The next morning, the sun shone brightly over the beautiful Yokai city.
It was finally time for Elias and Dee to go home.
But this time, Kunou wasn't sad or crying at all.
She was standing by the front gates with her own little suitcase, her golden fox tail wagging happily back and forth.
"Are you ready to go, Kunou?"
Elias asked warmly, picking up their bags.
"Yes!"
Kunou cheered loudly, holding onto his hand.
"I am so excited! I get to go to Kuoh Elementary School! It is right inside the big Kuoh Academy. I get to live in the giant mansion with you and Dee, and I get to make new friends!"
Dee smiled and gently patted the little fox girl's head.
"And don't forget,"
Dee reminded her playfully.
"You can come back home to visit your mother every single weekend. You won't be far away at all."
"Everything is perfect!"
Kunou giggled happily.
Yasaka walked up to them. She looked much more relaxed today.
She stood tall and confident.
"Lord Elias, Lady Dee,"
Yasaka said, giving them a deep, respectful bow.
"Thank you for everything. Thank you for protecting my daughter, and for saving our home from the Hero Faction."
"It was no trouble, Lady Yasaka,"
Elias smiled gently.
Yasaka stood up straight. She looked very serious.
"After seeing what happened last night, I made a very important decision this morning,"
Yasaka explained.
"I contacted Serafall Leviathan. I told her that the Yokai Faction wants to officially join the upcoming peace treaty summit. We cannot stay hidden anymore. We must stand together with the Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels."
Elias nodded in agreement.
"That is a very smart choice,"
Elias said.
"Having the Yokai at the peace summit will make the treaty much stronger."
Then, Dee stepped forward. Her sweet smile faded, and her dark, endless eyes became very serious.
"Yasaka,"
Dee said quietly.
"Do you remember what I explained to you last night? About Kuroka and the Nekomata incident?"
Yasaka nodded slowly. Her beautiful face filled with deep sadness.
"Yes, Lady Dee,"
Yasaka answered softly.
"You told me the whole truth. You explained how that evil Devil master from the Nebiros clan tortured our Yokai sisters, and how Kuroka only fought back to save little Koneko."
Dee placed her hands in her jacket pockets.
"Good,"
Dee said, her voice turning completely calm, yet incredibly heavy.
"Because I want to make a promise to you. As a Goddess, I am going to take care of it personally."
Yasaka listened closely, holding her breath.
"I will gather all the lost, crying souls of the Nekomata,"
Dee promised, her voice filled with gentle mercy.
"I will guide them safely, and I will make sure they finally find true peace and rest."
Then, a dark, terrifying spark flashed inside Dee's endless eyes.
"And as for the souls of those evil Nebiros clan members..."
Dee whispered, a dangerous smirk appearing on her pale face.
"...I will take care of them, too. I will make sure they get exactly the painful punishment they deserve in the afterlife."
Yasaka felt a cold shiver run down her spine, but she also felt a deep wave of relief. She bowed her head deeply.
"Thank you, Lady Dee,"
Yasaka whispered.
"That brings true peace to my heart."
Yasaka then looked down and gave Kunou one last, tight hug.
"Be a good girl at school, my sweet Kunou,"
Yasaka whispered, kissing her daughter's forehead.
"Listen to Lord Elias and Lady Dee, and I will see you on Saturday."
"I will, Mother!"
Kunou promised, hugging her back tightly.
Elias held out his hand. Dee grabbed his left hand, and Kunou happily held his right.
"Let's go,"
Elias smiled.
With a bright flash of magical light, the three of them vanished from the red shrine.
Elias, Dee, and little Kunou stood right in the middle of the large living room inside the Kuoh mansion.
"We are back,"
Elias announced with a warm smile.
Rias, Akeno, Asia, Xenovia and Koneko were all waiting for them.
They smiled and walked over to greet the travelers.
Kunou hid slightly behind Elias's leg. She peeked out, feeling a little bit shy around so many new faces.
"Hello,"
Kunou said softly, her golden fox tail curling around her leg.
"My name is Kunou. I am going to live here now."
Koneko quietly walked to the front of the group.
Usually, Koneko was the youngest and smallest girl in the house.
Everyone always treated her like a little sister.
But now, looking at the tiny fox girl, Koneko felt something change inside her.
She finally had someone younger than her. She wanted to be a good big sister.
Koneko reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, wrapped chocolate biscuit.
She gently held it out to Kunou.
"Welcome to our home,"
Koneko said softly.
"I am Koneko. Do you like sweet snacks?"
Kunou's golden eyes lit up instantly.
She stepped out from behind Elias and took the biscuit.
"I love sweets!"
Kunou smiled brightly, her tail starting to wag again.
"Thank you, Koneko-onee chan!"
Koneko gave a tiny, rare smile. She, calling her Onee-chan, hit her right in Kokoro.
"Come with me,"
Koneko invited her gently.
"I have a lot more snacks in the kitchen. We can share them."
The two little girls walked away together. Kunou was already happily chatting about Kyoto, and Koneko was listening patiently.
