"Why are you so hung up on becoming human in the first place? I'm not even purely human myself, and I never cared whether you were human or not. And more importantly, if you really did have a human body..."
As Rikka's expression darkened, Takumi lifted a hand.
Not giving her the chance to speak, he leaned in and kissed her again.
A long while later, Takumi finally pulled back, got to his feet, and lightly patted her flushed cheek.
The heat rolling off him and the shadow he cast over her were nearly enough to suffocate Rikka.
"Mmh... mgh... how could this... Takumi-kun... you..."
Her eyes were wet and full of spring, and in that moment, Rikka truly saw it with her own eyes—the boy she'd once known had grown up.
A people-repelling ward and a soundproof barrier spread out at the same time, sealing off the entire room.
With one arm, Takumi scooped Rikka up and held her against him, meeting those watery eyes of hers.
Settling in, Takumi prepared to show Rikka with cold, hard facts that turning human again was not the right choice.
…
[Interworld Gate Progress +10%]
[ Ding! Rikka's affection has reached the required threshold. Copied trait acquired: Death Precognition (Purple)]
[ Death Precognition (Purple): Consumes the life force of a normal human to predict twenty possible future outcomes.]
Looking at the trait he'd just pulled from her, Takumi looked thoroughly satisfied.
To him, the side effect of Death Precognition (Purple) was basically nonexistent.
The life force of some ordinary human? A single strand of his hair probably contained life force tens of thousands of times denser than that.
After sorting through his thoughts, Takumi immediately turned his attention back to Rikka, who was lying there like a corpse.
"Still want to turn human?"
Smack!
Takumi's palm came down with practiced ease as he questioned her again.
"Mgh~~ no... I don't..."
Biting down on her lip, Rikka weakly shook her head.
Takumi had already made the logic crystal clear. She didn't dare keep arguing anymore.
There was even a trace of fear flickering in her eyes now.
If she really did become human, then she probably wouldn't even be able to stay by Takumi's side for long before dropping dead.
Seeing how obedient Rikka had become, Takumi reached out and rubbed her head.
"That's more like it, Rikka-neesan~"
Letting out a soft, humiliated little cry, Rikka got up and began cleaning the hospital room with the diligence of a proper little wife.
The fact that she, who had once held the upper hand, had now fallen this far really was pathetic in a way.
And yet, under Takumi's strong, overbearing domination, her heart was only beating harder with excitement.
"Pain?"
Lost in that thought, Rikka suddenly realized something.
She could feel pain again.
Snapping back to herself, she immediately looked up at Takumi.
That glance alone was enough to steal a soul—like some seductive fox spirit luring a man in.
"Takumi-kun~~ was that your doing too?"
Her voice was a little hoarse now, but every word coming out of her mouth still sounded sweet enough to melt a man.
Takumi didn't bother denying it.
"Yep. While you were out of it, I fused one of my Divine Servant Pieces into you. It'll give you power far beyond an ordinary person's, and it'll gradually improve your constitution too. Rikka-neesan, that painful past is already over. Things are going to change from here on out~"
As he said that, he pulled Rikka into his arms.
And just like that, she broke down crying again.
Every time Rikka cried, it could be said she cried because of Takumi.
Before, it had been because of what he'd done to her body.
This time, it was because he'd touched her heart.
After the tears passed, Rikka's face finally bloomed into a smile.
This smile was quiet, elegant, and genuinely joyful.
The next second, a sly look flashed through her eyes as her fingertip traced across Takumi's chest.
"Takumi-kun~ now can you tell me what exactly you've been doing all these years, and why you've changed so much? Carrying me around like that, making me call you Master... why are you so practiced at it? And that scent still clinging to you... which women does it belong to?"
One question after another came flying out of Rikka's mouth, each one carrying the weight of a proper wife interrogating her man.
Takumi, however, had no intention of hiding anything.
"Then let me formally introduce my new identities. Head of the Morax family in the Underworld, number one exorcist of Kuoh Town, strongest sorcerer in the jujutsu world—"
Watching Takumi casually rattle off that absurd list of titles, Rikka burst out laughing.
"Hahaha~ alright already, Takumi-kun, stop showing off and get to the point~"
"Fine. After I ran off back then, I ended up becoming a half-assed exorcist and monster slayer..."
In a low voice, Takumi gave her a rough summary of the past several years.
The moment Rikka heard that Takumi now had a whole house full of girls living with him, jealousy flashed through her eyes.
"You were supposed to be mine~"
Smack!
"Mnnh~"
Takumi's palm landed hard on her ass, sending a hot ripple through that soft flesh.
The overbearing big-sister air and yandere aura around Rikka instantly collapsed.
As she sucked in a painful breath, Takumi lifted her chin.
"That sentence was wrong, Rikka-neesan. Right now, you should be the one who belongs to me."
With that, he kissed her again, proving his dominance in the most blunt, overbearing way possible.
"Mgh~~"
Rikka let out a trembling little moan, not resisting in the slightest.
She was like a coquettish handmaid, doing everything she could to satisfy her king's desires.
When their lips parted, Takumi rose to his feet.
"This is my home's address, Rikka-neesan. You can come by later, but you are not allowed to point fingers at Mio, Yuuki, and the others. I love you, but I love them too."
This time, with her eyes still hazy and unfocused, Rikka chose compromise.
"Mmh..."
Even if she was reluctant to the core, she had already recognized the reality in front of her.
As things stood now, she no longer had any way of monopolizing Takumi the way she once had.
And for the first time, Rikka realized that her "immortal body" wasn't quite as immortal as she'd always imagined.
She could clearly tell that Takumi had been holding back the entire time, all for the sake of protecting her.
But even so, she had been utterly unable to resist.
What she'd felt physically, together with the years that had passed between them, had forced her to accept reality.
If she couldn't monopolize Takumi, then the only choice left was to accept it.
"At the very least, I won't lose to those girls."
Watching Takumi leave, Rikka looked down at the soaked sheets beneath her.
"I need to lie down a little longer... my whole body's falling apart~~"
With a weak little whine, Rikka closed her eyes.
After stepping out of the room, Takumi used dream demon magic to hypnotize the entire hospital.
That way, the ones sent to clean up Rikka's room and Tsumiki Fushiguro's room would all be female nurses.
"Now it's time to deal with the Steel Lady problem."
Takumi had no intention of letting the Steel Lady keep wandering around outside.
He immediately contacted Kotoko and Karin to discuss the matter with them.
...
For every 50 Power Stones → +1 extra chapter.