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Chapter 291 ~ Planned Cooperation

The young man and the cat stared silently into each other's eyes.

Yuuji’s hand continued to gently stroke her fur, savoring the warmth and velvety softness beneath his fingers. Kuroka, despite herself, leaned into his touch, her body melting more with each passing second. Her golden eyes fluttered half-closed as she nuzzled into his palm, purring softly.

Then, all at once, the spell broke.

Both of them snapped out of their daze at the same time.

Yuuji’s hand froze mid-motion, his eyes widening in realization. Meanwhile, Kuroka jolted upright, her fur bristling, and her tail standing stiff with shock.

“Ah—! I’m sorry for touching you so carelessly…”

His hand fell awkwardly to his side, his expression contorted in embarrassment.

How could he forget? He had been completely lost in the moment, enraptured by her softness and feline charm. But this wasn’t just any ordinary cat—it was Kuroka. And he had just been petting her like… like a lap cat!

Wasn’t that practically the same as touching a woman’s body?! Would this count as harassment?! Was this technically assault?!

He took a step back, flustered, and offered her a sheepish, apologetic smile.

“Again, I’m really sorry, kitty. I hope you’re not mad… See you.”

He dipped his head slightly in respect and turned away, walking off under the moonlight.

Kuroka remained perched on the wall, tail twitching, watching him go. Her heart still beat fast—not from anger, but confusion.

She hadn’t stopped him.

Why hadn’t she stopped him?

His touch had been so natural, so gentle… not lustful or disrespectful. Just warm. Comforting. Real.

And that made her even more curious.

Even if she set aside his absurdly handsome appearance and calming presence, one fact stood out: this man was anything but ordinary.

Despite being this close to him, she couldn’t sense even a flicker of magic. Nothing. He felt like a completely normal, powerless human.

And that was the most suspicious part.

The stronger someone was, the more their presence should leak out—especially in front of someone like her. But him? Nothing. No magic, no aura, no pressure.

Which made her even more certain.

‘He’s hiding something. He’s definitely not just some regular human…’

Snapping out of her lingering thoughts, Kuroka leapt from rooftop to rooftop, her black silhouette gliding soundlessly under the moon as she searched for him.

He had only just left moments ago. He couldn’t have gotten far.

But after several minutes of combing the neighborhood from above, she found… nothing.

No trace. No scent. No lingering presence.

As if he had never been there to begin with.

Her golden eyes narrowed, her suspicion deepening.

Could he… be connected to Mordred?

The possibility sent a chill down her spine—one laced with intrigue rather than fear.

She needed to know more.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Yuuji sat silently on the couch in the Occult Research Club room. Several steaming cups of tea, brewed with care by Akeno, rested on the table in front of him.

He sat between Aika and Erika, while Lelouch occupied the seat beside Erika. Tatsuya stood behind the couch silently, his expression neutral as always. 

Across from them, the two devil heiresses—Rias Gremory and Sona Shitori—sat with their Queens, Akeno and Tsubaki, seated respectfully by their sides. Behind Rias, her peerage stood in quiet formation—except for one.

Kiba Yuuto.

Ever since his encounter with Freed, he hadn’t returned to the clubroom. Worried, Rias had sent her peerage and even called upon her family’s resources to look for him. She’d also reached out to Sona for help in keeping an eye out through her own network. But even now, days later, there had been no word. Her concern for her missing knight only grew.

She had planned to lead another search right after school—but before she could, Yuuji had asked to arrange a joint meeting between her and Sona, citing a matter of urgent importance. His tone had been serious—graver than usual—and though reluctant, Rias had agreed.

Sona had initially been taken aback upon seeing Yuuji, Erika, Lelouch, and Tatsuya present, even though Rias had informed her of their involvement in the supernatural. Seeing it with her own eyes, however, was a different matter.

But what truly stunned her was Yuuji’s appearance.

As someone who had long prided herself on her rationality and focus, Sona had never been the type to care for romantic fantasies or appearances. She had goals—academic, political, practical. Love was simply not a priority.

And yet, the moment she laid eyes on Yuuji, her heart skipped a beat.

She sipped her tea quietly, trying to calm the fluttering in her chest and maintain her composure. Beside her, Tsubaki fared no better. Her eyes flicked between Yuuji and the other three—Lelouch, Tatsuya, Erika—struck by the ethereal grace and undeniable charisma they exuded. They didn’t just look beautiful. Their presence surpassed anything she’d encountered among even the highest devil nobility.

“Yuuji-kun,” Rias spoke up, her tone edged with urgency, “when are we going to start?”

She was clearly restless, eager to resume the search for Kiba.

“We’re waiting for two—no, three more people to arrive,” Yuuji replied calmly. “Ah, and here they are.”

As if on cue, a knock echoed through the room.

All eyes turned as the door opened—and in walked Kiba.

Gasps of surprise filled the room.

“Yuuto!” Rias leapt to her feet, a mix of relief and lingering worry flashing across her face.

But it wasn’t just Kiba.

Two others stood behind him—young women clad in white robes and bearing crosses at their chests.

“I-Irina-chan?!”

“X-Xenovia-san?!”

Issei and Asia blinked in confusion at the unexpected sight.

Sona and Tsubaki narrowed their eyes, immediately on guard at the appearance of church exorcists. Though they did not react overtly, tension hung thick in the air.

