"Nice to meet you. I'm Ravel's father. I've known about you since Riser and Rias-sama's Rating Game… At first, when the game's audio cut out, I thought it was some technical issue. Never did I imagine someone would be reading the Bible aloud during a devil's game! Hahaha!"
"Dear, please greet him properly. He's taken time out of his busy schedule just to visit us. It's a pleasure to meet you, Arima Ikki. I'm Ravel's mother. I hear Riser has been in your care, and I've heard of your exploits. With someone like you around, I doubt any unsavory pests from the human world will bother our daughter… Speaking of which, darling, didn't you always say: 'If someone wants to marry my daughter, they'll have to defeat me first!' Shall we put that to the test and see how Mr. Ikki fares?"
Wait, ma'am?! You just told him to greet me properly, why are you suddenly bringing up a duel with the family head!? Is that normal for the Phenex family? Do you all casually duel because you're immortal!?
"Fufufu! Ikki-sama could never lose! Go ahead, Ikki-sama! It's Father, but don't hold back, cut him down with a single strike and show him your power!"
Ravel!? What is this energy?! Is this how the Phenex family always behaves when it's just them!?
Fine, I get it! If you want 'a single strike,' then I'll give you a single strike!
If I want to take down an immortal Phenex for sure, there's only one technique that'll do it…
"Would it be alright to move somewhere open? With Ittou Rasetsu, I can cut through even the fabric of space. I should be able to split the head clean in two… Though I can't guarantee he'll regenerate afterward. I hope that's acceptable."
That was apparently too far, even for them. He interrupted, his voice slightly panicked:
"No, no, no, no! There's no need to fight! I may be strong among high-class devils, but I doubt I could take you. Let's… not get split in half. Ahem! I believe you've heard that I'm on relatively good terms with the Gremory head, yes? I also heard from Ravel herself about your time together in the human world, and I see no problems there. However, if I were to voice one concern… When's the wedding?"
"…W-Wedding? I was thinking… after university, maybe? …Wait, no, hold on."
And then it hits me.
"Yes. Technically speaking, the Nine-Tailed Princess holds the title of your legal wife. But she's still only eleven years old, isn't she? If you wait until she graduates university, that's more than a decade away… However, in Japan, marriage is legal from the age of sixteen, isn't it? You may want to consider that option. I, for one, would love to see my daughter in her wedding dress sooner rather than later."
Didn't there used to be a drama or something called "My Wife Is a High Schooler"…?
Still, I really think we should at least wait until Kuju graduates high school. If we do that, we'll only have a two-year gap post-university, and it won't feel too unnatural…
…Later on, when I discussed it calmly with Yasaka-san, I found out she and Kuju were surprisingly okay with the idea of marrying at sixteen. It took a lot of effort to talk them down. Yasaka-san even whispered things like:
"Imagine it… your wedding night with a brand-new high school bride… Doesn't it thrill you?"
Please stop with that kind of commentary. Seriously.
After exchanging pleasantries, we had to get back to prepping for the school festival. We took a quick sightseeing tour around the Phenex territory and returned home, where we were met by a tearful Issei.
"Ikkiiiiiii!! I'm too scared to read tomorrow's morning paper!!"
Apparently, the press conference was quite the spectacle.
"Alright, alright. If you don't want to read it, I'll read it aloud for you!"
"That doesn't solve anything!! What I need right now is a time machine, man! I even made the Prez look bad out there!"
He buried his head in his hands, then quickly changed the subject out of sheer embarrassment.
"By the way, aren't you heading to Sairaorg-san's place tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I'll bring back some apples, they're a specialty of the Bael territory… Just so we're clear, I'm not going there to spy. If anything, it's more of a sparring match, so Sairaorg might end up stronger because of it."
"Hey, I'm not the type to ask you to spy. And I'm not so petty I'd get upset over a friendly spar… But I am looking forward to those apples."
You'd better be!
The next day, after breakfast (and after catching the headline "Oppai Dragon Sucks the Switch Princess's Switch!?" in the Underworld paper), I went down to the basement teleportation chamber.
A few moments later, the magic circle activated, and Sairaorg and Kuisha appeared.
"We're here, Arima Ikki. Are you ready?"
"Yes, I'm all set."
No big luggage, I have the essentials stored in my dimensional space.
Sairaorg turned his gaze to Kuroka, Shirone, and Ravel, who had all come to see me off. Now that I think about it, he's only unfamiliar with Kuroka. He's met the other two at least on the Oppai Dragon stage, if not before.
"I'd heard that the sister of Toujou Shirone is your lover, and also a formidable fighter… but her aura is so refined and silent that I wouldn't have noticed her unless I looked closely. Ah, where are my manners, I'm Sairaorg Bael, heir to the Bael family. This is my Queen, Kuisha. A pleasure."
Sairaorg's honest and straightforward nature seemed to impress Kuroka, who… gave him this:
"I'm Kuroka. Today, I'm letting you borrow Ikki, nya~ But no extensions, okay?"
Okay, guess I'm rental property now.
"Hahaha! Sounds like there'd be some steep late fees if I ran over time. Don't worry, we're heading to a countryside estate where my mother and I lived. The main Bael manor has too many stiff-necked folks, but those types never come all the way out here."
