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At Natsuki's home
In the bathroom, Aya Tokoyogi turned off the shower, slipped into a bathrobe, and stepped out.
Natsuki Minamiya sat on the sofa, quietly sipping her tea in the living room. Her half-lidded eyes drifted lazily toward Aya as she entered.
"Want a cup?" she offered, lifting the tea as a gesture.
Aya calmly dried her hair with a towel, her vibrant pink eyes cool and emotionless as she stared at Natsuki. "I'm honestly surprised. You're actually waiting here by yourself? "
"Let me guess," Aya said flatly. "Was this your brilliant idea, or did our charming new boss put you up to it? And… something about you changed while I was in the shower."
"Where is our boss BTW?"
Natsuki sipped her tea and muttered under her breath, "You're still annoying."
"And that guy locked himself upstairs the moment he got his hands on the Prison Barrier formula. He's been holed up like some kind of magic-obsessed lunatic."
She took another sip and smiled faintly.
"Haven't had tea like this in seven or eight years. Kinda missed it."
Aya didn't reply. After a few seconds of silence, she spoke quietly. "You've changed a lot."
The Natsuki from back then wouldn't have let her out of the Prison Barrier, let alone allow prisoners to die inside it—or even consider altering her contract.
"Is it that man who changed you?"
Natsuki's smile froze a little. She shot her an annoyed look. "Don't say it like that! You're making it sound so misleading!"
"…I wasn't implying anything. That's your interpretation."
Aya gave her a brief sideways glance, then scoffed. "Oh, I get it now. You've reached that age, huh? Come to think of it, you're in your twenties now. That's considered a late bloomer in Japan, isn't it?"
Natsuki groaned, clearly irritated. "Like you didn't go through that phase yourself."
But then her eyes sparkled mischievously as she smirked.
"Wait, hold on—aren't you way older than me? And still single, if I recall correctly?"
'An old hag who can't find a husband...' That's definitely what her eyes were saying.
Aya shot her a blank stare. Her voice was cold. "Looks like your mental age hasn't matured one bit."
"Still better than yours. At least I'm not a single old hag." Natsuki couldn't resist the jab, grinning smugly. "Anyway, isn't it because of Ryo that you haven't made a move yet?"
Aya's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Natsuki continued, "That powerful Grimoire you relied on—The Black Bible—I destroyed it seven years ago. I might be the only one left who remembers what was written in it."
She leaned forward, her voice low but sharp. "You surrendered without a fight to stay close, hoping to steal that memory back, didn't you?"
Then, in a tone that clearly meant trouble, she added. "Want to try me?"
Aya's gaze turned icy, her body glowing faintly with a black-purple aura.
At the same time, behind Natsuki, a giant, ghostly figure slowly began to manifest.
Clad in full armor and wielding a sword, it looked like a valkyrie—strong, ethereal, and terrifying.
Aya's pupils contracted slightly. Her voice held an edge of alarm. "That's… the Sixth Familiar of the Fourth Primogenitor—Rainbow Flames of the Dark Princess. The one that carries the cause-and-effect cuttingability. You can control that thing now?"
"Well, if I was gonna let you out, I had to be ready in case you snapped," Natsuki said casually, sipping her tea like nothing was wrong.
"…You didn't have this thing before," Aya muttered, piecing it together. Her eyes pierced straight through Natsuki. "So that's it. My new 'boss'—he's the Fourth Primogenitor of this generation. And while I was in the shower… you let him drink your blood, didn't you?"
"No wonder you've changed so much… Even rewrote a demon contract on your own. Was it that hard to give your blood to someone you had feelings for?"
Natsuki froze. Her mouth opened, but no sound came. Everything Aya said was… basically true.
She had worried she wouldn't be able to restrain Aya alone. That's why she let Ryo drink her blood and temporarily handed over control of the Sixth Familiar.
And yes—it all happened while Aya was in the shower.
With her pride bruised, Natsuki snapped back. "You were in there for two hours! What was I supposed to do—just wait around?"
Aya let out a mocking laugh. "Aw, what's the matter? Feeling defensive now?"
She smirked, eyes full of disdain. "With how obsessed you are with that guy, do you really still qualify as a witch?"
"I am not obsessed!!" Natsuki shot to her feet, fuming.
Aya tilted her head, pretending to be confused. "Why are you so worked up? I guess that eternal-child body of yours really did mess with your emotional maturity."
Natsuki opened her mouth again, wanting to retaliate… but nothing came out. She just sighed and slumped back into her seat.
"Ugh. I really can't deal with you."
"Back at you," Aya shot back with a smirk.
Natsuki took another sip of tea, snorted, then took a deep breath to calm down.
"Look, Aya. I'm warning you—don't do anything reckless. Even I don't fully understand Ryo Yagami's power. If you try to go against him, I won't be able to help you."
"What, you mean I'll end up getting bitten like you?" Aya said in mock surprise. "Wow, such a terrifying consequence."
"You—!!" Natsuki's face flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
It wasn't just Aya's teasing—it was that awful nagging feeling in the back of her mind, wondering whether she really had just become some bull-headed vampire's snack.
"In any case, just behave. Stay put and don't even think about using the Black Bible to stir up more chaos!"
Aya scoffed. "So what if I don't have the Black Bible anymore? Don't forget—all Grimoires are created by humans."
She knew full well she couldn't resist Natsuki right now, but she couldn't stop herself from taunting her anyway. Even she didn't know why.
"You—"
Natsuki's smile dropped completely. She stared Aya down, deadly serious.
"I'll say this once. I will never let you touch the Black Bible again. I swear on everything I am as a witch."
Aya's face darkened at those words.
The two locked eyes in a cold, tense silence. The air between them felt like it might snap.
After nearly eight seconds of this standoff…
The door to the living room creaked open.
Ryo walked in casually, calling out, "Hey, Aya, do you remember how the Black Bible works? I'm trying to figure out how it nullifies magic—could use your help—hm? Wait… why are you two looking at me like that?"
He paused, glancing between the two witches, clearly confused.
The question marks practically floated above his head.
.
.
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