Chapter 89 – Nutrition Express (Patreon)

Shuchiin Academy High School Division.

The Kendo Club.

Mitsuri and Shinobu sat across from one another.

"Lately, incidents of demons attacking people have been getting more and more frequent."

Mitsuri turned her head and gazed out the window at the setting sun, letting out a soft sigh. These past several days, missions had been coming one after another without pause. She hadn't slept in her own bed in days. Every day, she could only come back to school during daylight hours to catch up on sleep. Her visit to Shuchiin today to see Kanae was only because she happened to be passing through. Once the sun fully set, she'd have to go back to work.

"As a Hashira, Mitsuri-nee-san, the burdens you bear are certainly heavier."

Shinobu spoke quietly, a trace of exhaustion also flickering between her brows. Her own missions lately had been punishingly heavy too. Lack of sleep had noticeably dulled her complexion.

Mitsuri's gaze drifted toward the adjacent dojo, and deep admiration welled up in her beautiful eyes. "Still, Kanae really is incredible. Working at such high intensity every single day, and yet her strength just keeps climbing. The most baffling thing is—her complexion just keeps getting better and better."

Hearing this, Shinobu paused. In her mind surfaced the image of her sister's gentle face, forever tinged with that faint, healthy rosiness. The fatigue of this period seemed to have left absolutely no mark on her sister at all.

"Shinobu, do you know how Kanae recovers her energy and spirit?"

Shinobu met Mitsuri's expectant gaze and shook her head. "I've never seen my sister do anything special..."

As the two chatted idly, they could faintly hear sounds drifting from the neighboring dojo, but Shuchiin's buildings had excellent soundproofing, so the high-pitched voices of the girls filtered through as little more than indistinct noise.

"Seems like Kanae is pretty strict..."

"Really?"

Shinobu tilted her head. She had also learned Flower Breathing from her sister and didn't recall it being all that strict... Besides, what she was faintly hearing—it didn't sound like just Asuna alone.

Mitsuri and Shinobu didn't linger long in the kendo club. Once the sun sank below the horizon, they departed for the day's mission location. Thus, they didn't witness the utter devastation left in the adjacent dojo—nor the two girls sprawled within, practically reduced to boneless puddles.

"Mhm, I learned a lot today!" Kouma bid the two girls farewell. "Kanae-nee-san, Asuna-nee-san—thank you."

Watching the little boy's figure disappear, Asuna finally turned her head toward Kanae. After hesitating briefly, she decided to voice what was in her heart, her words still weak and breathless. "Kanae-nee-san... truthfully, that day... I heard you and Kouma-kun in the bathroom..."

Hearing this, Kanae's face, already still flushed with lingering color, deepened by several shades. She had never imagined that the sounds from the bathroom had already been overheard by Asuna back then.

If this had been before, she would have been mortified beyond words, but after what had just transpired... Kanae felt it was nothing worth making a fuss over.

"Kanae-nee-san, I'm sorry. Even knowing about your relationship with Kouma-kun, I still..."

Asuna's words were cut off mid-sentence by Kanae.

"I don't blame you."

Her gentle voice, softened further by her current languid, husky tone, was even more enchanting.

"And you've experienced it yourself anyway—I really can't handle him alone."

At those words, Asuna nodded with a certain rueful understanding. Kouma truly lived up to being of the succubus clan. He was simply far too formidable.

Earlier, she had thought that once she mastered Breathing Techniques, she might be able to project more of an older-sister aura in front of him, but now, seeing Kanae's state, she realized she'd been utterly delusional.

"Alright, let's wash up and prepare for tonight's mission. Asuna, you'll come along with me tonight as well."

After resting for a while, Kanae felt her strength rapidly returning. Yes—brimming with energy. This was the benefit of dual-cultivating with Kouma. No matter how exhausted she was at the time, in the end, she would always be left full of vitality.

Asuna nodded with eager excitement.

...

Anteiku Coffee Shop.

That evening, a very particular guest came to the shop.

"This place... is the largest ghoul gathering spot in the area, isn't it."

The very first words out of the woman's mouth made Touka Kirishima and Kaya Irimi behind the counter instantly stiffen. The woman was dressed in an exquisite kimono, her face so beautiful it could bring ruin to nations.

"Who are you?"

Touka's voice was cool. Her blue eyes fixed upon this devastatingly beautiful woman, a flicker of wariness sharpening her gaze.

The woman didn't answer. She swept her gaze around the shop in a slow, unhurried, elegant motion. As expected, practically everyone's eyes were drawn to her, all of them brimming with stunned admiration. Nodding with satisfaction, only then did she speak evenly.

"My name is Daki. Upper Rank Six of the Twelve Demon Moons."

Daki declared her identity openly without any attempt at concealment. She was well aware that ghouls were practically kin to her kind—there was no need to hide anything.

"The Twelve Demon Moons?!"

"An Upper Rank?!"

Touka and Kaya's eyes flashed with shock. Even Rize Kamishiro, who had been lounging idly off to the side, found herself curious enough to drift over. This name wasn't completely unfamiliar to them.

After all, the creatures known as demons also fed on humans, just like ghouls. Though there hadn't been much direct interaction, each side knew a bit about the other.

