounted beside it. The characters Toujou were engraved in neat, clean strokes. Keeping his expression neutral, he looked over at the Naruse sisters.
”So this is it, then?” Aki asked. “The home of this ‘Rias brother’ and his uncle you mentioned?”
”Yes,” Mio replied.
She tilted her head slightly as her fingers twisted a lock of hair before letting it fall again. Her eyes wandered everywhere except toward him. Ever since the night she had watched Aki form a contract with Rias beneath the full moon and rejected his own offer, Mio had not known how to face him. If two men claiming to know her biological father had not appeared at her doorstep, she never would have contacted Aki. Yet she had little choice. Other than Maria, he was the only person she trusted.
The truth was that Mio had always felt closer to Rias. Aki usually came second in her mind, but whenever trouble appeared, he was the first person she thought of. Time and again, he had stepped into the mess and solved problems no one else could handle.
While Mio was still tangled up in the memory of that night, Aki had long since put it behind him. Compared to her lack of experience, he had lived through far stranger situations than he could count.
Unaware of the storm in her thoughts, or perhaps simply choosing not to acknowledge it, Aki pressed the doorbell.
The appearance of the Toujou men was mildly surprising, but only mildly. Since Jin Toujou had failed to create a chance encounter through mental magic, he had apparently chosen the direct approach and revealed the truth immediately. Even Basara had needed time to process the sudden arrival of two younger sisters. He had only fully accepted the situation once the move to Kuoh Town was settled and preparations for their transfer into Kuoh Academy were underway.
”Hey! Hold on, coming!”
A bright voice rang out from inside the house. A moment later, the door opened to reveal a handsome young man with spiked brown hair and a faint scar on his face.
”Oh, it’s Mio and Maria,” Basara said. “Come in, come in!”
As he ushered them inside, he scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.
”Sorry. We just moved in, so everything’s still a bit of a mess.”
”Hello.” Aki offered his hand. “I’m Uesugi Aki. Just call me Aki.”
Basara quickly shook it.
”Ah… Basara Toujou. You can call me Basara.”
Their first impressions of each other were positive.
Aki found Basara far easier to like than Issei. Issei possessed the heart of an innocent child, but Basara’s personality felt more grounded. Meanwhile, Basara saw Aki as refined, polite, and dependable. Since he was clearly close to the sisters, maintaining a good relationship seemed like the smart choice.
Once the introductions ended, an awkward silence settled over the room. This was only the sisters’ second meeting with Basara, and even if they had confirmed the truth of their connection, familiarity could not be forced overnight.
Realizing he had not offered his guests anything to drink, Basara started to rise.
”Um… I’ll make some tea.”
Before he could take a step, a sharp-featured middle-aged man emerged from the bathroom. A cigarette hung from his lips while a folded newspaper rested beneath one arm.
”Oh, Mio and Maria are here.”
Jin Toujou glanced at his watch and chuckled.
”Perfect timing. How about we all go out for lunch?”
”Dad!” Basara snapped. “It’s not even ten yet. Stop making excuses just because you slept through breakfast.”
”Well, by the time we get to a restaurant and wait for the food, it’ll be lunchtime.” Jin grinned. “What do you think, little man? Mio? Maria?”
”Hey! Stop ignoring me!”
Basara let out a long sigh. He was used to this sort of thing, but it remained irritating.
”Honestly, if it weren’t for Mio and Maria, I wouldn’t even know I had two mothers.”
Jin rubbed the bridge of his nose and sighed.
”Basara, I kept it from you for your own good…”
”Right.” Basara folded his arms. “And moving around for years while leaving me home alone was for my own good too, I suppose?”
”That was because of the village mission…”
The moment Jin caught the dangerous glint in Basara’s eyes, he thought better of continuing.
After the incident that had led to their expulsion from the village, he had still kept in contact from afar. He simply wanted Basara to grow up with something resembling a normal childhood.
Unfortunately, normal was a relative concept.
Compared to ordinary children, Basara’s life had been anything but ordinary. He had grown up without a mother and with a father who was rarely home. Every time he started settling into a place, another move followed. By the time he was ten, he was already cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and taking care of himself. On occasion, he even had to take care of his hopeless father.
Then, just as he was preparing to start a new high school life, he learned they were moving again. On top of that, he suddenly discovered he had two demon stepsisters and two mothers.
Aki had to give him credit. Basara’s mental resilience was the real thing. After a brief period of complaining, he had accepted reality and started moving forward.
Watching the father and son, Aki finally pieced together the web connecting the Toujou household and the Naruse residence.
Twenty years earlier, Jin Toujou had been the greatest genius the Hero Clan had ever produced. After reaching God-level strength, he had even invaded the Underworld and defeated the Demon King Wilbert. Rather than taking offense, the peace-loving Demon King had been impressed. During the chaos surrounding an interdimensional nest belonging to the Ancient Dragon Fafnir, one event had led to another until Jin somehow became the husband of three women: Wilbert, her sister Sephie, and Raphaelene of the God Faction.
