Chapter 268 The Weight of the Future

“Rejected. Obviously.”

I stared at Issei in disbelief.

“Just look back at your life already! You Boosted Gear, your Balance Breaker, the Breast Dragon Emperor blessing during the fight with Loki, Triaina, the Cardinal Crimson Promotion, the Dragon Blaster that blew away Jabberwocky—at this point it’s harder to find a time when you didn’t evolve because of breasts!”

“Ahaha… well, I guess Issei-kun has his own way of getting stronger, right?” Durio laughed awkwardly before tilting his head. “Still, drawing out the power of a demonic sword for only an instant… isn’t that basically the same thing you and Vali learned from the original Sun Wukong a while back?”

“Yeah,” I replied. “Back when Yuuto was using Holy Demonic Swords, constantly pouring aura into them probably wasn’t an issue. But demonic swords are different. The burden on the user’s body is insane compared to their raw output. It’s basically the same situation as Issei’s Crimson Armor or Vali’s silver armor… no, actually, it’s probably closer to the Juggernaut Drive.”

Yuuto’s problem was simple.

Until now, all his weapons had been absurdly fuel-efficient, so he unconsciously treated demonic swords the same way he treated Holy Demonic Swords. But swords weren’t meant to be gripped with maximum strength at all times. In swordsmanship, the proper technique was to tighten one’s grip only at the moment the blade struck.

Aura control worked the same way.

“…I see,” Yuuto murmured. “If I master that, I could probably increase the number of times I can swing a demonic sword by several dozen times over. That makes this training worth it.”

At the moment, Yuuto could only use the full-powered Gram two or three times before completely running out of energy. Worse, if he pushed himself further, the strain on his body became severe enough that even the demonic sword itself rejected him out of self-preservation.

When Yuuto approaches death, there is a chance Mil-tan is automatically summoned.

And so, from that day onward, controlling the aura flow of Yuuto’s demonic sword officially became part of his training regimen.

Honestly, Yuuto’s entire strength progression was basically one giant pile of retroactive upgrades. Holy Sword genes, Sacred Gear Holy Swords, legendary demonic swords—he was practically a “patchwork prince.”

“…Calling me a patchwork prince is kind of harsh, Ikki-kun.”

“Don’t read my mind! That’s exactly why people keep suspecting you’re into guys!”

=============

A few days later, the members of the Occult Research Club gathered in the clubroom with their guardians while waiting for their parent-teacher conferences.

Normally, club activities had nothing to do with these meetings, but both the Occult Research Club and the Student Council were packed with highly unusual students. The school had probably decided it was easier to keep everyone together in one place.

Classmates like Matsuda and Motohama were apparently doing their interviews in regular classrooms before the teachers moved over to the old school building afterward.

Most teachers didn’t know the truth behind Kuoh Academy anyway, but between subtle hypnotic suggestions and the supernatural aura permeating the campus, their sense of normalcy had long since become distorted enough that nobody questioned it too deeply.

At the moment, Issei’s mother, my mother, Ravel’s mother, and Kuroka were all chatting together.

Yuuto and Gasper’s guardians were technically stand-ins, so to avoid awkward encounters with their parents, they were “scheduled” to arrive at the last possible moment due to work obligations. Once their turn came, they’d simply be teleported in secretly.

“My, my, Lady Phenex. It’s been since New Year’s greetings, hasn’t it?” Issei’s mother smiled warmly.

“Indeed, Arima-san. I’m glad to see you’re doing well.” Lady Phenex returned the smile elegantly before glancing toward Ravel. “Ravel hasn’t caused you any trouble, has she? She’s always been a rather selfish child. Please don’t hesitate to tell me if she has.”

“Not at all!” Issei’s mother waved her hands frantically. “If anything, Ravel-chan helps with the housework and cooking all the time. She’s such a sweet and honest girl.”

“I’m relieved to hear that…” Lady Phenex nodded before turning toward Kuroka. “And what about you, Kuroka-san? As another of Ikki-san’s brides, what do you think? Ravel has always had a tendency to want what others have. She hasn’t forced herself between you and Shirone, has she?”

“That’s not a problem,” Kuroka replied casually. “The same goes for Shirone too. Even if they get jealous seeing someone else being pampered by Ikki, he spoils them immediately afterward anyway. He resolves their dIsseitisfaction before it can build up, so I’ve never heard Ravel complain about that sort of thing.”

“Oh my…” Lady Phenex looked genuinely impressed. “So Ikki-kun properly treasures the girls in his life. Unlike my son, who still refuses to make things clear. Ever since he was little, he’s only ever been honest about lewd things. At this rate, if he lets those girls get away, I may never see grandchildren.”

“That won’t be an issue, Hyoudou-san,” Lady Phenex assured her. “The Phenex family has close ties with the Gremory clan, and I hear your son’s name often. I doubt it will be long before he marries into the Gremory family.”

A painful silence filled the room.

“Hey, Ikki… Shirone-chan… Ravel…” Issei muttered weakly. “This atmosphere is really uncomfortable.”

“Yeah,” I agreed immediately.

There hadn’t even been room to interrupt that parental conversation.