Good call. I definitely don't want to bump into the current Bael family head. That guy would probably scream something like:
'Why is such a filthy lower creature in our glorious Bael household!? Throw it out immediately!'
…Yeah, I'd rather not.
"Alright! Time to head out!"
"Take care, nya~ Oh, but before you go…"
Kuroka-san? What are those arms wide open for? (playing dumb)
"C'mon, what's the matter? You gave us all hugs during the school trip, remember? Even your parents saw and looked embarrassed. But Sairaorg-sama here surely knows you have multiple lovers, right? You could even give us a kiss goodbye on the train platform, if you like~"
You mischievous cat! She pounces the moment she smells blood!
"Ikki-sama!? Something like that happened after!?"
"I wasn't told either. In that case, don't we have the right too?"
Hey, you two!? Don't let Kuroka manipulate you like this! And Sairaorg-san, stop laughing and help me!
"Hahahaha! Even Arima Ikki has his weaknesses when it comes to his lovers. Good to know. What? Compared to yesterday's press conference where the Red Dragon Emperor claimed he was 'sucking Rias's boobs,' this is nothing to be shy about!"
That press conference is literally the most embarrassing part of all this!
In the end, I settled for a group hug and a forehead kiss to defuse the situation. Just before teleporting, I think I heard Kuroka whisper:
"Next time, kiss me on the lips, nya~"
Nope. I'm telling myself that was my imagination.(It wasn't.)
Once we arrived in the Underworld, after a few more transfers, we reached a modest mansion in the countryside.
Though, compared to the Gremory or Phenex family manors, it's still enormous.
At the front entrance, we were greeted by a slightly pudgy but energetic butler.
"Welcome home, Sairaorg-sama. And welcome to you, Ikki-sama! This is the first time Sairaorg-sama has invited a friend here, I'll be pulling out all the stops to make you feel at home!"
"Within reason. Kuisha, handle the peerage affairs for now. I'll check in later."
Sairaorg gently reminded the enthusiastic butler to calm down and issued some instructions to Kuisha. Then, we headed to Misla-san's room.
She greeted us calmly, her dark hair and gentle presence giving off a peaceful aura.
"It's good to see you again, Ikki-san. It's not much, but please make yourself at home."
"Thank you! And I'm glad to see you're well again."
"It's all thanks to the special elixir you provided… I can't thank you enough. When the early symptoms of the Sleep Disease appeared, I thought Sairaorg would carry on even without me, but I regretted not being able to witness it. But now, I can both watch and support him as he pursues his dreams. Nothing makes me happier."
Ugh… That elixir wasn't even something I made. I stumbled upon it by chance. Being thanked for it feels… weird.
Still, I accepted her thanks quietly. We started talking about the medicine.
"The Sitri family has been trying to recreate the original version of that medicine, but so far, no luck. They've managed a lower-grade copy, though… Still, they say it's advanced Underworld medical science by nearly a century."
A century?! The Sitri family just leapfrogged 100 years ahead in medical tech!?
If I ever get a serious illness, I'm heading straight to a Sitri hospital. No question.
Later, I heard that even President Sona's father developed the Sleep Disease a year later, but the degraded version of the elixir still cured him.
Misla-san showed me around the estate and her personal flower garden. (Unlike the Gremory mansion, which takes three days to tour.)
At one point, I saw something weird through a window.
"…Sairaorg-san, what's with that apple mascot character?"
I was staring at several apple-shaped costume heads, each with slightly different expressions, smiling, smug, spaced out…
"Ah, that's Bapple-kun. You know how the Underworld's been adopting human-world culture, right? Like the Oppai Dragon stage shows in Gremory territory. We're doing something similar. Those are prototype 'yuru-kyara', mascots, basically."
So that's why they all look different.
"Truth is, I wanted to be the suit actor for Bapple-kun myself. But Mother stopped me, she said it'd involve too much close interaction with children, unlike the hero show, and I'm not ready for that yet."
I had to stop myself from shouting 'Nice call, Misla-san!' Sairaorg as a cutesy mascot is… just not right.
Sure, the lion king role in the hero show suited him perfectly. But this?
Then he suddenly looked up, eyes sparkling.
"That's it! Ikki, these 'yuru-kyara' came from the human world! If I train with you, maybe I can level up my mascot power! Will you teach me the ways of the 'yuru-kyara'? I want to be the kind of adult who inspires dreams in children!"
What the hell is this man talking about!?
I've never done a mascot gig in my life! Are you assuming all humans are mascot-capable just like all Japanese know the way of the Samurai!?
I looked desperately toward Misla-san for help.
"I wasn't aware of these cultural changes since Sairaorg was born, but it's fascinating how much the human world has evolved."
That's not true! It hasn't changed that much in 20 years!
"Sairaorg, I'd also like to assess your current 'yuru-kyara power' someday. Perhaps you could try sparring with Ikki-san while incorporating some mascot moves?"
Misla-saaaaan!? I thought you were the sane one! When did you switch to the comedy team!?
"…Y-Yes…"
Unable to withstand their pure, hopeful gazes, I mumbled my agreement…
Which basically sealed my soul in a devil's pact.