At the time, Sephie had been carrying Basara. Political realities, however, made it impossible for her to openly bear the child, forcing the pregnancy to be transferred to Raphaelene. That unusual arrangement was the reason Basara had two mothers. Yet neither woman could remain by his side. Sephie was unable to reveal herself publicly, while Raphaelene, one of the Ten Pillar Gods, had been punished by Heaven for breaking divine law and could no longer descend to the human world.
Even someone as powerful as Jin had limits. There were beings above him, and political forces that could not be overcome through strength alone. As a result, he had been left to raise Basara by himself.
Now that peace existed between the Three Realms, there was hope for a reunion someday. Until then, however, the sisters’ safety came first.
Mio was Wilbert’s daughter and Sephie’s niece, making her Basara’s blood cousin. By extension, Jin was less an uncle than the husband of her aunt. The same complicated relationship applied to Maria.
Still, family trees did little to change human emotions. Although cousin relationships were hardly unheard of in modern society, the shock of learning the truth usually smothered any romantic possibilities before they could begin. Given the way Aki and the sisters interacted, such concerns seemed unlikely to matter.
Wilbert was gone. Sephie could not reveal herself. That left Jin carrying the burden.
When Mio faced danger, Shela had already acted. Jin could hardly stand aside and do nothing. He could not remain beside Mio forever, either. The older generation still had battles of their own to fight.
That was why he intended to place Mio under Basara’s protection, much as Shela had entrusted Maria to her. It would also force Basara to confront his own power and step back into the Inner World. As the son of Jin, Sephie, and Raphaelene, with the blood of an Ancient Dragon flowing through his veins, there had never been any real chance that Basara would live a normal life.
Once the commotion finally settled, Jin Toujou’s expression turned serious.
”Mio, Maria… have you two thought about the proposal I mentioned last time?”
—
Summary:
Aki accompanies the Naruse sisters to meet Jin and Basara Toujou at their new home, navigating the complex family dynamics of the Hero Clan’s hidden legacy. Jin reveals his intention to have Basara protect Mio, leveraging their shared, complex heritage to pull Basara back into the supernatural world. The scene concludes with Jin posing a serious, unresolved question to the sisters regarding a previous proposal.
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Trivia:
Basara’s mother is officially Sephie, but he was gestated by Raphaelene.
Jin Toujou was once a God-level genius who fought Demon King Wilbert.
The Naruse sisters are technically Basara’s blood cousins.
Jin Toujou was expelled from the Hero Village but maintained secret contact.
Notes:
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Toujou – The Toujou family name, carried by Koneko.
• Rias – An elegant, voluptuous SS+ rank Gremory devil heiress and Buchou with long crimson hair and green eyes. As future clan head and Sirzechs’ sister, this tea-loving, book-reading noblewoman commands a peerage from a villa. Wielding destruction mana, she navigates a forced marriage to Riser and a soul-bound bond with Aki, acting as a firm, confident leader and organizational contact for patients.
• Y – The first initial/part of the name Y Ddraig Goch.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Uesugi Aki – Family name of Aki.
• Uesugi – Aki is a slender, silver‑haired Martial God realm cultivator with calm, resolute eyes and perfect physical mastery, allowing absolute control over his massive physical proportions. He commands the mystical Azure Flame. Bearing the Uesugi name, this powerful, pragmatic, and occasionally ruthless A‑rank Stray Devil is linked to the Kurogane line and the Takamine family’s household dynamics, as noted by Kalawarner.
• Issei – Issei Hyoudou is an average-built Kuoh Academy student with brown hair, a mischievous face, and lecherous tendencies as one of the “Three Perverts.” As the successor of the Red Dragon Emperor, he hosts its consciousness via the Longinus-class Boosted Gear. He is currently held captive by enemies for an extraction ritual, targeting him for a deprivation rite.
• Wilbert – The deceased former Demon King, lover of Shela, and father of Maria. Linked to the previous head of the Gremory family, he played a pivotal role in Mio’s upbringing by carefully selecting her kind, anonymous adoptive parents in the Human World.
• Shela – Anxious former Succubus Queen and mother of Maria, Mio, and Lucia, this high-status, white-haired figure with curved ram horns orchestrated a plan to protect Mio. Deeply concerned for her family’s survival, she holds vital, secret knowledge regarding the Gremory family, the older generation of Devils, and the current status of the Underworld.
• Nel – A green-haired devil loli and member of Riser’s peerage, identical to her twin sister Iru in appearance, C-rank mana, and a mind-link. Previously healed by Aki, she now seeks to restore her strength and potential alongside her sister through Dual Cultivation.
• Nue – A B-rank Youkai with a high concentration of Youkai blood. He possesses the appearance of a typical office worker and is associated with the Miura family company. An avian Youkai with B-Rank strength hired by the Miura family. He possesses the ability to sense magical auras and is referred to with the title of Master by Miura Akira.
• Yui – Aisu Academy student and basketball powerhouse, this young woman uses B-Rank strength and elite sensory skills to track opponents’ structural flaws. As a core operative in Aki’s organization, she plays an auxiliary support role while maintaining close ties with teammates and faculty. To harden her resolve, she joins her companions in executing defeated yokai, acting as a heroine of the hypnosis incident.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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