— —— — — ——
"..."
Lynn smacked her on the head without mercy.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Kuroka squatted down holding her head, tearing up and looking up at Lynn with an innocent face, like she totally didn't deserve that.
"Master~ I just came to pick up my little sister~ That's all~"
Lynn's eyelid twitched.
Pick up her sister?
Yeah right. After what happened last time, he could pretty much guess what kind of "pick-up" method she had in mind.
I mean, just look at how Koneko was practically about to freeze in one of those classic defeated pose CGs from a dating sim.
Just as Lynn was about to say something—
Rias and Akeno suddenly exclaimed, "M-Master?!"
Their eyes widened in shock.
"So... so you're the man who wants to sleep with Koneko-chan?!"
Lynn's eyelid twitched again. He slowly turned his gaze toward Kuroka.
Akeno had totally blurted that out.
And immediately realized she probably said something crazy.
No doubt it was this crazy cat who said something weird to them beforehand!
Kuroka: "...."
— — —
Occult Research Club.
Rias and Akeno still looked dazed, clearly not over the shock of Kuroka calling Lynn "Master."
Meanwhile, Lynn sat there like he really was the master here, casually giving orders.
"Kuroka, tea."
"Okay, nya~" Kuroka obediently responded with a sweet smile.
Rias and Akeno: mental breakdown intensifies
So obedient?!
Is this really Kuroka?
The same Kuroka who's an SS-class threat in the Underworld? The same Kuroka who turned the tables and hunted down her pursuers?
This is... the same Kuroka who, not long ago, one-shotted both of them like it was nothing?
Rias and Akeno exchanged looks, then stared at Lynn.
Just how the hell did he pull this off?
Isn't this a bit too dramatic?
Not long ago, they were feeling hopeless, regretting how powerless they were as they watched Kuroka about to snatch Koneko away.
Then Lynn shows up... and just flips the whole situation.
Like, what kind of plot twist is this?
Akeno was dazed too.
Especially about Lynn and Kuroka's relationship.
Master and servant?
The Kuroka who just overwhelmed them with zero resistance...
Has been tamed by Lynn?
Akeno's mind was blank.
She thought back to that black lightning from before.
Sure enough!
She knew this man wasn't normal from that moment!
---
Meanwhile, Koneko was curled up on the sofa, looking pretty gloomy.
Crap...
Senpai's relationship with my sister got exposed to the president!
She was worried now.
Sis, please don't cause trouble for Senpai...
---
On the other side
After figuring out the situation, Lynn felt a little speechless.
He thought the summon from Rias was because Kokabiel was attacking Kuoh Academy or something.
But this? This's it?
Man, he even left his bed party halfway just to come here!
Lynn wasn't happy about that.
"Master~ Here's your tea, nya~"
Kuroka carefully placed the tea in front of him, smiling like she was begging for praise.
Then, she felt Lynn's cold stare.
"Uwah, nya!"
Kuroka trembled, then immediately threw herself onto Lynn's lap, raising her butt obediently.
"Master~ Kuroka knows she was wrong, nya~ Please punish me, nya~"
Lynn was seriously pissed. His hand came down hard with a loud smack smack smack!
Crisp, loud, like firecrackers going off in a small room!
"Nyaaa~!"
Kuroka let out a pitiful yet strangely seductive cry.
Pain mixed with... enjoyment?
Rias and Akeno stared dumbfounded at the scene before them.
The so-called SS-class dangerous criminal of the Underworld...
Just obediently accepting punishment like that?
That's not how she was just now!
At the same time, both Rias and Akeno subconsciously tightened their butts sitting on the sofa.
Lynn's hand looked... really strong...
After a while, Lynn's anger cooled down. He casually played with Kuroka's tail, then turned to Rias and Akeno with a friendly smile.
"Sorry for the trouble."
Rias and Akeno immediately shook their heads, blurting out, "No problem!"
Then realized they probably reacted a bit too fast.
Rias took a deep breath, adjusted her red hair, and forced a smile.
"Well, she's been punished already. But..."
Her eyes flashed with curiosity. "Kuroka really became your servant?"
Lynn shrugged. "Didn't you just see it yourself?"
Rias muttered, "Feels kinda unbelievable..."
That terrifying Kuroka is really Lynn's servant?
Even seeing it with her own eyes and hearing it with her own ears, Rias still found it hard to believe.
That's Kuroka, an Ultimate-Class Devil!
But facts were facts. She had no choice but to believe it.
Why?
Just how did Lynn pull this off?
Rias was really curious.
Suddenly remembering something, Rias' face turned serious.
"Lynn, do you know what Kuroka has done before?"
That was a very serious case of murdering her master!
Even if it was later found out that her previous master was doing terrible experiments...
Killing your master is still a huge deal in the Underworld! She didn't want Lynn to fall into the same pit!
"Of course."
Lynn answered super casually.
Rias was stunned.
Akeno poked her waist, motioning for her to look at Lynn's lap.
Rias looked down, only to see Kuroka rubbing her cheek against Lynn's leg like a cat, eyes narrowed, looking completely blissful.
Master's scent~ nya~
Her tail was swaying unconsciously in Lynn's hand, showing how happy she was right now.
This was...Completely tamed!
Rias was stunned.
Kuroka, you're an Ultimate-Class Devil!
