Akira stood at the center of the room, surrounded by scattered notes, floating holograms, and an assortment of strange machinery. In front of him, encased within a scanning apparatus, rested the familiar black armor.
He stared at it quietly.
"…Finally."
Every calibration was complete.
Energy flow was stable.
Mana circuits were fully synchronized.
Control latency had been reduced to nearly zero.
All that remained was combat testing.
Akira folded his arms, eyes fixed on the armor as he muttered, "…Hmm. So how should I do that?"
Back then, he would've simply asked his parents to train with him. That had always been the easiest way to gather real combat data. Now, though… that option didn't exist anymore.
He didn't really have anyone he could casually spar with.
Selena wasn't exactly suited for that kind of thing, and there was no way he could fight Erika…not seriously, and definitely not without hurting her.
He let out a small sigh.
"I'll think about it later."
His gaze shifted toward the workbench beside the armor.
There, resting neatly in place, was a completed lightsaber.
The hilt was dark. Familiar. Unmistakable.
A slow grin formed on his face.
"Hehe… I really can't wait to test this one."
Just then, a sharp alarm rang out from his phone.
Akira flinched slightly and glanced at the screen.
"6:00 a.m."
"…Oh. It's morning already…"
He'd set the alarm specifically to wake himself early. A good thing, too. Otherwise, he might have completely forgotten about the meeting. Considering he hadn't slept at all, there was no telling how long he would've stayed buried in the lab.
He honestly couldn't even remember when the night had ended.
With a thought, both the armor and the lightsaber vanished into his inventory.
Testing could wait.
He teleported back to the mansion, reappearing in the quiet hallway.
"…I need to freshen up. Make coffee. Wake Erika. Make breakfast. Get ready for the meeting."
He stopped mid-step.
"…Wow. That's a lot."
Back when his parents were around, they handled most of these things. In the Demon Slayer world, the Corps members or attendants usually took care of daily routines. And when he was alone… he often just skipped everything entirely.
But now?
Now he actually had to do it.
Akira let out a long sigh.
"…This is exhausting."
He paused, then muttered thoughtfully, "Maybe I need help. You know what I need? A maid."
He frowned.
"…Wait. Where do I even get a maid?"
That was a problem for later.
"I'll talk to someone about it."
For now, he decided to handle things step by step.
He ate a Blue Energy Bar α, took a quick shower to wash off the lingering scent of laboratory chemicals, and headed for the kitchen.
After that, he prepared coffee for Erika to wake her up.
Yesterday, she'd captured him in her sleep and drained him completely.
He was not making the same mistake twice.
If he poured coffee directly into her mouth, she had to wake up.
[Warning: no, this is not normal. He is insane. Do not do this at home.]
Akira nodded to himself seriously.
"Coffee has caffeine, so she should wake up. But… she won't kill me, right?"
He imagined it anyway.
Erika, half-asleep.
Coffee.
Caffeine.
She wakes up.
Then immediately realizes what's happening.
Then captures him.
Then drains him dry.
Akira shook his head firmly.
"No. Absolutely not."
He paused.
"Well… I mean, I don't mind, but I have a meeting today. I can't afford to pass out now."
"…Maybe tomorrow is okay."
He shook his head again, forcibly clearing his thoughts.
Then a new problem hit him.
"…Wait. How do I even get close to her without her capturing me and drinking my blood?"
As Akira stood there, seriously considering his chances of survival.
His phone rang.
He took out his phone and glanced at the screen.
Editor Machida-san.
Akira sighed. "Machida-san? Is she calling about the meeting?"
He answered the call.
"Good morning, Machida-san."
"Good morning, Sirius-kun," she replied warmly. "Are you enjoying your time in Japan?"
"Well… it's been fun," Akira said honestly.
Machida chuckled softly. "Yes, it certainly seems like it. You even caused quite a commotion on the internet yesterday."
"A commotion?" Akira frowned. "What do you mean? I only updated my relationship status."
"That part wasn't the issue," Machida said. "What caused the stir were the comments. All those powerful conglomerates leaving congratulatory messages, everyone's trying to figure out your true identity now. Some people are convinced you're a hidden billionaire."
"…Eh Seriously?" Akira asked in shock.
"Yes, and your follower count skyrocketed overnight," she added.
Akira sighed internally. He hadn't expected this kind of reaction. Sure, they weren't exactly wrong, but he wasn't that kind of billionaire.
"They're just… family friends," he said.
Machida paused. "Oh? Your family is friends with all of them?"
"…It's complicated," Akira admitted. "So what should I do?"
"Don't worry," Machida said reassuringly. "It'll die down eventually, as long as you don't do something like this again."
"Okay," Akira replied. "I'll stay low-key for a while."
He sighed quietly, already imagining how Erika might react to all of this.
"I see," Machida said. "That's good to hear."
There was a brief pause before her tone shifted back to professional calm.
"Today will be our first time meeting in person, so I wanted to confirm the schedule."
Akira nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Yes."
"It won't be anything formal," she continued. "Just a mock interview for the magazine. Think of it as preparation. We'll meet at a café near the office."
"A café?" Akira repeated.
"Yes," Machida said. "I thought a relaxed environment would be better for a first meeting."
Then she added casually, "I've also asked someone else to help with the mock questions."
"…You're not asking them yourself?" Akira asked.
"I'll help, of course," she said. "But I thought it might be more comfortable if someone you know, someone in a similar situation, asked the questions instead. Are you okay with that?"
"Someone I know… in a similar situation?"
Akira's thoughts stirred. "Could it be…?"
"…Yeah," he said after a moment, "I'm fine with it."
"Good," Machida replied. "We'll meet this morning at 10:30 a.m. I'll send you the location."
"Sure," Akira said.
As the conversation continued, Akira found himself thinking about the whole thing.
"Meeting new people…"
Sure, he knew them online. He'd talked to them countless times through messages and calls. But this would be his first offline meeting, and that made him uncomfortable. He had never been the social type.
"I need someone I know there," he thought. "At least one person."
Then he remembered something.
"Right… Erika."
A grin slowly crept onto his face.
"I'll bring Erika with me."
After all, he'd already told her long ago that the person he would eventually marry would become his emotional meat shield. Now that she was officially his girlfriend, it was only natural that she fulfill that role.
"She should protect me in situations like this."
Decision made.
With that decided, Akira spoke up again. "Uh, Machida-san. Would it be acceptable if I brought someone with me?"
There was a short silence on the line.
"Of course," Machida replied. "Who would it be? An assistant? Or perhaps your parents?"
"My meat shield…" Akira coughed. "I mean, my girlfriend. Girlfriend."
Another pause.
"For emotional support," he added matter-of-factly.
Machida considered it briefly. "…Since this is an informal meeting, that should be fine."
"Thank you," Akira said. "Then we'll be there."
They exchanged the remaining details, and just before the call ended, Machida added in a professional tone, "I look forward to meeting you in person, Sirius-sensei."
"So do I," Akira replied.
The call ended.
Akira lowered his phone and exhaled slowly.
"…Okay. Now the hard part."
Waking up Erika and convincing her to come with him.
He sighed.
"First, I need to survive waking her up."
He stared toward her room, thinking hard.
"…But how should I do it?"
Then, a certain idea flashed through his mind.
A dangerous one.
A foolish one.
Akira smiled faintly.
"Well," he muttered, "I guess it's time for a durability test."