Chapter 49: It's the Rice Vat~ (Patreon)

After Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday passed, the time finally arrived at Saturday.

Itogami Island, also known as the legendary Demon District, is a colossal artificial floating island constructed in the Pacific Ocean, about three hundred kilometers off the coast of Tokyo. Although called the Demon District, its function is essentially more akin to a port connecting the Underworld and the Human World, much like customs control.

All devils traveling from the Underworld to the Human World must undergo inspection by the Demon District authorities. The submitted information must include their purpose of visit, affiliated faction, and an official seal from said faction, among other things. While this process doesn't necessarily ensure devils arriving in the Human World are more law-abiding, its primary purpose is accountability – serving as a basis for arguing liability and compensation should any incidents occur.

Thus, at 10 AM on Saturday, within the "Underworld" Port section of Itogami Island…

Though called a port, it actually resembled a train station more closely. Instead of ships docked in berths, this place housed rows of trains, specifically retro-style steam locomotives, giving off an atmosphere reminiscent of London in the last century.

However, unlike other waiting halls teeming with dense crowds of humans and devils, the hall where Hanakain Fubuki and the others waited was notably deserted and empty. Aside from their group, there was no one else present.

"It feels like the other waiting halls are so crowded, but there's hardly anyone here…" the blonde Sister commented, unable to resist looking around as soon as she entered the hall.

"Well, that's normal," answered Sona Sitri, whom she had met a few days prior at the old school building. Following behind Sona, as always, was the long black-haired girl with glasses who looked remarkably similar in style, almost like a sister – Tsubaki Shinra, if memory served correctly.

Sona pushed up her glasses and turned to Asia. "The train we'll be boarding shortly is actually the Gremory family's exclusive train. Generally speaking, among the 72 Pillar Nobles of the Underworld, aside from a few families with little connection to the Human World, most have their own dedicated trains of the same type and private waiting halls in the Demon District."

"What about you, President Sitri?" Hanakain Fubuki's voice came from the side. He was dressed today in rather loose, white short-sleeved training clothes, arms crossed over his chest, the sleeves just meeting. "Aren't you also from an Underworld noble family, President Sitri?"

"Er, my family is noble, yes, it's just that…" Appearing reluctant to discuss the topic, the short-haired girl with glasses hesitated, glancing away as if unsure whether to continue.

But before she could decide, Rias chimed in for her. "Honestly, seeing you two chatting so eagerly at the club the other day, I thought you already knew each other. Let me introduce you properly. Sona's real name is actually Sona Sitri, also from one of the 72 Pillars. Sona's older sister, like my brother, is one of the Four Great Satans, Serafall Leviathan."

"As for why Sona is traveling with us, the reason is quite simple. Lord Leviathan dotes on her younger sister immensely. If she heard Sona was returning, she would definitely insist on coming to greet her personally, and every time they meet, she ends up putting Sona through…"

"Rias!" Seeing her embarrassing details about to be revealed, Sona Sitri glared, her face flushing slightly as she interrupted loudly.

Rias quickly waved her hands appeasingly. "Alright, alright, I won't say more, I won't say more! Anyway, it's nothing major!"

"Hmph…" Seeing her friend cease the teasing, Sona Sitri pursed her lips and let out a small sigh of relief. "Okay, let's just sit down somewhere for a bit. Once the approvals come through, we can board and depart."

"Good idea." There were plenty of seats in the waiting hall, enough for everyone to choose freely.

Hanakain Fubuki and the others had just sat down when something stirred beneath the front of the young man's clothing. Then, a small black cat's head popped out from the collar.

"Ah!" Rias, sitting beside Hanakain Fubuki, was completely unprepared for her boyfriend to be hiding a cat on his person and let out a small gasp of surprise. But curiosity immediately followed. "This cat is…"

"Oh, I mentioned before that I have a cat at home," Hanakain Fubuki said, looking down and lifting the black cat out from his clothes, placing her on his lap. "Since we're going to the Underworld this time, I wasn't sure if we'd be back within two days. If it takes longer, she might start tearing the house apart at home, so I just brought her along."

"Ooh, does she have a name?" Rias asked, tilting her head.

"Yes. It's Kuroka." Hanakain Fubuki's tone remained calm, but Toujou Koneko, seated one spot away, flinched visibly, the sea salt cracker she had just taken out accidentally falling onto her lap, scattering a few grains of salt on her skirt.

"Kuroka, huh… Can I pet her?" Rias didn't think too much of it and reached out, intending to rub the cat's head.

And then, her hand touched empty air.

