— — — — — —
When the door suddenly swung open and Kurousagi stepped in, Leticia froze for a split second—then instinctively tried to shove Ryo away.
But instead of letting go, Ryo leaned in closer and tightened his arms around her, patting her back as he murmured softly, "It's okay. Things will get better."
Leticia was still a little dazed by it, but over at the doorway, Kurousagi's expression shifted into sudden understanding.
She had just finished arranging custody for Kalki, and her mind was already weighed down by the tragedy—Leticia's younger sister and niece had both been taken hostage by Ouroboros. If even she felt this heavy-hearted, then Leticia herself must be carrying far more.
Her sister abducted by the very enemy that destroyed the former Arcadia. Her niece working for Ouroboros and serving them willingly.
"Ryo, before the meeting, I'm planning to take Miss Sala to have a look at the Gift Game," Kurousagi said. "She mentioned yesterday she was curious about the Zanpakutō, so this is a good chance. I'll take her for a quick tour first."
As she spoke, she shot Ryo a meaningful glance and sent a quiet message his way—take good care of Leticia—before closing the door behind her.
Click.
The door shut with a soft sound.
Leticia let out a long breath, her body going slack as she collapsed into Ryo's arms.
"That scared me to death."
She clutched her chest, her face still pale with lingering fear.
If Kurousagi had noticed anything just now, she really wouldn't have been able to show her face again.
After all, she and Canaria were from the same generation. And since Kurousagi was Canary's adopted daughter, that made her, in a way, Leticia's niece.
And yet here she was—entangled with Kurousagi's boyfriend, closer to Ryo than Kurousagi herself.
Leticia wasn't some kind of deviant. Of course she felt guilty about it. That guilt had taken root deep inside her, turning into a firm resolve: Kurousagi must never find out.
Which was why that moment just now had nearly stopped her heart.
For a second, she thought it was all over—stood there frozen, waiting for Kurousagi to explode, waiting for judgment to fall.
And in the end… nothing happened.
"That bunny…" Ryo muttered, watching Kurousagi leave so quickly, unsure whether to laugh or sigh. "I thought I was being pretty bold already."
Leticia shot him a flat look.
"I mean… she didn't feel jealous at all?" There was a faint edge in Ryo's voice.
"You, honestly." Leticia lifted a hand and tapped his forehead with her finger. "All those little moves you've been pulling in front of her lately—you were trying to make her jealous, weren't you? What are you, a kid?"
The more she thought about it, the more amused she felt.
If Kurousagi cared, he'd go around flirting with others. If she didn't, he'd start overthinking.
Either way, he had to stir something up. What was that if not childish behavior?
Ryo's mouth twitched. He wanted to argue, but when he met Leticia's half-smiling gaze, he gave up.
Explaining wouldn't change anything. So why bother?
He let go of her waist and got back to business. "So, about the plan I mentioned earlier—any objections?"
"None."
Leticia shook her head.
His plan was already solid.
In a world like Little Garden, fairness existed. But strength still spoke the loudest.
If she followed Ryo's arrangement and became a three-digit Creator, gaining the highest level of authority over vampires, then Lamia's situation would no longer be a problem.
And the method itself wasn't complicated.
To elevate into a Creator by integrating the vampire race concept, all she had to do was create a different kind of vampires.
With beings like Giada Kukulcan and Aswad Guul Aziz—blood devas from the lower world—and the modification data for the Cleansing in Ryo's possession, she could simply follow the model. Combine the strengths of blood devas, demons, and Little Garden vampires to create something superior.
As she created, the concept of the race would naturally condense and evolve—until, eventually, she reached the level of a Creator.
It could take time. Or not.
That depended on her effort.
But Leticia was confident she could shorten it to within half a year.
Lying low for six months was the best possible plan.
Hearing her answer, Ryo let out a small sigh of relief.
"Good. If you're okay with it, then we'll go over the details later with Kurousagi and loli Athena, make sure everything lines up…"
After all, he wasn't the one directly involved. Even if everything checked out through intelligence analysis and discussions on the Dimensional Forum, the final call still rested with Leticia.
Now that she had no objections, that was the best outcome.
He hesitated for a moment, then added, "Once you reach three digits… how about we come clean to Kurousagi?"
Leticia's face darkened instantly. "My dear leader, if you just want to see me embarrass myself, you can say it directly. No need to dress it up."
"But we can't keep hiding it forever," Ryo said helplessly.
"Oh? I thought you liked this kind of secret relationship."
There was a teasing lilt in her voice.
Ryo opened his mouth, then rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do whatever you want. When Kurousagi comes after us later, I'll just say it was all your idea."
"Rest assured," Leticia said with a faint smile as she headed for the door, "Kurousagi won't believe you."
She paused with her hand on the handle. "If there's nothing else, I'll go discuss things with Giada and the others."
"Alright. You handle it."
Ryo nodded and watched her leave.
Once the door closed again, he sat down and rubbed his temples.
"Sala's gone on the tour, huh… good. That frees up some time."
His eyes narrowed slightly. He stood, carefully checked his surroundings, and after confirming no one was listening, pulled out a round stone disk.
It was carved with the image of a gorgon—a communication device he used to contact Algol.
"Hello, hello. Falcon to Raven. Say something if you can hear me."
The disk flickered to life, glowing with a soft beige light.
"Shhh—crackle—"
Static buzzed for a long while before a distorted voice finally came through.
"Hello received, Raven to… ugh, I'm not some 'raven demon.' What kind of code phrase is that? I'm not playing."
Ryo chuckled. "So, where are you now?"
Far away, standing in the empty void, Algol's brow twitched slightly as she gazed into the distance.
There, a red dragon drifted through the void.
She raised an eyebrow. "If your intel's right… then this should be that world you mentioned."
"The one called High School DxD, right?"
.
.
.