The Twelve Demon Moons—if she recalled correctly, those were the twelve strongest demons, each personally conferred a number by the Demon King himself. She'd heard others mention them plenty, but this was her first time actually meeting one in the flesh.

"And what business does a demon like yourself have with us, miss?"

Touka narrowed her eyes cautiously. Ghouls and demons—aside from sharing the same diet, they were as different as heaven and earth. Demons would die outright if exposed to direct sunlight, but at night they were virtually unkillable.

Moreover, these creatures possessed extraordinarily long lifespans. This Daki before them was supposedly a member of the Twelve Demon Moons, yet looked no older than sixteen or seventeen. Her true age was almost certainly well past a century. Facing a monster of that vintage, caution was non-negotiable.

At that, Daki produced a photograph and slid it across the counter toward them.

"I'd like to hire you to help me capture someone. As you should know, we cannot move during the day. Searching for people is exceedingly difficult for us—which is why I've come to you."

Daki spoke coolly.

"Sorry, but we can't do this."

Touka refused outright without a second thought. Anteiku had long since gone clean. There was no way they'd start capturing people now and bring trouble down on their own heads.

Daki met Touka's gaze and continued. "Don't be so quick to refuse. Catch this person for me, and I can deliver ten humans to you. CCG has been cracking down hard lately, hasn't it? Ten humans should keep you fed for quite a while."

Daki's beautiful eyes glittered as she laid out her bargaining chip.

But Touka and the others remained unmoved. They weren't idiots. If this demon was willing to hire outside help just to catch someone, did they think this person would be easy to deal with? Even setting aside the fact that they had no need for humans right now—even if they did need food, they still wouldn't agree.

Just as Touka was about to refuse and send Daki on her way, Rize Kamishiro, who had been staring at the photo on the counter the entire time, suddenly spoke up.

"I'll take this job."

A satisfied smirk instantly curved Daki's lips. Her gaze shifted to Rize Kamishiro, pausing for a moment on a face that was nearly the match of her own. "Good. Once the target is in hand, notify me. The contact details are on the back of the photo. When that time comes, in addition to the food you need, I'll also provide you with a sum of money."

Daki spoke without the slightest stinginess. Muzan had assigned this mission to her and Upper Rank Five quite some time ago, but they had yet to produce any real results. Entrusting the ghouls with capturing that little boy was merely one commission among many.

Before this, she had also hired certain yakuza groups, private detectives, and other humans to gather intelligence—all to cover the gap that their inability to move during daylight created. Still, Daki didn't place much faith in those humans' reliability. In comparison, she felt the ghouls would be far more dependable. After all, from a dietary standpoint, they were kin.

Watching Daki's departing silhouette, Touka turned to Rize with a baffled expression. "You're planning to stir up trouble agai—"

Her words were cut short by Rize.

"The one she wants to catch... is Master—Kouma."

Rize held up the photograph. The instant that stunningly beautiful little face entered Touka's vision, her eyes sharply contracted. Kaya, looking over, let out a soft gasp. "Isn't that the little boy from last time...?"

Rize said nothing. Her violet eyes remained fixed on Daki's retreating back, a cold, piercing chill gleaming within them.

A creature unfit to see the light of day—and it thought itself worthy of capturing her master? And to walk straight into her crosshairs like this—how perfectly convenient.

"Heh. Serves her right."

Rize let out a cold laugh, but deep in her eyes flickered a spark of excitement and delight. This was the perfect opportunity. Finally, she would be able to meet the little boy again. Rize pressed her thighs tightly together. The tally marks upon them seemed to burn with a faint heat. Her violet eyes brimmed with nothing but anticipation.

...

At that moment, in Shizuka Hiratsuka's office.

Kouma sat before the computer, happily munching on the snacks Hiratsuka was feeding him while playing a game. Heaven only knew where Hiratsuka had gotten the information, but the moment she learned he played a certain online game, she'd immediately set up a high-end PC right there in her office, telling him to come by and play whenever he had time.

One could only imagine the uproar if other parents heard such words coming from a teacher, but for Kouma, with snacks to eat, games to play, and massages on tap—there was no way he'd refuse Hiratsuka's generous hospitality.

On the screen, Kouma was controlling a warrior character named "Nutrition Express," furiously unleashing a storm of damage upon an elite mob. Meanwhile, the priest in their party was frantically healing him—even though his health bar hadn't so much as budged. The priest seemed utterly fixated on him, healing him and him alone.

Finally, the mage in the party couldn't take it anymore. She switched on her mic, and a familiar voice rang out from the speakers.

"AAAAARGH! Priest, do you not see my health bar's about to go completely red?!"

"What, is the warrior your husband or something?! Why are you so obsessed with him?!"

Kouma's was a three-person party—a warrior, a mage, and a priest. The mage was an old acquaintance. She'd previously played a priest and was constantly muttering about destroying the world.

Most likely some shut-in fallen angel. As for the priest—Kouma had run into her before. After saving her in-game and helping her clear a few beginner quests, this girl—whose player ID was Ako Tamaki—had been obsessively clinging to him ever since.

And now, upon hearing the mage's outburst, Ako's eyes practically sparkled.

Without a shred of hesitation, she spoke up boldly. "Nutrition Express... will you be my husband?"

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