Kuroka's eyes narrowed as she recognized the Boosted Gear.
"This sacred gear is... So you're Leonard Tonello. The devil everyone's been talking about. The first to kill a Phenex."
"Yes, I am. And I know that you work for the Vali team and that Vali Lucifer is acting sooner than expected because of what I did," I replied.
Kuroka seemed surprised that I already knew about Vali Lucifer and that I already expected him to act.
"What puzzles me, though, is why you're trying to steal this amulet. It's not that important to Vali Luficer, nor to the Angels or the Fallen Angels. That's why it's in the house of a human."
Kuroka let out a short laugh. "This amulet is much more important than it seems."
I stared at her, pondering her words. It was obvious that there was something else about this object, but I knew that it wasn't crucial to anything.
"All right. If the amulet is so important to you, we can make a deal. I'll let you go with it without having to fight me, but you'll owe me something."
For a moment, Kuroka seemed to refuse. Her expression was one of mistrust and defiance, but something changed in her eyes. Perhaps she remembered what she had heard about my battle with Raiser Phenex. She knew that I was capable of a destructive power that could kill even an immortal being, and that wasn't something to be ignored. What's more, when I squeezed her neck, she felt how strong I was. And that was without using the boost. If I'd used several boosts, she would have lost for sure, even with Touki.
She sighed, a resigned smile on her lips. "Very well, Leonard Tonello. I accept your agreement. However, I only do this because I want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."
I took a step back, allowing her to approach the amulet again. "Just don't forget that you owe me now. And I'm going to collect."
Kuroka carefully took the amulet and placed it between her large breasts in her kimono for safekeeping.
"Until next time, Leonard. I'm sure we'll meet again."
She disappeared through the same magic circle that had appeared, leaving me alone in the room.
"Are you sure about what you just did, boy? Rias Gremory will be pissed when she finds out you willingly let a thief steal an item from one of her customers."
I deliberately ignored the Red Dragon Empress' question. "Ddraig, you said that day that my destiny was to fight the Albion, right?"
"{Yes. That's the destiny of each of my hosts.}"
"That's why I let the girl go. Kuroka Toujou is the Koneko's sister and she's part of the Albion Host team, but she'll be mine one day. I want to take this piece and any other pieces away from Vali Luficer so that he doesn't have a chance to act alone and become desperate."
"{Boy, I like the way you think, but... how are you going to do all that?}"
"I don't know yet. Too many things can happen to get in my way, so it will be impossible to have a single concrete plan. What I can do is plant small seeds to reap the rewards later."
"So the fact that you left that woman was just so that she could help you in the future. How do you know she won't betray you?"
"She works for Vali Luficer, but there's nothing in the world she loves more than her sister. If I offer to reconcile with Koneko in the future, Kuroka will accept."
I turned my attention back to the now empty shop window and thought about what Kuroka had said. The amulet was more important than it seemed. That meant there was more at stake than I could see at this moment, maybe more than I could predict from my knowledge of the anime. From now on, I would have to be more vigilant, more prepared for whatever came next, and that included becoming stronger.
My only combat skill at the moment was Boosted Gear, and when I had sex, I could use the system's abilities.
I raised my right index finger, and a spark of lightning shot out from its tip.
'Just as I thought, the
[The skill of
[You had sex with Akeno Himejima fourteen times, so the skill
[You had sex with Akeno Himejima, and thanks to the skill
[You had sex with Akeno Himejima, and thanks to the skill
[You had sex with Akeno Himejima, and thanks to the skill
*
The next morning, Akeno and I were in the room of the Occult Research Club. Rias stood in front of us, her blue eyes sparkling with frustration and a minor disappointment. Next to her, Akeno maintained a calm expression, but her eyes showed a slight concern that we had failed.
"So, can anyone tell me what happened last night? How did a thief get in and out of the Tanaka mansion without you stopping it or even seeing it?" asked Rias.
"Mr. and Mrs. Tanaka were having a little party for their book club..." I began, choosing my words carefully. "We weren't invited because apparently Mrs. Tanaka is afraid of us devils, so we ended up being kept in a room until the wee hours of the morning. When I finally realized that I could go out and look around, I realized that the amulet had been stolen, but it was too late. I didn't see anything else."
Rias sighed and massaged her temples. "And you didn't think at any point of just disobey the client's orders?"
"And risk losing the contract by upsetting the client?" I continued.
"They insisted that we stay in the room and not participate, and it became inconvenient to leave. By the time we realized the situation, it was too late."
"I understand..." Rias said, her shoulders relaxing a little as she clasped her hands together. "The important thing is that Mr. Tanaka is not angry. He has accepted the situation as her fault, and fortunately, we haven't lost the contract with him." She paused and looked directly at me. "Akeno, could you give us a moment alone, please? I have to talk to Leonard about something serious."
Akeno nodded and gave me a supportive look before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind her. I stood there, waiting for what would come next.
"Is something wrong, Rias?"
She tucked a lock of her red hair behind her ear and looked down at her feet. "Actually, there's something else I want to know. You and Akeno in the bedroom yesterday... did you do something?"
*
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*
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NEXT CHAPTERS:
Chapter 57 - Jealousy
Chapter 58 - Legs Relaxed (R-18)
Chapter 59 - Abandoned Factory
Chapter 60 - The Two Female Exorcists
Chapter 61 - Project Excalibur
Chapter 62 - Surprise from Asia (R-18)
Chapter 63 - A nun with no regrets (R-18)
Chapter 64 - The Servant and the Master (R-18)
Chapter 65 - Rias Gremory's Bottom Lips
Chapter 66 - Search Plan