Chapter 33 Kuroka

Normally, one would need permission from the creator of a pocket dimension to enter or leave. Or, at the very least, they'd need to defeat them.

But what if there was no such thing? Then he had only one option left—Tsubaki.

More specifically, her necklace.

"Hold onto me. Securely," Kousuke said to Yasaka. By connecting his mind to the necklace, he locked onto its position. Then he muttered an incomprehensible language, causing the space around them to tremble with a mysterious force. With a firm grip, the two vanished from the pocket dimension for good.

---

"Kousuke?! Why—rather, how are you here? And why is Yasaka-san hugging you so tightly?" Tsubaki asked the moment her boyfriend mysteriously appeared alongside Yasaka, right in front of her.

There was one thing to note—he didn't know the necklace's exact location. So, it was entirely within his expectations to end up in an awkward situation.

Like intruding on Tsubaki's bath time. She was reclining in the bathtub, half her body submerged beneath the warm water.

"…You're so sexy," he muttered, eyes glued to his girlfriend's curvy figure. Yasaka blushed. She could feel the growing bulge in his pants pressing against her, still so close to him from the teleportation.

"…I'll hear your explanation later. Please get out first," Tsubaki said with a growing blush. She didn't even try to cover her body—Kousuke had already seen everything, and even touched them. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't embarrassed. She *lwas a growing young woman, after all.

"Eh? What about taking a bath together?" he asked with a smirk. Tsubaki seemed very close to agreeing, so it fell to Yasaka to pull them back to reality.

"Kunou…"

She muttered the name faintly, her ears turning redder as she did her best to ignore the thing poking her stomach.

Kousuke immediately came to his senses at the mention of Kunou. He pulled Yasaka out of the bathroom, ignoring the confused looks thrown their way by the Occult Research Club members as he headed straight for the exit.

---

A few minutes later, they arrived in front of a familiar alleyway, the two of them staring at a certain building to the right. Kousuke remembered Ookuma mentioning it—the place where he kept Kunou.

He frowned. His sensitive senses picked up more than two life signatures inside the building.

"There might be more of them. Be careful," he said. She nodded in response. They had rushed here, her mind plagued with worry for her daughter's safety with each passing minute. Now that Kunou was only a few yards away, Yasaka's expression turned serious.

"I'll wait outside in case they brought backup," he continued, voice turning colder than steel. "So go all out. Don't leave a single one alive."

"…I will," she said in a low voice, hand tightening into a fist as her tails glowed with a faint, ominous red. He watched her disappear into the building with a slight smile before turning around, his expression flat and emotionless.

"Come out. I know you're there."

"Nyahaha~! You can sense me, human? That's amazing, nya~!"

A black-haired woman in a revealing black kimono stepped out from the shade of a streetlamp.

What caught his attention wasn't her tone or her clothes—but the fluffy ears atop her head. A cat Youkai. And oddly, she smelled familiar.

"Who are you?"

"Mm~ isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first, nya?" she said, a perpetual smug look on her face. "Well, I don't really mind—I'm Kuroka!"

"Kuroka…"

Hearing her name stirred something within him, but he couldn't quite place it. It was like trying to remember a word you knew existed, but it stubbornly refused to leave the back of your mind—leaving you unreasonably frustrated.

"I'm Kousuk—" "You're that Sitri Queen's boyfriend, right?

"…You're rather well-informed."

"Nyahaha~ This much is nothing, nya!" she said proudly, puffing up her cleavage.

He gave her a half-hearted glance before looking her in the eyes. "So then, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"That's too stiff, nya! Nothing serious—I was just told to keep an eye on this place, nyehehe!"

"Oho? Then is this someone very important to you?"

"Munya? Not really~ They didn't tell me what to do if someone strong like you showed up, nya!" His eyes narrowed. She seemed approachable, but he knew better. That smile was nothing more than a mask. If he let his guard down, he'd regret it.

Without warning, he shifted slightly to the left as Kuroka swiped her claws at him. The corner of her lips curled in amusement at his smooth movement before she leapt back.

"You're really good for a human, nya!"

"Thanks for the compliment. Now, do you mind scurrying off like a good kitty?" he said with a smile. "You see, I don't have fond memories of black cats. They tend to bring me bad luck."

"Nyahaha! I don't think so, nya~!"

Swish!

His hand snapped up and grabbed her wrist as she reached for his neck, gripping it tightly so she couldn't pull away.

"Please," he said gently—but his tone sent chills down her spine, "I don't want to kill one more person today."

"F-Fine, I get it, nya!" Kuroka said, sounding slightly dejected. He wasn't fooled by her pouty face—he'd seen better acting in the Other World. Still, he let go, and to her credit, she didn't attack again.

She seemed to be pondering something, judging by the thoughtful frown on her face.

Then her expression lit up with mischievous energy.

"I've got an idea, nya… How about you mate with me?!"

"Pfft—"

"With your potent seed, I could give birth to strong children, nya!"

"…What is going on here?" Yasaka said, stepping out while carrying an unconscious Kunou in a princess carry. She hadn't expected to overhear something outrageous the moment she returned.

There was a smear of blood on her cheek. Kousuke pulled out a handkerchief from thin air and gently wiped it away.

"Don't mind the kitty. She's just talking nonsense."

"I'm serious, though, nya! Come on, think about it!"