Seeing Asuna's dawning realization, Hōjō Yoru smiled.
"You're not mad?"
Asuna tilted her head, her delicate face filled with confusion.
"Why would I be mad?"
"I kept claiming I'd contracted the Gluttony Devil—so you figured I didn't trust you, or something?"
"Hmph. What, do you think I'm a little kid?" Asuna lifted her chin, the corner of her lips curling up. "If I were in your position, there's no way I'd bare everything to a girl I'd only known for a few days. Don't worry—I don't need you to 'explain.' I understand perfectly why you didn't tell me before."
Asuna might be a little tsundere, but for a sheltered rich girl from a well-off family, her temperament was practically too perfect to be real. She was smart, thorough, and she could see the big picture—so of course she could understand Yoru's reasons.
From everything she'd learned so far, the supernatural landscape of this world looked roughly like this:
The Ghoul Countermeasure Bureau fought ghouls through brutal professional training and weapons forged from ghoul materials.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Demon Special Operations Division's devil hunters contracted devils and used devil power to eliminate devils.
In other words, humanity still relied on supernatural power to fight supernatural monsters.
But Yoru was different. He had awakened an ability—meaning he himself was already supernatural. If the higher-ups of the Ghoul Countermeasure Bureau or the Anti-Demon Special Operations Division found out, what would they decide to do, if their goal was to mass-produce "ability users"?
Best case? Endless questioning, forced cooperation, and experiments until he broke.
Worst case? They might just seize him and dissect him for analysis.
And even though Yoru had already displayed strength beyond human limits, as long as he claimed it came from contracting the Gluttony Devil, nobody would question it.
Because no one else had ever contracted—or even seen—this so-called Gluttony Devil. And when it came to contracts, the initiative ultimately belonged to the devil.
To put it simply…
You might be able to control a devil hunter by force—but could you control a devil that had never once appeared in the real world?
If you wanted more hunters as strong as Yoru, then go negotiate with the Gluttony Devil—assuming you could even find it.
But now things were different.
Asuna had awakened a similar ability. That meant she and Yoru both knew each other's secret. Betrayal was no longer an option for either of them.
When you thought about it…
It was kind of romantic.
Yoru watched Asuna drift off into her own thoughts and sighed, a little speechless.
"Can you stop trying to look profound for one second and tell me what your ability actually does? You awakened a power, not enlightenment in some sacred dragon field. What are you daydreaming for?"
Asuna snapped back to reality, cheeks faintly pink as she hurriedly explained.
"My ability is controlling swords. This sword is really strong—way higher attack power than normal materials. And I can control it however I want. The maximum range is a full five meters. Pretty awesome, right?"
Yoru's expression turned to genuine surprise.
"Oh? That strong?"
Hearing that, Asuna's lips lifted in delight. For a heartbeat, she looked as if she'd brightened from the inside out.
"Really?"
"Really what?"
Yoru's tone swerved abruptly into the kind of serious, earnest lecture that felt far too practiced.
"This ability is way too weak. It's basically Silver Chariot."
Asuna wasn't much of a hardcore anime nerd—she had no idea what Silver Chariot was—but she understood the first half perfectly. She immediately frowned and shot back,
"How is it weak? It's obviously strong!"
Yoru didn't argue. He simply started asking questions—each one like a hammer that drove her excitement straight back down to earth.
"Then let me ask you. How fast can you control it?"
Asuna's confidence wavered.
"Um… about as fast as I can swing it myself…"
"Next question. Do you have to split your focus to control it?"
"…Yeah. And I have to keep it inside my line of sight…"
"Then let me ask you—"
"Stop! Stop asking!"
Asuna finally couldn't take it anymore. She stamped her foot, puffing her cheeks in frustration.
"Fine! My ability isn't as strong as yours, okay?!"
"You idiot," Yoru shook his head, denying it outright. "What are you even saying?"
Asuna stared—completely thrown.
Yoru continued, voice calm, almost casual.
"When I ran into the sea-cucumber devil—the moment I first awakened—Ouroboros couldn't even be summoned to fight. The maximum time I could keep it manifested wasn't enough to eat the entire corpse. It lasted, like… a fraction of a second."
"Huh?"
Asuna blinked, instinctively confused.
"Then how did you survive? Did another devil hunter show up and kill it?"
"Nope."
Yoru smiled and delivered an answer that blindsided her—yet somehow made perfect sense.
"I survived on one thing: I was just stronger."
Asuna: "…Yeah. Fair."
She knew Yoru wasn't mocking her. He was warning her—plain and simple.
Whether you fought ghouls or devils, it only took one slip—one tiny mistake—to get maimed or killed.
When she awakened the Throne of Swords, she really had been euphoric. She'd felt like she finally had power—something that could stand against monsters.
But overconfidence and excitement weren't "buffs" in the kinds of fights she would face.
They were liabilities.
A little later, at Yoru's apartment.
"Dinner's ready. Come eat~"
Asuna walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron and placed a steaming bowl in front of Yoru. But the look on his face immediately turned… complicated.
"This… is what you meant by cooking for real?"
Yoru had assumed her "celebration meal" would be some elaborate, delicious feast.
Instead—
Two soft-yolk sterilized eggs, a splash of soy sauce, some chopped scallions, all dumped over a massive bowl of white rice.
That was it.
He raised his head, staring at Asuna sitting opposite him. She seemed in a great mood, quietly humming and swaying her head while she ate.
Then he said it, absolutely without mercy:
"Next time, you should just make instant noodles."
Asuna's cheeks flushed. She huffed, tsundere as ever.
"Don't be so ungrateful."
But after that single proud line, she lowered her head and added in a voice so small it was almost inaudible:
"When I get better at cooking… I'll make you a real feast. I promise."
—Illustration: Asuna—
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 90)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 95)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter70)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter70)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter60)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 30
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 30
My patreon : patreon.com/queen_sin