Silica stood in place, watching silently as Hina turned her back on her and walked away with Nagisa at her side. Their next destination was the domain of the Imp Queen.
Imps—trickster demons, mischievous by nature—were small in stature but held an ancient power.
This land, shared by both the seductive succubi and the unpredictable imps, was ruled by two queens.
Hina, ever composed yet radiating authority, was now heading to the imp territory to meet their queen, hoping to persuade her to align with Kouhei in the coming war against Souichiro.
As she watched their figures shrink in the distance, Silica couldn't shake the feeling rising in her chest.
There was something different about Hina.
So much so that the woman she was looking at didn't even feel like the Hina she once knew.
Back then, Hina had always been someone who stood apart.
She was isolated, emotionally distant, and surrounded by an air of lethal restraint.
Her body carried a terrifying power, capable of making others orgasm to death, and she had chosen solitude over risking the lives of those who drew too close.
Now, she was walking closely beside Nagisa, their shoulders brushing casually—as if the fear that had once bound her no longer mattered.
No. It wasn't recklessness.
It was something else entirely.
Silica's eyes narrowed as she watched Hina—her former queen, the once-distant figure that none could touch—and a lump formed in her throat.
What kind of person could have possibly changed someone as unreachable as Hina?
Her presence now felt entirely different.
Her aura, once tightly coiled and contained like a storm trapped within glass, had erupted outward.
It no longer swirled inward, threatening to implode—
It radiated, pulsing with life and purpose. It engulfed everything around her.
The pressure of it made Silica's spine tingle with a chill.
It was precisely because of that shift—the undeniable change in Hina—that Silica had chosen to align herself with her.
The entire army of succubi and incubi had followed, choosing to throw their strength behind Kouhei in this escalating war against Souichiro.
Hina and Nagisa returned to the Saionji Mansion after their attempt to persuade the current Queen of the Imps to join the war effort.
Unfortunately, the Imp Queen had refused to get involved. She said bluntly that she would remain neutral.
No matter how much Hina and Nagisa pleaded, reasoned, or appealed to her sense of balance, she remained firm. The war, she said, had nothing to do with her. She would not side with Souichiro—but she wouldn't offer Kouhei her support either.
At the very least, it wasn't an outright rejection. Neutrality was far better than outright hostility.
Besides, it was unlikely Souichiro would even consider going to the imp lands. The mere thought of him stepping into that chaotic domain was absurd. His rigid nature would never tolerate the wild unpredictability of the Imp Queen.
Their personalities would clash violently. Cooperation between them was unthinkable.
When Hina and Nagisa stepped through the mansion's door, they were met with warmth and quiet tension. Kouhei was already there, standing in the foyer, peeling off his jacket.
"What happened? Did it go well, Kou-kun?" Nagisa asked as she approached, while he was brushing snow from his sleeves.
Standing beside him was Misuzu, who turned her head and smiled gently. "He managed to convince Momoko to work with us," she said. "Honestly… I didn't think she'd agree. But Kouhei-kun pulled it off."
Kouhei let out a tired but satisfied smile as he finally shrugged off his coat, his shoulders relaxing. "It wasn't easy," he admitted. "But more importantly—I'm glad you both made it back safely. So? How did it go for you?"
"Silica agreed to help," Hina reported. "She's going to rally the succubi for the fight. But as for the Imps… their queen refused. She said she's staying neutral."
Kouhei nodded, absorbing the news with a calm expression. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but it could have been worse.
A non-aggressive queen was better than an opposing one.
"I'm just relieved that both of you made it back safe," he said softly as he walked over and wrapped an arm around each of them, pulling them both into a firm, heartfelt embrace.
The warmth of his body pressed against theirs, strong and protective. The sensation of his arms—steady and secure—brought a sense of comfort neither of them realized they needed.
Without hesitation, they both leaned into him, returning the hug silently.
With each passing day, Kouhei had been gathering more and more allies to his cause.
And yet... there was still someone else.
Kouhei left the mansion and made his way back to the neighborhood he used to call home—his old apartment complex.
But when he arrived, he didn't go to his own unit.
Instead, he stood before the door of the apartment right next to it.
He raised a hand and knocked gently, standing there in the hallway, listening for movement inside.
But silence answered him.
No footsteps. No voice. No response.
Kouhei turned his head downward and saw someone familiar standing just below.
Her brows furrowed slightly as she looked up at him. "Hmm? That's not your apartment..."
