Yuma took a couple of steps back almost unconsciously when Itachi returned her gaze.
However, before anything else could happen, Issei hurried to hug her and led her by the hand toward a small KFC restaurant.
"…"
Several hours later, after the date had ended, Issei Hyoudou walked home quite satisfied, a mischievous smile stretched across his face. Some people instinctively moved away from wherever he passed, watching him with curious eyes.
Back at the same park where they had been earlier, Yuma observed with narrowed eyes as Issei walked away. Perhaps it was simple disdain, or her sense of superiority as a Fallen Angel, but she truly felt she needed a bath and a deep facial cleanse right now.
She turned around and stepped into the nearby forest, ready to return to her base and rid herself of the impurities on her body. However, the moment she entered the forest, her body froze completely.
"What?" A trace of disbelief crossed Yuma's face. Her eyes opened wide as she quickly looked left and right, expecting to find her attacker.
"You won't be able to move. This is a binding genjutsu. You're now under my control," a calm voice echoed all around, sending a chilling fear through Yuma's body that reached her very bones.
She swallowed hard, eyes dilated, as the boy she had seen earlier emerged from between the trees. But now, his eyes had changed — no longer the dark obsidian black, but a deep crimson red adorned with strange patterns.
For the first time, she felt true inferiority. The world around her shifted. She found herself in a golden temple, the sunset painting the walls with a powerful orange hue. Standing on a platform ahead of her, like a king gazing upon a servant, was Uchiha Itachi.
Her eyes were dazzled. Her heart sent repeated waves of blood to her brain, unable to fully process all the emotions and experiences flooding her at once.
And amid the chaos in her body, only one thought echoed in her mind: "As beautiful as a god."
The light reflecting from behind Itachi slightly shadowed his face, branding itself into her mind like fire.
Then her frown quickly turned into a peculiar smile, her eyes welled up with tears, and almost immediately, a few drops rolled down her cheeks, flowing down her neck and between her cleavage.
The illusion lasted almost as briefly as a mother's touch — impossible to measure in seconds, only in experience. Short in duration, yet infinite in emotional weight.
"I see..." Itachi said once Yuma came out of the genjutsu. During that brief time she was trapped in the illusion, he had used the opportunity to extract information by subtly influencing her mind — and Yuma had no idea.
Perhaps that's why, when she returned to the real world, she looked at Itachi with sparkling eyes and immediately opened her mouth:
"I... I want to exchange information with you," she blurted out quickly. She knew that what she knew about the Fallen Angels and Sacred Gears might be a bargaining chip for her freedom.
However, Itachi merely smiled slightly.
"Exchange what? Hahaha. I've already obtained all the information, Miss Raynare."
Itachi smiled again, watching her shocked expression with calm satisfaction. He nodded a couple of times.
"You?" Yuma stammered, staring at Itachi. Dozens of questions ran through her mind.
Who was he? Why? What did he just do?
But before any of those questions could be answered, Itachi's body moved with such speed that he vanished from his position and reappeared in front of Raynare.
*Smack*
*Smack*
He struck her several times in the triangle of death and the neck. The only sound was that of her being hit, like the crack of a whip amplified, before she collapsed to the ground — dead.
"Keeping you alive would've been troublesome. What a shame…"
Itachi lowered his head and gently brushed Raynare's hair before sighing with slight regret. He had, in fact, considered making her his subordinate. But after forcing her to confess everything within the Genjutsu, he realized that was simply impossible.
Raynare would never willingly submit to him. Perhaps he could have used Genjutsu to alter her will — but that came with its own risks, especially since she answered to Kokabiel.
Itachi wasn't certain whether Kokabiel would detect the manipulation if he kept her alive, so he decided not to take the chance. He killed Raynare and buried the body deep in the forest, taking care to cover all traces.
The entire process took only about fifteen minutes.
And Itachi emerged from the forest clean and composed, a calm smile on his face, as if he hadn't just killed a beautiful girl with idol-like looks.
The day was drawing to a close. The sun cast its golden light over the city, and Itachi strolled peacefully toward Issei's house.
As he walked through Kuoh Park, a girl approached him with a flyer in her hands.
"Excuse me, Maybe you're interested in magic? Well, this is a way to contact a magical being who can grant you assistance. Please use it with caution," said a delicate girl with brown hair, handing him a red flyer with a strange symbol on it.
Before, Itachi would have politely thanked her and tossed the flyer into the trash without much thought. But now, with all the knowledge he had extracted from Raynare, he could guess exactly who this flyer belonged to.
"The Gremory Family."
Itachi pondered for a moment, noticing how the girl blushed when he returned her gaze.
"Thank you," he said warmly, pretending to tuck the flyer into his pocket — when in truth, he disposed of it immediately.
"According to Raynare, Lucifer's younger sister is studying at Kuoh Academy. She runs a club about mysteries or magic and has several members."
Itachi repeated the information in his mind as he walked the streets of Kuoh, watching the people, their lives, their faces, their smiles and frowns. Although he still felt amazed by the peace of this world… he still felt like a stranger in a foreign land.
After passing by several homes, Itachi finally arrived at the Hyoudou residence.
"Ah, little Itachi, you arrived right on time! Please, come in. Issei should be in his room. I made your favorite — Dangos," said Mrs. Hyoudou, watering the garden as she noticed him approaching the front door.
Her smile was genuine. She had known Itachi since he was a child and naturally didn't hesitate to invite him in.
Itachi quickly accepted with a warm smile on his face. He greeted Mrs. Hyoudou and stepped inside, walking past several stairs until he reached Issei's room.
Perhaps out of habit, or muscle memory, Itachi made no noise as he walked. His breathing became nearly undetectable as he approached the room.
Standing before the door, Uchiha Itachi — the boy who had just killed a Fallen Angel without blinking — truly smiled.