They became fast friends in just a few minutes.
Elias watched them go and chuckled softly.
He walked over to the large, comfortable couch and sat down, letting out a relaxed sigh.
It felt really good to be back home.
A few minutes later, Koneko walked back into the living room.
She was holding a small juice box.
She walked straight past all the empty chairs.
She went right up to Elias, turned around, and quietly sat down sideways on his lap.
She leaned her small head against his chest and took a slow sip of her juice, making herself completely comfortable.
Elias smiled and gently patted her soft white hair.
"Did you miss me while we were in Kyoto, Koneko?"
Elias asked warmly.
Koneko didn't look up, but her fluffy white cat ears twitched happily.
"Yes,"
Koneko whispered honestly, resting her hand on his shirt.
"The house was way too quiet without you, Elias-onii san. I am glad you are back."
Elias was her ultimate safe place.
Whenever he was around, she felt like nothing bad in the world could ever reach her.
She just wanted to be close to him whenever she could.
Dee was sitting on the other side of the couch, watching the two of them.
Dee leaned her chin on her hands and giggled softly.
"Oh my goodness, you are just too cute,"
Dee smiled, her endless dark eyes sparkling with joy.
"You act so tough all the time, Koneko. But you are really just a sweet little kitten who missed her big brother."
Koneko's cheeks turned a little pink.
She tried to hide her blushing face by burying it deeper into Elias's chest.
"I am not a kitten,"
Koneko mumbled shyly, refusing to move from his lap.
"Sure, sure,"
Dee teased happily, reaching over to gently poke Koneko's soft cheek.
"It is okay to be cute. I am just happy our big, crazy family is all together again."
While Koneko was resting peacefully on Elias's lap, the other girls in the room started to feel a little bit jealous.
They had missed him just as much.
"Ara ara,"
Akeno teased gently. She walked over and sat down right next to Elias, wrapping her arms around his right arm and resting her soft cheek against his shoulder.
"Koneko gets all the special treatment? That is not fair. I want some attention, too."
Rias smiled warmly and walked over to sit on his left side.
She leaned against him, her long crimson hair falling over his arm.
"Welcome back, Elias,"
Rias said softly.
"The house really wasn't the same without you here."
Before Elias could answer, Asia walked up to the couch.
She stood in front of him, looking down at her shoes with a shy, sweet blush on her cheeks.
"Umm... Elias-san?"
Asia asked quietly, looking up at him through her blonde bangs.
"Could I... could I get a head pat, too?"
Elias chuckled. His heart melted at how sweet she was.
He reached out with his free hand and gently patted Asia's soft hair.
Asia closed her eyes and smiled a bright, happy smile, leaning into his warm touch.
Elias was incredibly popular, and he was happy to take care of his family.
But then, Xenovia marched right up to the couch.
The blue-haired swordswoman stood perfectly straight, looking completely serious and determined.
"Elias,"
Xenovia stated clearly, not showing any shame at all.
"Your strength is absolutely undeniable. You possess the ultimate warrior genes. We need to go to your bedroom and make a very strong baby together right now."
The entire living room went dead silent.
Akeno blinked.
Rias nearly choked on her own breath.
Dee burst out laughing from the other side of the couch.
Elias just stared at Xenovia. He awkwardly cleared his throat.
"How about… No,"
Elias answered flatly, giving her a gentle but firm look.
"We are absolutely not doing that."
Xenovia looked slightly disappointed, but she nodded in understanding and stepped back.
Rias shook her head, recovering from the shock.
But looking at Elias, surrounded by the people he had helped and protected, a very important thought suddenly crossed her mind.
Her smile slowly faded, and her blue eyes turned deeply serious.
"Actually, Elias..."
Rias started, her voice turning quiet and heavy.
"Watching you help Koneko and Kunou... it reminded me of someone else. Someone who desperately needs your help."
Elias gave Rias his full attention. He could hear the deep sadness in her voice.
"Who is it, Rias?"
Elias asked.
"She is another member of my family. My Bishop,"
Rias explained carefully.
"Her name is Gasper Vladi. She is a half-vampire."
Elias frowned slightly.
"A half-vampire? I haven't seen her around the mansion or the school."
"That is because she is locked away deep underground, beneath the old school building,"
Rias admitted, looking down at her lap with guilt.
"She has an incredibly rare and dangerous Sacred Gear. It stops time. But because she is a half-vampire, her body and mind cannot handle the power. Her magic leaks out and freezes everything around her by accident. She is terrified of herself, so she hides in a sealed room in the dark."
Rias looked up at Elias, her eyes filled with hope.
"We have tried everything to help her control it, but nothing works,"
Rias pleaded softly.
"But you... you have the power of Adaptivity. You can understand and adjust to any magic in the world. I was hoping... maybe your power could help her fix her broken magic. I just want her to be able to step outside into the sun and smile again."
Elias didn't even have to think about it.
He looked at Rias and gave her a firm, confident nod.
Stop time? Didn't that power cool?
[email protected]/jelopy_jelopy 50% discount