Seeing the girl's hand approach, Kuroka, who had been lounging comfortably on Hanakain Fubuki's lap just a second before, nimbly flipped over and stood up. With an elegant leap, she landed on the young man's shoulder, tilted her head, and squinted her eyes at Rias.

Rias: "..."

Although the cat was being quite disrespectful, she wasn't about to get angry at an animal. However… why did she get the distinct feeling she was seeing disdain on a cat's face? Was this cat really that intelligent??

"Meow~" While Rias was still reeling from the shock of being scorned by a cat, she heard meowing sounds from nearby. Turning towards the sound, she saw the petite, white-haired girl, who should have been quietly munching on crackers in her seat, had actually come closer. Still holding a sea salt cracker in one hand, she leaned down in front of Hanakain Fubuki, attempting to communicate with the black cat on his shoulder in cat language.

"Meow~" As if sensing the white-haired girl's goodwill, Kuroka also let out a soft meow. She then stretched her neck slightly, opened her mouth, and gently took the offered cracker, nibbling off a small piece.

And so, the scene in the waiting hall transformed for a moment.

Koneko: "Meow~ (Offers cracker)"

Kuroka: "Meow~ (Takes a small bite)"

Koneko: "Meow~ (Continues offering cracker)"

Kuroka: "Meow~ (Takes another small bite)"

For a short while, the vast waiting hall felt remarkably like a cat café.

Just then, however, the entrance door to the waiting hall suddenly opened. A staff member in uniform walked in briskly from outside, seemingly holding a document.

"Hello, there's something I need to inform you about urgently. Everyone's document approvals have come through, except for Miss Asia's document, which lacks the required official stamp and therefore cannot be approved."

"Eh!?" The Sister, hearing her name called, shrank back instinctively like a timid little rabbit, her movement causing her long blonde hair to bounce slightly.

Hanakain Fubuki was also slightly puzzled. He exchanged a glance with Rias beside him and immediately understood. It made sense why it couldn't be approved; the document check required the seal of an affiliated faction. Asia had not only left the Church but also hadn't yet been reincarnated as a devil to become part of the Gremory peerage. Thus, no matter how willing Rias was to help, she couldn't provide the necessary stamp.

Plus, this silly girl, much like Jeanne d'Arc from Fate before coming to Japan, was just a naive village girl ignorant of worldly affairs. She probably hadn't thought much when submitting the forms, likely just filling in all the blanks before handing it over.

Thinking this, Hanakain Fubuki beckoned the staff member over. "Excuse me, that's my bad, I forgot. She's an Onmyoji of the Hanakain family. Give it here."

With that, he casually condensed his spiritual power into the form of the Acting Head's seal and stamped the document with a large, golden imprint.

The staff member stared hesitantly at the golden seal for a moment but quickly nodded. "This resolves the issue." Although the idea of a blonde, blue-eyed girl being a Hanakain Onmyoji was quite ridiculous, it was, at least, slightly more plausible than the historical fact of a black samurai existing in Japan.

With that settled, it was time for departure.

Meanwhile, in a residential building somewhere on Itogami Island, within a dimly lit and silent computer room, dozens of computer monitors were arranged neatly from top to bottom, emitting a faint fluorescent glow in the darkness.

A cute girl with a curvaceous figure, appearing to be around fifteen or sixteen years old, with long, light brown hair and red eyes, sat intently before a computer desk. Her hands rested on a steering wheel, fingers constantly moving, as massive streams of data flashed across the screens with her operations.

Suddenly, a pixel-art style cyber pet, looking like a cross between a cat and a dog, appeared on the top-right monitor. Its mouth opened and closed, its voice breaking the silence of the computer room.

"Miss, I just detected your childhood friend appearing at the 'Port' via the island's cameras. He was with several other girls."

"Childhood friend? Moguai, what are you talking about? What childhood frien— uh..." As if finally processing the words, the blonde girl, engrossed in her work, abruptly stopped speaking. "Huh? Wait, wait, Moguai, what did you just say!?"

"Your childhood friend, Miss. Didn't you mention him yourself? That you had a childhood friend back when you lived in Kyoto before you moved." The cyber pet waved its two front paws back and forth on the screen. "Never mind, I'll just show you the screenshot~"

As it finished speaking, a surveillance system screenshot, timestamped half a minute prior, popped onto the screen. The image showed Hanakain Fubuki and the others, preparing to depart for the Underworld.

Staring at the face in the picture, still eighty to ninety percent similar to the one etched in her childhood memories, the blonde girl's fingers stopped moving on the keyboard. Her lips trembled slightly.

It's been ten years…