Chapter 39: Big Sis is So Uncomfortable, Nya~ (Patreon)

The scene shifts home.

In the entryway, Kuroka stood with fists clenched tightly, arms held straight down parallel in front of her, looking absolutely livid. Beneath her wide kimono, her rounded, pert buttocks jutted slightly backward. Her two tails, usually swaying playfully, were now rigidly erect, slanted upwards at a sixty-degree angle like two exclamation marks.

"Aaaah! Hana, you actually have another woman's scent on you today, and it's so strong! Spit it out right now, which alley cat outside did you hook up with this time!?"

Her entire demeanor right now was like that of a bristling cat.

Oh wait, not like—she was a bristling cat.

And today, unlike that time with Saeko Busujima, she had actually guessed correctly.

"Well, something did happen..."

Hanakain Fubuki changed into slippers at the door and stepped up from the sunken entryway while reaching out and sweeping the cat-eared girl into his arms.

Skin touched, scents mingled. Kuroka, who had been baring her fangs and brandishing her claws just a second ago, let out a soft "mew~" and immediately quieted down.

Hanakain Fubuki had intended to explain further, but this sudden silence caught him somewhat off guard.

When he looked up at Kuroka, he saw the cat-eared girl looking down at him, cheeks flushed, lightly biting her lower lip, her beautiful golden eyes filled with a thick, watery sheen.

"...Aroused again?" After experiencing this so many times, even someone as dense as Hanakain Fubuki should understand by now.

"Mhm..." Kuroka nodded with a tiny sound.

Hanakain Fubuki was shocked. "Seriously? We just went at it for two days straight over the weekend. Weren't you complaining this morning about how sore your back was?"

"W-Well, what can I do about it, nyaa..." Kuroka argued forcefully, though her face was red and she was humming defensively. "My back was still sore during the day, but just now when you suddenly hugged me... and held my butt like that, the feeling just hit me all at once, nyaa... Alright, stop talking so much, Big Sis feels really uncomfortable, nyaa, hurry up..."

Feeling the girl in his arms becoming increasingly clingy and restless, Hanakain Fubuki mentally shrugged in resignation.

Looks like it would have to be bath first, then dinner again today.

Just as Hanakain Fubuki had told Rias back at the hotel, with his near-infinite combat endurance, let alone just over an hour, even if he "fought" continuously for a hundred hours, he likely wouldn't feel the slightest bit tired.

Thus, time flew, and two hours passed in the blink of an eye. As the hour hand on the living room wall clock gradually approached eight, the sounds from within the bathroom finally subsided.

In the bathtub, Kuroka, drained from continuously reaching high peaks of exertion, lay limply on the boy's chest. Her long legs were curled up underwater, almost tucking herself into a ball. Even her two cat tails, which had been bristling straight and thick earlier, were now coiled obediently beside her.

After resting for a bit and recovering some energy, Kuroka suddenly propped herself up slightly, shifted sideways into a more convenient position for talking, and flopped back down, lazily blinking one eye then the other as she mumbled, "Nee~ So, Hana, you still haven't confessed. Which alley cat did you really hook up with outside?"

Perhaps because she had just been thoroughly satisfied, even her tone of voice was considerably softer now.

Hanakain Fubuki hesitated for a moment, then phrased it somewhat tactfully: "It started this afternoon near the end of class, Akeno suddenly messaged me saying Rias wasn't feeling well and club activities were temporarily cancelled..."

"So it was that red-haired rich woman!?" Before he could finish, Kuroka, who had been lying listlessly just a second ago, instantly shot up in surprise.

However, she quickly realized she had overreacted and immediately lay back down, pressing her inverted peaks back against his chest like dough.

"Mmm~ And then?"

"And then..." Without wasting much time, Hanakain Fubuki recounted the sequence of events in just a minute or two.

Kuroka listened blankly, then rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"I knew it. It's always for reasons like this. After all, Hana, you always get soft-hearted about these things."

"It's not really about being soft-hearted. It's simply about not wanting to regret things later," Hanakain Fubuki shook his head. "Just like back when you were being hunted by those devils, Kuroka. If I had done nothing back then, the outcome would naturally have been you getting caught by them. While I wouldn't have suffered any substantial loss myself, perhaps later on, thinking back, I might have felt 'If I had saved her then, maybe things would have been different,' and thus felt regret."

"So, since I know I'll definitely regret doing nothing later, it's better to choose the other path... And so far, facts have proven I was right to do so. Just like us now."

Speaking up to this point, the boy lowered his head, his gaze meeting the cat-eared girl's in mid-air just as she looked up, lips slightly parted as if about to say something.

Mentioning the beginning of their acquaintance, Kuroka's thoughts also seemed to drift back to that initial time. Her already watery golden eyes inadvertently gained an extra layer of undisguisable, tender affection.

"Well, it was like that for us back then..." She traced circles on Hanakain Fubuki's chest with her index finger while lying prone. "So, Hana, are you going to fight people again for someone else this time?"

"Probably..." Hanakain Fubuki's tone was indifferent. Anyway, he had already made his decision the moment he kissed Rias in front of Grayfia. It was just a trip to the Underworld, no big deal, as if he was afraid of anyone.

"Mmm, if that's the case—" As if thinking of something interesting, Kuroka straightened up slightly with a sly grin. "Then I'll go too."

"...Huh?" Now Hanakain Fubuki was stunned.

Although this matter was essentially a conflict between the Gremory and that Phenex family, resolving it would most likely require a trip to the Underworld. But even if they went to the Underworld, it would surely be him going with Rias and the others, right? Bringing Kuroka along... while not absolutely impossible, wouldn't Shirone be there too?

"That's probably not necessary. It's just a trip to the Underworld at most. We'll be back in a few days..."

Kuroka pouted dissatisfiedly. "So what Hana means is you're going to leave Big Sis all alone at home for days without any attention, nyaa?"

"..." Why did the topic suddenly shift to grilling me again? Is this some universal tactic among women in love worldwide? Hanakain Fubuki thought silently. He was clearly discussing the matter rationally, and then suddenly it turned into questioning his attitude. Hiss~ Maybe I kind of understand that saying I used to see often now: "Don't try to reason with women."

Since objective reasoning wasn't working, he could only approach it from a practical angle.

"Then what do you plan to do if Shirone is there too, Kuroka?"

"Mmm~ About that..." Kuroka tapped her lips with her index finger, pretending to think hard, then made a V-sign horizontally in front of her eyes and winked. "As long as I don't get drawn into the fight, Big Sis has her ways, nyaa~!"