Adrian Blake could only blink at Maria Naruse's unexpected reaction to his teasing words.
She smiled up at him, her crimson eyes gleaming with mischievous light. "Hehe~ Brother Adrian, you really are bold. I was thinking the same thing. A younger sister should be trained, right? That kind of life… doesn't sound so bad."
"What—Maria!" Mio Naruse's voice cracked with disbelief. Her hands tightened into fists as she stared at her stepsister, utterly stunned.
Maria merely grinned, completely unbothered by Mio's outrage. "What? When a big brother and little sister live together, isn't it only natural for the sister to… serve him? I mean, that's how it should be. It's tradition—at least where I'm from."
Adrian nodded to himself, amused. That's a very specific kind of "tradition," Maria. But hey, I won't argue.
He had to admit—Maria's "Dream Demon" heritage certainly explained a lot about her personality. Her sensibilities were, well… conveniently aligned with his own. Unapologetically perverted, yes—but there was an odd sort of logic in her view of things.
But Mio wasn't having it. "N-No! No way!" she protested, face flushed crimson. "We're not talking about this right now!"
Suddenly, her eyes darted toward the unconscious fallen angel sprawled on the living room floor.
"That! That's what we should be talking about! The real problem right now is her!"
Adrian followed her gaze and let out a breath.
Raynare.
The fallen angel who'd tried to kill Mio not long ago now lay unconscious at his feet, bound by enchanted restraints and slowly regaining consciousness.
Mio turned back to him with a serious expression. "I should tell you the truth about everything."
Her voice was steady, even as her hands trembled slightly at her sides.
"I don't want to lie to you, Adrian. You've already helped us more than you had to. So I'll tell you everything—who I am, what I've become… and what's after me."
Adrian listened carefully as she explained. About her demonic bloodline, the inheritance left to her by her father, the enemies now hunting her because of it—demons and fallen angels alike. About how she and Maria had been on the run. And about how it all started the moment she inherited her father's legacy.
When she finished, she looked at him with quiet resolution. "We'll leave soon. I promise we won't cause you any more trouble."
Adrian leaned back against the couch and scratched his head. "Leave? Who said anything about that?"
Mio blinked.
"I told you," he said casually, "having two cute younger sisters around is kind of fun. Besides, I can help you with this whole… background situation."
He waved a hand toward Maria. "Now, go make dinner."
Maria blinked. "Huh?"
He held up the bags of groceries. "I bought ingredients earlier. Might as well put them to use."
A warm grin spread across Maria's face as she took the bags with a cheerful "Yes, big brother!" and disappeared into the kitchen.
Adrian turned his attention back to Raynare, who was beginning to stir, her eyes fluttering open.
He crouched beside her and said quietly, "Maria probably told you already—'You're not the only one who can do this.'"
Raynare blinked in confusion, then stiffened as she realized her situation. Her wings twitched beneath her, bound as she was. Adrian simply looked her over with measured eyes, ignoring her fear for now.
"You know," he said, "fallen angels might be cast out of Heaven, but you're still technically part of the 'light' factions. I wouldn't be surprised if you're getting points for hunting down demons like Mio."
Raynare didn't respond.
He sighed. "But Mio is under the protection of the Gremory household now. That makes things… complicated."
Her eyes widened slightly at that, and Adrian caught it.
"I see," he muttered. "So you didn't know about that part. Makes sense."
He stood up and faced Mio, who had been silently watching the exchange."I get it now," he said. "You're caught between two worlds. Not quite demon, not quite human. The fallen angels want you dead, and your own kind doesn't trust you. Honestly? You're not wrong to be scared."
Mio's face crumpled. She turned away, her body tense with helpless frustration.
Then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Adrian's touch was gentle, but firm. "Don't give up," he said. "I haven't."
Her eyes widened as she turned to look at him.
"I'll protect you," he said. "For now, you can rely on me."
"Why…?" she whispered. "Why would you risk yourself for someone like me? You don't owe me anything. You could've let me go. You should've."
Adrian tilted his head thoughtfully. "If I say it's because I'm greedy for your body, does that count as a reason?"
Mio's jaw dropped. "Wha—! You…! You idiot!"
Red-faced, she swung a tiny fist at his chest. It landed with all the force of a pillow. She buried her face in his shirt, her voice muffled.
"Wuwuwu… You idiot… but… thank you…"
He said nothing, just gently ran his hand through her red hair as she cried.
Of course, it wasn't just about protecting her out of the goodness of his heart.
Adrian was nothing if not practical.
Fallen angels like Raynare? Demons after Mio's bloodline? They were potential enemies—and more importantly, potential loot. If they came for her, he could take them down and reap the rewards. It was a win-win.
Not to mention… if he could get in good with the Gremory family, that would open up a lot of doors.
Kuoh Academy's summer break would be over in a few days. Once the school reopened, he could bring Mio along. That would put her squarely under Rias Gremory's protection. And if he played his cards right… maybe even earn her favor.
"Brother Adrian!" Maria's voice rang out from the kitchen, snapping him out of his thoughts.
She peeked her head into the living room with a cheeky grin. "You're such a perverted good guy. Don't worry—I'll help you 'train' Mio~!"
"MARIA!!"
Mio yanked herself out of Adrian's arms, flustered and furious. Maria darted back into the kitchen with a giggle, unfazed.
When she returned with a steaming tray of food, her gaze fell on Raynare, who was still bound and now fully awake.
"Why are we keeping this fallen angel, by the way?" Maria asked. "Why not just kill her?"
Raynare's eyes widened in horror.
Adrian looked up from his meal and said calmly, "Because she's worth more alive."
Maria raised a brow. "Hmm?"
He chewed thoughtfully, then continued. "She probably has companions. If we keep her around, we might be able to use her to lure them out. Maybe get some useful intel while we're at it."
Maria nodded. "Fair point."
Then her eyes lit up with mischief. "Actually, I've got an even better idea."
Raynare instantly felt a chill crawl down her spine.
Maria skipped over to the center of the room and began drawing a complex sigil on the floor.
"This," she said proudly, "is a Master-Servant Contract spell. Passed down from the Dream Demon clan. Once she signs this, she has to tell the truth. It's magically enforced."
Adrian tilted his head. "A binding contract, huh?"
"Exactly!" Maria said brightly. "Oh, and—Mio, you should sign one too."
Mio blinked. "What?! Why would I—?"
"This magic doesn't just bind the servant," Maria explained. "It creates a two-way link. You'll be able to sense each other's presence no matter where you are. If something happens, you can find each other instantly. Pretty useful, right?"
Mio hesitated. "Can't we just… use our phones?"
"Ha!" Maria scoffed. "Phones break. Batteries die. GPS fails. Magic doesn't."
She leaned in, grinning. "Don't be naive, big sis."
Mio looked at Adrian, then back at the glowing circle. Her expression was uncertain.
Adrian gave her a quiet nod.
Slowly—shyly—she stepped forward.
"…Alright," she whispered.
Maria clapped her hands. "Perfect!"
As the contract magic flared to life, Adrian couldn't help but smile to himself.
One demon girl under his roof, one fallen angel captive, and one Dream Demon cheerfully pulling the strings.
Yeah.
Life was about to get much more interesting.