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"Hmm...? Maria, you're awake already?"
With the Succubus girl hugging him tightly, Bokue found himself—for perhaps the first time ever—slightly caught off guard.
Though he'd anticipated this possibility when he saw the light beneath her door, he didn't think she'd actually take things this calmly.
Obviously, Maria had been awake for a while, standing near the door listening carefully to everything happening in the living room, and perhaps even sneaking a peek or two.
He wasn't exactly sure how much she'd overheard or seen. Maybe bits and pieces. Maybe everything.
But, at this point, it hardly mattered.
"Oh?" Feeling the subtle stiffness in the boy's posture, Maria smiled teasingly, clearly amused. "I never imagined even the unshakeable Bokue could get nervous. Relax—I'm not angry at all~."
Huh?
Completely taken aback by her casual reaction, Bokue blinked, genuinely surprised.
Could she really be this open-minded?
"Come on, Bokue-san. You can't just keep standing there. If we linger at the door too long, Mama will definitely become suspicious. Let's go inside first."
Without waiting for his reply or consent, the petite Succubus girl decisively dragged him inside her room, swiftly shutting the door behind them. Taking the lead, she sat down gracefully on the bed, then patted the spot beside her, signaling him to sit down as well.
Her intention was clear—sit down and talk properly.
Without hesitation, Bokue joined her, sitting down obediently. As soon as he did, Maria immediately leaned into him as if magnetically drawn, softly resting her head against his shoulder. With a sweet, contented sigh, she closed her eyes and smiled gently.
"Now, let's hear the truth from the very beginning, Bokue-san," she whispered playfully. "First question: When exactly did things start between you and Mama?"
"Ah, about that..." Bokue paused briefly, recalling events.
Honestly, at this stage, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Since Maria clearly already knew something, it was far better to lay everything on the table. Trying to hide the truth would just make things awkward.
Therefore, Bokue candidly recounted everything: from the night when Sheila demonstrated her skills and "accidentally" planted the seed, to the moment the Succubus mom disastrously impersonated her own daughter and was found out, followed by their eventful experience in the changing room afterward.
Maria listened intently, eyes sparkling with fascination.
"Oh my! So it all turned out that spectacularly complicated, huh~?" she exclaimed eagerly.
Listening to her excited tone, Bokue couldn't help but feel surprised, as though Maria were simply an enthusiastic onlooker relishing some juicy gossip rather than hearing about her own family's complicated affairs.
Noticing his bemusement, Maria tilted her head curiously. "What's with that look?"
"Well... why aren't you angry at all?" Bokue asked straightforwardly.
"Angry?" Maria blinked innocently, as if he'd asked something utterly absurd. "Why would I be angry?"
"Because of... you know..." Bokue hesitated, slightly confused.
She chuckled lightly, patting his arm reassuringly. "Isn't getting all sensitive about this kind of thing just a human custom? Those moral codes and societal taboos originally came from the human world, right?"
"That may be true, but..."
"Then that's settled!" Maria smiled brightly, shrugging casually. "Isn't it obvious? You can't judge a Succubus from the Demon Realm using standards from the human world. We're from a totally different culture~!"
Bokue was momentarily speechless.
On the surface, her logic sounded absurdly convenient—but on closer consideration, he realized it did actually make a weird kind of sense.
Maria leaned even closer, her expression turning mischievously intense as she playfully pressed forward. However, due to her petite height, she still had to tilt her head upward to meet his gaze.
"Oh, by the way, Bokue-san, did you know? Demons are extremely passionate and sincere with their feelings," she began softly, a sly twinkle in her eyes. "Once we genuinely love someone, we'll stop at nothing to be together—worldly opinions or restrictions are just minor details, you know~?"
Bokue silently recalled Venelana's earlier bold actions. Indeed, devils and demons seemed remarkably daring and unconcerned about human social standards. By comparison, Rias was the rare exception—unusually shy and modest for a demon.
"Still," Maria continued with a cute pout, "when I overheard you and Mama at first, even I was quite shocked, you know? But now that I think about it, this actually opens up some exciting new possibilities."
Maria grinned slyly, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper. "Next time, Bokue-san and I can try even more stimulating scenarios together. I'm sure you're looking forward to it too, aren't you?"
Bokue felt an odd sense of apprehension. Considering Maria's quirky nature, what exactly did she have in mind when she said "stimulating"?
Surely it wasn't some bizarre game where they impersonated each other to test if he could differentiate them through intimate touch alone?
Damn... when had his own thinking become this corrupted by Maria's influence?
"Oh right," Bokue remembered suddenly, "earlier, a woman named Lucia came by as well. Judging by what she said, it seems she's your... older sister?"
Maria's playful mood instantly shattered, her smile freezing awkwardly. In a heartbeat, all her easygoing charm disappeared, replaced by genuine shock and panic.
"W-w-w-w-what? Lucia-neesan came here?? When exactly?? D-did she mention anything about me??" she blurted anxiously, suddenly trembling.
Bokue stared in surprise at her intense reaction.
"She arrived earlier when all of you were asleep due to Sheila's hypnotic spell," he replied honestly. "And no, she didn't mention you specifically."
Bokue furrowed his brow slightly. "What's wrong? You seem really nervous about your sister?"
Maria let out a distressed whine, shoulders drooping miserably. "Well, ever since childhood, Lucia-neesan would always scold me and even punish me by spanking whenever I misbehaved. After that, just seeing her makes me instinctively want to run and hide."
Maria continued murmuring gloomily about various past miseries before abruptly recalling the seriousness of Lucia's sudden visit.
"Wait—then why exactly did Lucia-neesan suddenly come here anyway?" Maria's face turned solemn and concerned. "She should currently be at the Old Demon King's faction. Could it mean that things there—"
"Yeah," Bokue answered gravely. "Apparently, the Old Demon King faction is about to wage war against the Current Demon King faction. It seems they intend to recall Mio and use her as a combatant."
"What??" Maria immediately sat upright, her playful demeanor entirely gone, replaced by genuine seriousness and concern.
Seeing her sudden, drastic change in expression, Bokue became curious.
"Is something wrong?" he asked carefully.
Maria shook her head, expression uncharacteristically grim. "No, this isn't a simple matter at all. Bokue-san, please wake Mio and the others right away—I must explain the details to everyone clearly. This situation could be much more complicated than we initially thought."
"Hmm?"
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