Likewise, Xenovia and Irina tensed at the number of devils surrounding them. Even with Kiba guiding them, their instincts remained alert.

Then, before the atmosphere could spiral further, a warm sensation enveloped the room—like a soft breeze in spring. Calm, comforting, steady.

“Relax. I was the one who invited Xenovia-san and Irina-san,” Yuuji said, activating his aura—Holy Aura I: Comfort.

The tension dispersed almost instantly. Though wariness remained, the sharp edge of hostility dulled, replaced by cautious curiosity.

Yuuji continued. “I have personally invited the two exorcists to join the operation regarding the stolen Holy Swords.”

“The stolen Holy Swords… I see. So is that what you wish to discuss today?”

Yuuji nodded to Sona’s words. 

Xenovia opened her mouth to protest—she didn’t need any devil’s help, after all—but a single look from Yuuji silenced her. His eyes, calm yet commanding, reminded her of the conversation they’d had a few days earlier.

His words echoed in her mind—and her jaw clenched in frustration at her own weakness.

Then, Yuuji raised his hand, conjuring minor illusions—lifelike projections of three figures.

Freed Sellzen.

Valper Galilei.

And Kokabiel.

“To start with, I’ll introduce you to these three key figures.” 

He introduced them one by one.

Freed, the deranged rogue exorcist, was an artificial Holy Sword user—crafted by Valper and wielding Excalibur Rapidly, Transparency, and Nightmare.

Issei, Koneko, and Asia all frowned in recognition of the crazy exorcist they came across a few days before. 

Valper, the twisted mastermind behind decades of dark experimentation, had spent years harvesting the "essences" of gifted children to artificially forge compatibility with the Holy Swords. Their screams, their suffering, all in the name of satisfying his own twisted curiosity and ambition.

Just from the sight of him, Kiba was barely able to contain his anger, hatred, and murderous intent. He clenched his fists until they were white and gritted his teeth, using all of his will power to not just storm off and resumed his hunt for the man who ruined his and his friends’ lives. 

And Kokabiel—a cadre-class Fallen Angel, a survivor of the Great War, whose sole ambition was to reignite the conflict between the three factions. A mad warmonger hiding in Kuoh.

“These are the main perpetrators of the stolen holy swords case. And they are now currently hiding within Kuoh.”

“What… they’re here?!” Rias’s eyes widened in shock. “But why would they come to a city under the protection of two noble devil houses?!”

Yuuji’s voice was calm, but firm. “Because that’s exactly why they came.”

All eyes turned towards Yuuji, a look of confusion present in most, except for Sona, who seemed to finally fit the puzzles together.

He continued, “By stealing pieces of Excalibur, Kokabiel ensured that the Church would chase after him. And by coming to Kuoh—a devil territory—he’s baiting all three factions into conflict. If fighting breaks out here, even a small skirmish, it could fracture the already fragile peace.”

Gasps filled the room. Eyes widened in shock. 

Xenovia tightened her hands into  fists as she clenched her teeth. Shame settled in her chest. 

Only now did she realize… Her confronting the devils and showing her hostility towards them was exactly what the fallen cadre wanted. She’d almost played right into his hands by antagonizing devils.

“This needs to be reported to my brother!” Rias said gravely.

Irina nodded. “Xenovia-chan, we have to alert Sister Griselda too! We’ll need backup!”

Yuuji nodded. “You can report it—but only to a select few. Do not send large forces. Don’t let them come too close.”

“What? Why?” Irina asked, puzzled.

“Because it’ll tip off Kokabiel. And he’ll use it to escalate things further. Even if we defeat him, the mere fact that Heaven and the Underworld intervened here could cause political fallout. Those who desire war will twist it as justification.”

There was silence, everyone falling into their own thoughts. And even after a while, they couldn’t find faults in Yuuji’s words. 

Even Issei and Asia, who were the least knowledgeable about such things could easily things playing out as Yuuji had said.

Rias and Sona exchanged glances. Then slowly, they both nodded.

“We’ll follow your lead,” Sona said at last.

With that, Yuuji nodded back and gestured toward Lelouch.

“I’ll let Lelouch handle the strategy.”

Lelouch raised a hand. A magical projection of Kuoh materialized in the air, zooming in on a specific point.

“This is their hideout. The abandoned church on the outskirts.”

Rias blinked. “That church?”

“Indeed. We’ve confirmed Kokabiel’s presence there, along with Valper, Freed, and several more rogue exorcists. However, attacking immediately is unwise. If we barge in, Kokabiel will unleash everything—rogue exorcists, Freed, himself. It’ll be an all-out battle.”

“So, what do we do?” Akeno asked.

Lelouch’s lips curled into a knowing smile. “We bait the weakest link. Their hunting dog. We know what they want. And we also want what they have.”

The projection changed, showing now the figure of Freed wielding a holy sword, the fused form of Excalibur Rapidly, Transparency, and Nightmare. 

“We isolate Freed… and take back the Excalibur fragments before confronting the rest.”

“And how do we lure him out?” Rias asked.

Lelouch turned to Irina with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“We use something he won’t be able to resist.”

“Eh?” Irina blinked, confused.

Then she noticed everyone staring at her.

“W-Wait, why are you all looking at me like that?!”