“I think it’s because Issei-senpai’s mother is here,” Shirone said flatly. “But seeing Kuroka acting this normal feels incredibly strange.”

Honestly… she had a point.

At home, neither Kuroka nor Shirone bothered hiding their cat ears or tails anymore. Kuroka normally ended every sentence with “nya,” while Shirone had adapted to speaking normally thanks to school life. Instead, whenever she got affectionate, she’d let out a soft “Nyaa~” like an actual cat.

The first few times nearly gave me a nosebleed.

“Mou! Mother, stop talking about my selfishness already!” Ravel puffed her cheeks in embarrassment. “You keep bringing up unnecessary things!”

Well, she wasn’t wrong.

Sometimes she’d stare longingly whenever Shirone sat on my lap. Thanks to faint memories from the original story, I eventually realized Ravel wanted the same treatment.

So now, every so often, I let her sit on my lap too.

At home it wasn’t that embarrassing anymore, especially considering our relationship had already crossed far more shameless boundaries during nighttime activities. Honestly, the level of affection in our private life has risen dramatically lately.

Between D×D missions and the chaos caused by Qlippoth, opportunities for actual dates were practically nonexistent.

So indulging each other a little felt justified.

Just then, the clubroom door opened.

“Papa!? Why are you in Japan!?”

Irina practically leapt to her feet.

Standing there was her father, Shidou Touji, who usually worked overseas and had supposedly left Japan immediately after Christmas.

“Hahaha! Well, when I heard there’d be a discussion about my adorable daughter’s future, this papa skipped work and rushed over!”

“Chief!! That’s not something you joke about!”

“Papa! Even Lord Michael would get angry if you did that!”

“Haha, just kidding,” Touji said with a grin. “I actually had work in Japan by coincidence. This was just convenient timing. Besides, since Irina-chan started working in Kuoh, Lord Michael has been prioritizing Japanese assignments for me.”

That made sense.

Having Irina stationed in Kuoh meant it was strategically beneficial for her father to be nearby too.

“Hm.” Leaning against the wall, Xenovia watched them calmly. “If Director Shidou came but Sister Griselda hasn’t appeared, then she must truly be too busy. How unfortunate. In that case, I suppose I shall bravely face my parent-teacher conference alone.”

She emphasized “unfortunate” a little too much.

Apparently, even Xenovia wasn’t immune to the universal fear of parent-teacher conferences.

Unfortunately for her, reality was merciless.

“Xenovia,” came a gentle voice from the hallway, “there’s no need to worry. I finished my work properly and came just for you.”

A smiling Griselda entered the room.

A smile overflowing with pressure.

Apparently, her angelic hearing had caught Xenovia’s entire muttering session from the hallway.

The instant Xenovia saw her, she started acting suspiciously nervous.

“Y-You see, Sister Griselda… there’s really no need to go so far for someone like me. I have properly considered my future path already. Since you finally have free time, perhaps you should rest instead?”

“Ufufu. Before that, I should hear exactly what your future plans are.” Griselda smiled sweetly. “You’ve always been vague about everything. I’m sure your plans are equally vague. Now then, we shouldn’t disturb everyone else. Until your turn arrives, we’ll discuss your future thoroughly in the next classroom.”

Without giving Xenovia any chance to escape, Griselda grabbed her by the collar and dragged her bodily out of the clubroom.

Still… it was probably necessary.

If left alone, Xenovia would absolutely tell the teacher something like:

“I plan to enter university and then pursue a career where I defeat enemies using swords.”

At best, the teacher would interpret that as wanting to become a kendo instructor.

At worst, the poor teacher’s brain would overheat trying to process it.

It was probably kinder to let Griselda thoroughly edit Xenovia’s future plans beforehand.

Not long afterward, the interviews finally began.

Because they were called according to mixed-gender attendance numbers, I ended up first among the second-years, followed by Asia, then Yuuto.

My own interview mostly involved confirming my advancement into Kuoh Academy same as almost every other student but things got awkward when I mentioned I had connections in Kyoto and intended to work there after graduation.

The teacher looked genuinely shocked.

Though honestly, “Kyoto-related work” didn’t necessarily mean living directly in Kyoto itself.

Besides… if I started staying in Kyoto all the time immediately after graduating, that would be awkward for Kunou, who’d likely still be living at my house by then.

Still…

Kunou in Kyoto.

Shirone as a Gremory peerage member.

Ravel, the princess of House Phenex.

Kuroka could live anywhere without issue, but keeping everyone in one permanent home might actually become difficult in the future.

Then again, maybe if I talked things through with Rias-senpai and Lord Phenex, we could arrange for Shirone and Ravel’s official residences to be set in Kyoto instead. Installing specialized teleportation circles like the ones beneath my house and Issei’s house probably wouldn’t be impossible if Yasaka approved it…

But then again, would it be more practical for a Gremory peerage member to stay in the Underworld alongside the future head of House Gremory?

…Yeah.

This was definitely the kind of problem I couldn’t solve by thinking about it alone.

And so, while worrying about jobs and future homes in the back of my mind, my parent-teacher conference finally came to an end.

The following day after school, the members of the Occult Research Club and the Sitri Peerage were summoned to the clubroom once more.