They are a high-level youkai species who can not only master youjutsu, but senjutsu as well.”
“Ah, Buchou.”
“Ise!”
Having moved to the main residence after the completion of my dancing practice, I was welcomed by Buchou—Owaaah! I was hugged all of a sudden! Buchou was tightly hugging me. Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve had this feeling…Though only a few days have passed, I missed Buchou’s smell! “…Ise’s smell.”
“Ah, umm, I’ve been sweating a lot…”
“It’s fine. Your smell is still the same. —I was lonely, you know?”
When you say that with such moist eyes, my heart can't help but skip a beat! “I haven’t been able to sleep with you since arriving here, and I wasn’t able to feel you like this every day either…Since, I can no longer imagine a life without you…What a pitiful master I am.”
Aaaaah, Buchou! Has your level of dependence on me risen? I’m more blessed than I deserve as your servant! I also can’t imagine a life without Buchou either! That’s why the training on that mountain was so, so tough! I tried to say that, but—. “However, a little endurance is needed. First, we have to both be strong. Ise, do your best in your mountain seclusion with Tannin! Blow away his breath of fire!”
“—! Uuu, y-yeeeeees! I’ll do my best not to become cindeeeeers!”
As I thought, Buchou doesn’t compromise when it comes to training! I replied with tears in my eyes! I understaaaaaaaaaaaaand! If Buchou says so, I’ll do my best with the resolve to diiiiiiiiiiiie! But, leaving that aside, I shook my head again and asked Buchou a question. “U-Umm, Buchou. How’s Koneko-chan?”
Buchou’s face became complicated at that. “Follow me.”

The room that I entered according to Buchou was—Koneko-chan’s room. Buchou had finished talking with her already, and Akeno-san was already inside, so only I was told to enter. So I went to meet Koneko-chan by myself. Her room was wide. It was a wide room, when I turned my feet towards the bedroom—. Akeno-san was standing by the bed, and Koneko-chan was lying down on that bed. —. I was surprised to see what had sprung up on Koneko-chan’s head. Cat ears! So she really was a cat Youkai known as a Nekomata. But! What to do! A Koneko-chan who has cat ears! So lovely, so incredibly adorable! Since she usually hides them, did she also lose the strength needed to hide them when she ran out of physical strength? No, no, it isn’t the time for that now. I’ve come to see Koneko-chan’s condition. “Ise-kun, this is—”
Because of my reaction to Koneko-chan’s cat ears, Akeno-san tried to explain the reason. “No, I’ve already heard the general story.”
I responded with this to Akeno-san. Just like that, I move to the side of the bed and examined Koneko-chan’s condition. I didn’t catch sight of any especially bad injuries. Well, if it was just injuries, it would be no problem with Asia here. So she really did come here because she exhausted all her physical strength. “Hey, is your body okay?”
I asked that with a smile. Then, Koneko-chan muttered with half-opened eyes. “…What did you come here for?”
A sullen tone of voice, far more than the extent up until now. She was angry that I came, huh? “…Would it be no good if I said it was because I was worried?”
“……”
Still acting sullen, Koneko-chan didn’t respond. I continued. “Koneko-chan, I heard about it, about all the various things. In any case, overworking yourself is no good. If you don’t take care of your body…though, I have no right to talk while I’m receiving hellish training.”
“…I want to…”
Koneko-chan muttered something very quietly, and since I failed to hear it clearly, I asked again. “Eh? What is it?”
Then, Koneko-chan looked straight at me and spoke in a clear tone. While holding tears in her eyes—. “I want to become strong. Like Yuuto-senpai, Xenovia-senpai, Akeno-san…and also Ise-senpai, I want to make my spirit and body strong. Gya-kun is also becoming strong. I don’t have a healing power like Asia-senpai either…At this rate, I’ll become useless. Even though I’m a [Rook], I’m the…weakest…I hate being useless…”
“Koneko-chan…”
So you were worrying about that…Certainly, Kiba has also become stronger. Xenovia is strong too. Akeno-san is the strongest piece, [Queen], and Gasper can stop time. Asia may be no good at fighting, but her healing ability was great, and then there was me. Even though I myself was weak, I hold a legendary dragon in my body. Koneko-chan continued to talk even as she shed large tears. “…But, I don’t want to use the power sleeping inside me…my Nekomata power…If I use it, I…just like my Nee-sama…I don’t want that…I absolutely don’t want such a thing…”
For the first time—. For the first time, I saw Koneko-chan’s crying face like this. Since she was a kid that hadn’t directly shown much of her feelings up until now, seeing that was a shock to me. Koneko-chan’s Onee-san had her power run out of control, and killed her devil master. And then she had just left like that. Buchou’s mother had said that this girl had seen all of that. Because she knew that a dangerous power that could just kill her master was sleeping inside her too, she was afraid…But even so, when thinking of the situations in the coming future, she wanted power. This girl had carried these conflicting feelings even when coming to the Underworld…
So she overworked herself because she tried to become stronger without using the power sleeping inside her. Koneko-chan possessed a warm heart with strong feelings for her friends. So she was vexed that she herself was useless. I think it was hard for her, not being able to repay Buchou who saved her. I was also mortified at my lack of ability and uselessness to Buchou, and wished for power as well…
Akeno-san shook her head and spoke to me. “Ise-kun, please leave the rest to us.”
“But…”
“You’re a kind person. But, it’s also important to sometimes keep your distance just a little. Besides, you yourself have to become stronger. And I also…since I’m the same as Koneko-chan, we have to overcome this together. If one can’t accept all of oneself and can’t understand it, one can’t move forward. Koneko-chan and I understand this in our heads. But…our courage is just slightly not enough yet. Please wait just a little longer. Koneko-chan and I will definitely get through this. Definitely—”
Akeno-san also displayed hatred towards the Fallen Angel blood sleeping inside her. But, if she didn’t accept that power of light, she may not be able to play an active role in the tough games from beyond this point. I see, the two of them are similar in that regard. Denying the power that sleeps inside them, because those two have done that…
“Yes. Akeno-san, Koneko-chan, I’ll…try to do the things only I can do.”
I bowed my head to the two of them, and then went out of the room just like that. …We each have our respective battles. We each have our respective trainings. We each have our respective walls that we must surpass. Alright! I’m fired up! Akeno-san! Koneko-chan! Everyone! And Buchou!