When Issei returned alongside Rias with their hands intertwined, he was about to apologize to everyone for leaving the room so abruptly—but was interrupted by one of Yasaka's subordinates. A rabbit Youkai approached quietly, her fluffy ears twitching nervously as she leaned in to whisper something into Yasaka's ear.
The Youkai Queen, initially annoyed by the sudden interruption, went completely still. Her golden eyes narrowed, her casual warmth vanishing in an instant. The room, once filled with the soft murmurs of idle conversation, dropped into utter silence.
Kousuke and Tsubaki, sitting closest to her, immediately sensed something was wrong. Their expressions hardened, following Yasaka's lead. The tension spread like wildfire, infecting the entire group. Akeno and Kiba sat straighter, their easy postures replaced by readiness.
Yasaka finally spoke, her voice like a cold wind.
"Someone has kidnapped my daughter."
The words hit like a hammer. Everyone froze, stunned.
"How exactly did it happen?" Rias asked, her frown deepening. This trip was supposed to be casual yet cultural—a small break to experience Kyoto. She had not expected it to turn into a crisis.
"A strange purplish fog suddenly appeared in my daughter's classroom," Yasaka explained, her voice trembling with restrained fury. "And when it cleared… Kunou was gone. Vanished like a ghost."
She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palm. Yasaka's golden tails bristled with agitation as she took a slow, steadying breath. As enraged as she was, Yasaka did her best to stay composed—for her daughter's sake, if nothing else.
If one didn't know better, they might suspect a devil plot. After all, Rias and her peerage were being hosted by the Youkai Queen herself. It would be the perfect smokescreen—create chaos, distract the leadership, then abduct the heiress.
But Yasaka didn't believe that.
She had been watching them closely from the moment they stepped foot in Kyoto. If they'd done anything suspicious, she would've known.
Which could only mean one thing: a third party had made its move. Someone else had been watching. And they had waited for the perfect opportunity to strike—right under Yasaka's nose.
"Could it be the work of… a Sacred Gear?" Tsubaki asked, brows furrowed.
"If it is," Rias answered, her tone heavy, "then it would have to be a Longinus. Only something at that level could punch through Kyoto's layers of protection so cleanly. Whoever did this wasn't just powerful—they were precise. They planned this."
"...I'll go search for her myself," Yasaka said suddenly, standing from her seat. Her aura pulsed with divine energy as her maternal instinct kicked in.
But before she could move another step, a hand caught hers.
Kousuke rose quietly beside her and wrapped his arm gently around her waist. "Don't be hasty," he said softly. "This might be a trap."
"A trap?" Akeno repeated, her head tilting slightly. "You think they're trying to lure Yasaka out?"
He glanced at Yasaka. She gives a curt nod, understanding his intention immediately by signaling the rabbit Youkai to leave the room. Then, Kousuke finally turned to the group.
"The whole thing reeks," he muttered. "Anyone familiar with Kyoto would know not to touch Kunou. Her identity isn't exactly a secret. So why go through with something this risky—unless they were sure they could get away with it?"
He crossed his arms. "There's only one explanation that makes sense to me—someone's feeding them information from the inside."
"A spy," Kiba concluded.
Issei blinked, then frowned. "Wait... You don't think it's that rabbit girl, do you?"
"No," Kousuke replied instantly, his tone confident. "It's not her."
"You sound sure," Akeno said, raising a skeptical brow.
"Well… she's cute—" he began, flashing a cheeky grin before stopping mid-sentence as Tsubaki shot him a withering glare. "Okay, okay! Kidding! Geez, you could cut steel with that stare."
He turned to Yasaka more seriously. "Do you have anyone in mind? Someone who might have held a grudge?"
Yasaka was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then her eyes widened slightly.
"There… was one," she admitted hesitantly. "A Youkai who once tried to court me. A bear-type. He was persistent—borderline obsessive. When I rejected him, he became aggressive. I eventually had to fire him from his post."
She frowned, recalling the uncomfortable memory. "After that, he just disappeared. No one had seen him since."
"Now that is a prime suspect," Kousuke muttered with a dry chuckle. "And he's got a motive too."
"But… he's a Youkai," Yasaka pointed out. "He shouldn't be able to awaken a Sacred Gear. That's something exclusive to humans."
"That's true but—if he's acting alone," Kousuke said. His voice dropped slightly. "But what if he's working with someone else? Someone who does have that kind of power?"
Everyone went quiet, their expressions turning grim. The implications were clear. He didn't need to spell it out—third party involvement. Yasaka's jaw tightened.
She had really believed the rejection and job loss would have been enough to make the bear Youkai move on. But now, she wondered if she'd underestimated his bitterness. Maybe he hadn't let go of his obsession after all.
This… was why she had remained a widow. But Kousuke made her want something more. And now—this happened.
"It's just a hypothesis," Kousuke said gently, trying to ease the mood. "Maybe he's not involved. Maybe it's someone else entirely. But we can't ignore the possibility."
What he didn't say—what he couldn't say—was the real reason for his suspicion.
In the Other World, a Yasaka very much like this one had gone through something painfully similar. A warrior, loud and infatuated, had tried to win her affection. He was rejected. Kicked out of their party. Everyone sighed in relief, thinking the problem had resolved itself.
So when they meet him again a year later, they had let their guard down. So when the time was right, he revealed his true allegiance—standing with the demons, blade drawn. In the chaos that followed...'Yasaka' died.
That regret had never left Kousuke. The memory of her smile, her laughter, her strength—snuffed out in an instant. Because they had underestimated him. He clenched his fists at his sides.
This time, he wouldn't let history repeat itself. He would protect this Yasaka. No matter what it took.