"Ah, right… I'm not here for my room. I'm actually looking for the person who lived here," Kouhei explained. "She's… a friend of mine."
The landlady paused, then nodded slowly.
"Oh…" The landlady paused, thinking for a moment before speaking again. "She told me she was going somewhere. And if someone came by looking for her, she said to give them something. Are you the one she was expecting?"
So she already knew he'd come. Of course she did. That was just like her.
"Yes," Kouhei answered without hesitation.
"Come with me, then. I'll give it to you," she said with a nod.
Kouhei followed her down the steps.
And there, the landlady handed him something.
Kouhei walked quietly, his steps echoing faintly through the empty school corridors.
His destination was...
The world around him felt eerily silent, as if frozen in time. It was Sunday, after all. No students filled the halls. No clubs held their noisy meetings. It was as if the entire building had been abandoned for the day—left in a state of stillness that mirrored how Kouhei felt inside.
Ever since his revival, life had felt... unreal.
Like he was walking through a world that had stopped spinning, a timeline that had fractured and left him behind. School had long fallen out of priority—there was no need to attend anymore. Not with the war approaching. Not with everything hanging by a thread.
He reached the stairwell, climbed the final steps, and then pushed open the heavy door to the rooftop. The metal creaked as it swung, groaning like it hadn't been touched in weeks.
Yui stood with her back to him, her long hair swaying gently in the wind as it danced across the open sky. She looked as though she belonged there—perched on the edge of the world.
"Himeno-san," Kouhei said, his voice carried softly through the breeze.
"Fufufufu..." Yui let out a familiar, playful laugh. "I knew you were going to come here, Okumura-senpai..."
Her voice was melodic and teasing, laced with that same mischief she always carried.
"You missed me already, huh? Well, I guess it's only natural," she continued, not turning around just yet. "We did do a lot of things together in that subconscious world, didn't we?"
Then, slowly, she turned.
A glimmer of amusement lit her eyes as she met his gaze, her lips curling into a playful smirk that sent a chill through him.
She was showing him that smile on purpose—wanting him to see it.
"Himeno-san," Kouhei said again, firmer this time. "I need your help in this war."
Her smile remained, but her brows lifted slightly.
"I'm slightly mad that you're coming to me just because of a woman who left you," she said, crossing her arms beneath her chest. "You do realize that hurts a girl's feelings, right? You can't go around playing with a woman's heart like that."
She turned her head dramatically, letting her hair flutter as she looked out over the city skyline.
"Girls' feelings are a lot more fragile than you think, senpai. Look at me—here I am, about to have an emotional moment on this lonely rooftop, and you come waltzing in just to ask me to join a war for the sake of another woman."
Her voice was half-sarcastic, half-sincere.
"I think I'm already tired of being your side girl as it is."
Still, even as she said that, her mischievous smile didn't waver. There was something in her tone that hinted she didn't truly mean all of it. Not completely.
"Please," Kouhei said quietly, stepping closer. "I need your help."
It changed everything.
Yui's expression shifted.
A cold, unreadable look took over her face. Her eyes narrowed—not with anger, but something darker.
"And why exactly do you think I'd even consider helping you, Okumura-senpai?" she asked, her voice sharp and icy. "This war... this is your problem. Not mine."
She took a step forward, her heels clicking against the rooftop as the wind howled between them.
"I'm a fallen angel. I don't give a damn about your war against demons. In fact..." She smirked faintly, her tone laced with venom. "I enjoy watching demons tear each other apart. That's one less thing I have to deal with. One less pain in my ass."
She stopped right in front of him.
"So answer me, senpai... why do you think I'd care?"
He met her gaze with unwavering resolve.
"You wouldn't have left that letter for me if you didn't want me to find you."
Her eyes widened, just slightly.
For a moment, she looked genuinely caught off guard.
Then suddenly, she burst out laughing.
Her laughter echoed across the rooftop, loud and shameless as she clutched her stomach, bending over slightly as if his words had genuinely amused her to the core.
"Hahahahahaha~! Y-You actually think I left that letter because I wanted you to find me just so you could drag me into a war?"
She straightened up, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, grinning wickedly.
"You've really let it get to your head, senpai~ I think you've turned into a full-blown narcissist ever since you revived."
She was mocking him. Her words were sharp, laced with ridicule.
But Kouhei didn't say a word.
He just stood there—his expression still, serious, and unwavering.
Unmoved by her teasing.
Unmoved by her laughter.
Unmoved... but waiting.