An Urge to Change Everything

Time flew by, and before she knew it, Sunday had arrived.

GOOGLE SEARCH TWKAN

There was no school today, either. After spending all of yesterday reading, Yukino Yukinoshita got up and prepared to head to the basement for some training, just like Leo.

But just as she was about to leave her room, she received a phone call.

"I'm not interrupting your day off, am I, little Yukino?"

The familiar voice from the other end of the phone left Yukino Yukinoshita silent for a moment.

"What is it?"

Yukino tried to sound calm, even cold.

"Can't I call just to chat?" Haruno Yukinoshita said with an amused laugh, as if it were an idle question. "Or am I really interrupting your day off, keeping you from fawning over your little master?"

At the words "little master," Yukino knew that, just as Leo had guessed, her older sister had already uncovered some of the truth.

"You really are heartless, little Yukino." Haruno's voice lowered, sounding both angry and reproachful. "Something this serious happened, and you didn't tell anyone in the family. If we hadn't found out ourselves, were you planning to keep it secret forever?"

"...What would telling you have changed?" Yukino fell silent for a moment, then replied without expression. "What's done is done. We shouldn't dwell on the past; we should look to the future. Even if we can't make up for what we've lost, we have to seize fleeting opportunities and make ourselves better."

"Isn't that exactly how our family does things?"

Yukino's words left Haruno silent, too.

After a long while, Haruno finally spoke, her voice complicated.

"I'll be waiting at home. Mom will be there, too."

With that, Haruno hung up, leaving Yukino speechless for a long time.

She knew she had to talk to her family.

Otherwise, who knew what might happen?

With that thought, Yukino took a deep breath and left her room.

She no longer felt like training in the basement. Instead, she walked straight out of the Western-style Mansion, crossed the garden, and headed for the gazebo.

Just as she expected, the estate's owner was there when she arrived. Their new friend, who had only joined them yesterday, was there as well.

Leo and Asuna Yuuki sat facing each other in the gazebo. He seemed to be telling her something.

"Your family has sent word. They said they'll try to come by today and meet with me. The time and place haven't been decided yet. When they do, you'll come with me and meet your family properly."

"Your Sword Instructor will also come to the estate through a magic circle later, so we can meet him."

"So today will probably be very busy. You should prepare yourself."

Leo laid out the day's plans, and Asuna quietly nodded.

Yukino paused nearby. Only after Leo had finished explaining everything did she step into the gazebo and approach him.

"What brings you here?" Leo had naturally noticed Yukino walking toward him. He asked with some confusion, "Weren't you going to use the basement today for training?"

Asuna looked at Yukino, too, her eyes questioning.

"I probably won't have time today." Yukino lowered her eyes. "I have to go home."

That was all it took for Leo to understand.

"Haruno's pretty impressive. She found out about things so quickly," Leo remarked, then asked, "Is she planning to have an honest talk with you?"

"It was only a matter of time, wasn't it?" Yukino took a deep breath. "Mom will probably be there, too."

"So?" Leo picked up his tea and took a small sip, smiling. "Want me to go with you?"

"No." Yukino shook her head decisively. "My sister told me to come over, but she didn't mention you. That proves she and Mom don't want you there."

"I don't want them thinking I'm too scared to face them on my own, either."

"So I want to go by myself."

It was a very Yukino-like way of putting on a brave front.

That didn't mean she wasn't nervous. Her sister and her mother both held a much higher position in the family than she did. She had always lived in their shadows, and she became especially vulnerable in front of them.

But she had never wanted to go on living that way. Deep down, she sincerely hoped that one day she could escape their shadows and live as herself.

So this time, she would face them alone.

Seeing Yukino like this, Asuna felt as if she were looking at her former self. She saw a reflection of herself in her young companion.

Unlike Yukino, Asuna didn't hide feelings of inferiority and resistance toward her family deep inside. Still, she had lived in her family's shadow, her whole life arranged for her like a puppet on strings.

