"I actually need your help with something important, Akira. Nyaa~."
Akira blinked at Kuroka, her golden cat-like eyes unusually serious for once.
"…It's rare for you to ask me for help," he said, voice still heavy with exhaustion. "So, what is it?"
Kuroka's playful eyes softened, her ears twitching slightly. "Remember back then when I told you about my sister, Shirone?"
"…Yeah. Of course." Akira tilted his head lazily. "Shirone… Koneko. Of course, I know her, even if I haven't met her yet."
Kuroka took a slow breath, her voice quieter than usual. "It's related to her. Right now, Shirone is a servant of Rias Gremory, the little sister of Maou. And I heard… You and Rias are friends. Nyaa."
Akira leaned back against the bed frame. "Well, that's a new development."
Selena's teasing voice slid into his thoughts. "This is probably your fault, brother".
"Probably not", Akira shot back.
But he knew what Kuroka said was true. He was friends with Rias. In fact, their friendship started years ago, back when he left Japan seven years ago.
When Akira and his parents left Japan, the first stop his family made was the Netherworld. That was where Akira first met Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri, through his parents' ties to Serafall Leviathan and the Four Great Satans. His parents had connections everywhere, even with angels and the Heavens, so it was no surprise they brought him into devil society.
Back then, Rias and Sona had no peerages yet. And after some twists and turns, Akira became close with them. If he had to say, after Erika, he spent the most time with those two, since he spent nearly two years in the Netherworld.
The real reason he stayed there so long, though, was Ajuka Beelzebub.
Akira's parents excelled in swordsmanship and magic, but not in magic technology. When their son showed talent in that field, they admitted they couldn't teach him properly. So they introduced him to Ajuka.
After they met, they immediately became friends, with both their interests in creating stuff and Akira's terrifying talent in that field, Ajuka immediately agreed to teach Akira, and it took nearly two years for Akira to learn everything from him. and after he learned everything, he left the Netherworld, but even after leaving, he still kept in touch with Rias.
"Brother," Selena's voice interrupted his flashback with a sigh. "Aren't you becoming too OP?"
"…What?" Akira frowned.
"Think about it, you're already a genius mage and trained under Ajuka himself. And this is only the beginning of the story". Selena's voice echoed in his mind in exasperation.
"…So what do you want me to do? Sit still until the 'plot' begins?"
Selena muttered almost to herself, "This isn't good. I need to nerf him somehow…"
"…Wait, what do you mean by nerf?"
"Nothing! Anyway, pay attention. She is still staring at you, waiting for an answer."
Akira blinked, snapping back to reality. Sure enough, Kuroka was still leaning toward him, her golden eyes unblinking, her tails swaying in amusement.
He cleared his throat. "…Right. So. What exactly do you want me to do? Just saying now, I won't help you kidnap her."
Kuroka giggled softly, pressing a finger to her lips. "Nyaa~ no, I wouldn't do that. I know Shirone would hate me forever if I forced her. I just… want to talk to her."
"Why now?" Akira asked. "She's been with Rias for a while, hasn't she? And couldn't you just walk up and talk to her yourself?"
Kuroka's grin faded, her ears lowering a fraction. "…I could. But Shirone might still fear me. And I'm still a wanted criminal. If I approached her, it wouldn't be peaceful. But now that you're here… I finally have a chance."
Akira studied her carefully. "…And what do you expect me to do?"
Her grin returned, sly and mischievous. "You're clever, nyaa. Sneak her out for me. Just once. Let me meet her somewhere quiet alone, maybe just with you there to keep her calm. What do you think?"
Akira sighed, running a hand down his face.
Selena's voice chimed again. "Well, brother? What will you do?"
"I don't know… but it sounds interesting", Akira admitted.
"You know you'll change the story if you do this, right?" she warned.
"I stopped caring about the plot long ago. Are you saying I shouldn't help her?
Selena's chuckle echoed in his head. "Fufu~ as longas you're having fun, do whatever you want. The plot was never going to follow the script anyway."
"…Fair enough". With that, Akira finally looked Kuroka in the eyes and nodded. "…Alright. I'll help you."
Kuroka's expression lit up as she immediately grabbed his arm. "Really, nyaa? Then let's go now!"
He almost fell over at her sudden pull. "No. Not happening. I'm too tired tonight. And tomorrow, I'm busy. Besides, I can't just borrow your sister out of nowhere. I haven't even met her yet."
Kuroka pouted. "Nyaa~ you're no fun. Then when?"
Akira thought for a moment. "…First I need to build a proper relationship with your sister. Only then can I make this work. Give me a month or two. I've got… family business to deal with."
Kuroka studied him, then gave a playful smile. "Ara, so serious. Fine then. Call me when you're ready, nyaa. Until then… goodnight."
She winked teasingly, then leapt gracefully toward the balcony, transforming mid-air into her twin-tailed black cat form, vanishing into the night.
Akira stared after her. "…Couldn't she have just used the door?"
Selena's amused voice chimed in. "Brother, I know you've always wanted to do something dramatic like that yourself".
"Maybe", he admitted.
"Anyway, brother, how are you going to pull this off?" she asked
"…I'll think about it later. I'm exhausted. And I have to go out with Erika tomorrow."
He collapsed onto his bed, sleep pulling him under almost instantly.
Far away, Selena rested on the crystal throne, her lips curved in a sly smile. "Good… he's starting to cross paths with more heroines. But if it's all one-sided, nothing will bloom. His relationship with Erika-chan is stagnating too… hm. What should I do? How should I play with him next?"
Her eyes glittered with mischief as her schemes quietly deepened.