After killing the malevolent god sealed beneath Sankogudani Shrine, Takumi set off for home.
Even though he had gone to great lengths to conceal the disturbance he had just caused, quite a few people still sensed it.
But none of them had any way to trace the source of that fluctuation back to him.
The only exception was Yuki Tsukumo, who was wandering around near Kuoh Town at the time and realized that the disturbance had been caused by Takumi.
Because the moment that moonlit arrow fell, she had very clearly felt the Divine Envoy Piece inside her body pulse once.
Right after that, the Divine Envoy Piece had also produced a whole stream of new information.
"A skill tree? What even is this? What kind of new nonsense has Takumi come up with now?"
After looking through it for a bit, Yuki Tsukumo couldn't help letting out a long breath.
"This skill tree system is way too ridiculous. If someone really managed to master it completely... they'd genuinely be worthy of being called a 'messenger of god.'"
"Those old fossils in the jujutsu world probably have no idea what kind of existence they're actually dealing with."
Yuki Tsukumo murmured softly, then seemed to think of something and shook her head with a smile.
Following Takumi's earlier instructions, she had already passed his information along to the jujutsu higher-ups.
To outsiders, Takumi's move looked like nothing more than a warning shot aimed at the jujutsu world.
But in Yuki Tsukumo's eyes, he was obviously trying to provoke them on purpose.
If the people in the jujutsu world really dared to make a move, Takumi's fist would probably come crashing down on them next.
"And when that happens, I'll have to turn on them too and beat the hell out of those old men."
At that thought, Yuki Tsukumo's lips curved into a grin.
But the second she remembered that Takumi hadn't come looking for her these past few days, her mood instantly soured.
"Do I seriously have to be the one to make the first move? That's so annoying!"
As the older woman, taking the initiative to go after a younger guy was honestly a little embarrassing.
But if she didn't go after him, she'd just spend every day waiting around, itchy and restless with anticipation.
After thinking it through from every angle, Yuki Tsukumo concluded that she really did need to take the initiative.
Of course, doing that didn't necessarily mean asking him out on a date that directly.
"I'll find a chance to ask him to go exorcise spirits together. If we keep talking while we're at it, things should naturally work themselves out!"
Yuki Tsukumo slapped herself on the forehead, convinced her plan was absolutely brilliant.
After getting excited over that, she looked back over the skill tree inside the Divine Envoy Piece.
As a woman, she really wanted to choose the [Authority of Beauty] path.
But she also knew perfectly well that it wasn't suited to her.
"I'd better go with slaughter. I can use a few cursed spirits as practice targets too."
Muttering to herself, Yuki Tsukumo made her choice, and a faint crimson glow immediately spilled out from within her body.
The same kind of thing was happening to many of the girls who had fused with Divine Envoy Pieces.
Still, the majority of them had not yet made their choice.
Girls like Senjougahara and Yuki Suou, for example, still hadn't found paths that really suited them.
Takumi had already sent out a message telling them they could wait for now.
After all, none of them currently had any need to fight. Choosing a Divine Envoy path too early and then trying to rework it later would be a lot of trouble.
By the time Takumi got home, he found there were quite a few people in the house today.
Even tenants from the apartment building, like Senjougahara and Karin Nanase, had come over to visit.
"Yo~ Welcome back, darling~~"
The moment Takumi stepped through the door, Senjougahara greeted him with a smile.
That one line instantly drew the attention of all the girls behind him.
Still, they had already been given something of a warning beforehand, so their emotional reaction wasn't too intense.
Even Tohru only looked indignant rather than truly furious.
Mio forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes and said, "Senjougahara-san, I really didn't expect the first tenant in the apartment building to be you. But calling my brother 'darling' is a bit too much, don't you think?"
"Darling is darling. As his younger sister, you should learn to face reality."
Senjougahara answered without the slightest hesitation, and her poison-tipped words stabbed straight into Mio's heart.
If this weren't happening in front of so many people, Mio probably would have shouted that she wasn't his real little sister at all—her true identity was his slave.
But in the end, between shame and the feeling that saying something like that out loud would be way too humiliating, Mio still couldn't bring herself to say it.
"It really is lively at your place, Takumi ~"
At that moment, Sona's voice sounded out, and then she and Rias naturally walked in through the doorway.
Mio immediately shot her a hostile look. Among all the women here, the "fake fiancée" Sona was obviously one of the biggest threats.
"What are you doing here!?"
Faced with Mio's possessive challenge, Sona elegantly took a seat.
"I'm Takumi's fiancée. Is there something wrong with me coming to his home? If anything, showing up this late is what would really be inappropriate."
"Wouldn't you agree, my fiancé~?"
Sona lifted her flawless little face and shot Takumi a flirtatious wink.
That playful, adorable gesture was enough to make anyone's heart race.
Takumi let out a long breath, forced down the heat rising inside him, and sat down across from Sona.
"What you're saying isn't wrong, but Sona, I'm guessing you came with actual business."
"Mmm~~"
Hearing that, Sona cast him a resentful look.
The expression on her face practically said, What, I can't come see you unless I have a reason?
But that expression vanished almost immediately, and Sona quickly returned to her usual calm, elegant composure.
"Nothing major. Just a bit of minor news."
"I've gotten word that the Lucifer Maou from the war faction has already started sending subordinates after you."
"I don't think he's likely to target you directly. It's much more probable that he'll make a move against the people around you instead, so you all need to be careful."
As she spoke, Sona swept her gaze across the room and gave the girls there a very serious warning.
Their expressions tightened, and their moods became much more solemn.
Takumi lowered his eyes and tapped a finger lightly against the table.
"I really hate trouble, and I hate being forced into a passive position even more. I was originally planning to deal with them a little later, but apparently they're more impatient than I expected."
"If they're in such a hurry to die, then I'm willing to waste a little time on them."
Sona heard every word of Takumi's arrogant declaration, and for a moment she looked like she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
After a brief silence, she spoke quietly.
"No matter what happens, the Sitri family and I will stand on your side."
Her answer made Takumi raise a brow.
A major noble family generally never made rash, aggressive choices.
Even now, though the Underworld's war faction and peace faction were in opposition, both sides were still maintaining at least a surface-level stability and hadn't let things escalate into open war.
Under normal circumstances, hearing Takumi talk this casually about "starting a war" should have led to immediate attempts to dissuade him.
The fact that Sona said what she did meant that her trust in him—and her feelings for him—had reached a very real level.
"What do you mean, someone wants to hurt Takumi?!"
At that moment, Tohru leaned forward, her eyes flashing with a trace of killing intent as she questioned Sona directly.
The heavy dragon might spilling off her instantly pressed down on Sona so hard she could barely breathe.
...
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