She hadn't expected that just as she was about to face her family's difficulties for the first time, caught up in an abrupt change to her life, Yukino—the senior member of their peerage—would be facing the same thing.

Asuna's gaze shifted as she looked at Yukino. She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but nothing came out.

Leo, on the other hand, remained calm throughout.

"That's probably for the best. It'd be hard for me, an outsider, to speak freely in front of them anyway, especially if your family may already know my true identity."

As he spoke, Leo took a Devil Flyer from inside his coat.

This Devil Flyer was a little different from the previous version.

The earlier Devil Flyers had been made from ordinary-looking antique parchment. This one, however, was made of specially treated parchment that was pitch-black all over, with a subtle aura of magic emanating from it.

"I made this simple magic circle specifically for our situation. It works just like an ordinary Devil Flyer, summoning us instantly. The difference is that the former can be intercepted, while this one basically can't."

Leo explained it to Yukino and Asuna.

The magic circles Devils normally used weren't impossible to block. If someone set up a barrier near the destination, or a Spell Formula specifically designed to stop spatial transfer, Devils couldn't teleport there. The barrier or formula would intercept them.

Leo's specially made, simplified magic circle didn't have that weakness. Even barriers or interception formulas prepared in advance at the destination couldn't stop the jump. However, it had strict conditions for use—or, more accurately, only specific people could activate it.

Leo had developed it based on his Peerage Transformation trait. Only members of his peerage who had an Evil Piece connected to his trait inside them could activate it. The circle used the connection between him and the Evil Piece within his peer to perform a higher-dimensional Spatial Teleportation, effectively bypassing any barriers or formulas meant to intercept it.

"Take this with you. If you're ever in danger, the Evil Piece inside you will automatically resonate with the special magic circle on this and activate it. Then I can arrive at your location instantly."

Leo handed the black Devil Flyer to Yukino and reminded her.

"Since your family already knows our true identities, they've probably made contact with the Church. Better safe than sorry."

As he spoke, Leo took out another black Devil Flyer and handed it to Asuna.

"Here, one for you, too. Don't say I'm playing favorites."

Asuna accepted it, seeming rather surprised.

"Th-thank you."

Asuna thanked him softly.

Yukino silently tucked the flyer into the inner lining of her uniform, her expression as cool as ever.

"I'll be going, then."

With that, Yukino turned and left the gazebo, heading toward the edge of the estate.

Leo contacted one of the familiars who drove for the estate and asked them to take Yukino to the Yukinoshita Family home.

"Will Miss Yukinoshita... be all right?"

Asuna couldn't help worrying.

"Don't worry. It shouldn't be a problem." As if he could see everything and knew what the future held, Leo smiled and said, "Since this came up, we might as well take care of both your family issues and Yukino's at the same time. That way, neither of you will have to look so worried all the time."

Asuna smiled wryly.

How could she not be worried?

Even now, she was still bewildered by how quickly everything was unfolding.

Just a couple of days ago, she had been an ordinary human—a rich young lady following the life plan her family had arranged for her and receiving an elite education. Now, in the space of just two days, her life had taken a drastic turn, and she was about to confront her family. To Asuna, it all felt utterly unreal, like a dream.

Still, she had to admit that what had happened this time had lit a fire in her heart, making her want to use this chance to change things.

Girls had moments like that. Sometimes, all at once, they stopped wanting to follow their family's plans and live a life whose end they could already see. They felt an urge to change everything.

Before now, Asuna hadn't felt that urge.

But this time, it had suddenly stirred within her, even if only a little.

So this is what it means to be a Devil...

Asuna murmured inwardly, then suddenly looked at the man before her.

He held his tea with an easy, leisurely air and sipped it at his own pace. He looked nothing like a Devil—more like a nobleman from a prestigious family.

"Hmm?"

Under Asuna's gaze, Leo lifted his head for no apparent reason.

"They're here."

As if he sensed something, Leo stood up.

"Come on. Let's go greet your teacher."