Where's your dignity as an Ultimate-Class Devil?!
This scene made Rias feel like her own previous defeat was even more embarrassing...
"Still, if the Underworld finds out about this..." Her tone clearly carried worry.
If word got out that Lynn was harboring Kuroka, there's no doubt the Underworld would come after him, right?
After all, during her time on the run, Kuroka killed who-knows-how-many devils from the Underworld.
Otherwise, there's no way she would've ended up ranked as an SS-class threat.
Rias had already come to see Lynn as one of her closest friends. Of course she didn't want him to get dragged into any trouble because of this.
After a brief pause, her eyes turned firm.
"I'll talk to my brother about this. I'll convince him to cancel the bounty on Kuroka."
Hearing that, Akeno's eyes widened in surprise. She gave Rias a complicated look.
A powerful Fallen Angel officer showing up in her territory? Rias didn't even think about asking Lord Sirzechs for help.
But now that it's about Lynn... she's immediately saying she'll go beg her brother?
Akeno gave Rias a faint, knowing smile.
Rias...
And here you keep insisting you have no special feelings for Sona's fiancé?
Girl, look at yourself. You really think that's convincing anyone?
...
Lynn, for his part, was a little surprised hearing Rias say that. But he quickly shook his head.
"No need. I'll handle the whole Kuroka situation myself."
He wasn't just saying that to sound cool either.
He was someone whose power had already surpassed the level of a Maou.
And that's just in his base form.
If he went all-out with all his buffs? Even he didn't know how ridiculous his strength might get.
Just one of his abilities — the Starfire Acceleration buff from the [Aries Crown] — could already push his speed to near light-speed levels.
Right now, he was downright terrifying.
Lynn stood tall with confidence.
He was way past the stage of relying on women to protect him now!
He didn't need a sugar mommy anymore!
Rias blinked in surprise at his rejection, looking a little sulky.
"...Alright, I get it."
Of course, even if Lynn told her no, that wasn't going to stop her.
But... There's no need for him to know about that.
Thinking it over, Rias's lips curled into a subtle smile.
Was this... what it felt like to be the woman standing behind Lynn?
Akeno, who had known Rias for years as her Queen, instantly understood what was going through her mind.
Seeing that helpless expression of Rias's made her want to scold her like an exasperated big sister.
After a brief pause, Akeno narrowed her eyes mischievously and said,
"Ara, Ara~ Since Miss Kuroka is now part of Lynn-san's peerage... could it be that kidnapping Koneko-chan was actually... under Lynn-san's orders?"
Rias's expression instantly darkened.
"Akeno!"
She scolded her seriously, "There's no way Lynn would do something like that!"
Akeno covered her mouth with a chuckle, "Ara ara~ I was just teasing~"
But even while joking, Akeno let out a quiet sigh.
Rias...
Your love rival is none other than Sona Sitri, you know?
---
Lynn, on the other hand, didn't react much at all.
Why? Because it was true — he really did have his eye on Koneko.
...Actually, it wasn't just Koneko.
Without any shame whatsoever, Lynn replied openly,
"Yeah, I won't deny it. I am interested in Koneko."
Koneko froze for a second, before blushing furiously and lowering her head.
"...Senpai..."
So she really did have a place in Senpai's heart...
Rias: "?????"
Rias's whole face twitched.
She'd just finished defending him — only for Lynn to immediately stab her in the back the very next second.
Seriously!?
Akeno's eyes widened too, her smile growing even more sly.
"Ara ara~ To think you'd just admit it so directly~"
But then again...
She narrowed her eyes, her voice dropping to a murmur, "Not that I'm surprised..."
After all, Koneko and Lynn's relationship was obviously special.
Whenever they had free time, Koneko would always be sticking close to him.
Even she and Rias had joked more than once about how Koneko was practically acting like Lynn's little pet already.
So this outcome was... pretty much expected.
Rias, meanwhile, could only let out a helpless laugh.
"...Honestly, I've suspected for a while that you liked Koneko."
Anyone with eyes could tell, right?
I mean... what kind of peerage member spends more time at someone else's place than their own?
It kinda...
It kinda did feel like being NTR'd a little...
Rias gave Lynn a begrudging, almost sulky stare.
But...
At the same time, hearing Lynn just straight-up admit it kind of made her feel better.
At least...
Lynn wasn't the type to scheme in secret or try to steal Koneko behind her back through underhanded means.
This was just who Lynn was.
If he liked someone, he'd say it plainly.
And that was exactly why Rias could trust that the whole Kuroka kidnapping thing hadn't been Lynn's doing.
Still...
Rias collected her thoughts and steeled herself.
There's no way she could just hand Koneko over that easily.
Her peerage was already small enough — she couldn't afford to lose someone else!
Not without a fight!
Lynn, seeing the look on Rias's face, let out a faint chuckle.
Not that he thought things would go that smoothly anyway.
But well...
Sometimes, life just worked out.
With a slight grin tugging at his lips, Lynn suddenly spoke up,
"Rias, how about this — I'll help you handle everything that's coming next."
"And in exchange... why don't you let me have Koneko?"
"...?"
Rias blinked, a little confused.
And then — BOOM!
The doors to the Occult Research Club suddenly exploded inward, and two figures went crashing straight through them, tumbling across the floor!
Rias's eyes shot wide open.
"Exorcists?!"
.
.
.