"The Devil's Nun."

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The sun was setting.

The golden light bathed the streets in a beautiful, multicolored glow.

"Ugh, fighting is way too exhausting…"

Utaha rubbed her sore shoulders, feeling like her whole body had been weighed down with lead.

Who would've thought that little Neko-chan, so tiny and cute, could fight like a total beast?

Then again… she is a veteran demon. Makes sense, I guess.

"This is just the beginning," Minato said. "And don't relax just yet—we've still got more things to do."

Utaha tilted her head curiously. "What else is there?"

"We need to find a nun."

"I knew it! My devilish master is already making a move on a nun, huh?"

"It's not like that," Minato said, shaking his head. "She's probably connected to those fallen angels."

If he remembered correctly, that really was the case.

But in a world like this, nothing was guaranteed.

"Uhh…"

Utaha blinked, then pointed toward something nearby.

"Are you talking about that girl over there?"

"Hm?"

Minato followed her gaze—and froze.

Standing there was a girl in a nun's habit, with long, flowing golden hair that practically glowed in the sunlight.

At that moment, she was staring longingly into a burger shop window, practically drooling.

This girl… might actually be pretty easy to understand.

Utaha's eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief as she glanced at the girl.

Noticing that Minato didn't seem hostile toward the nun, and having fully stepped into her role as his follower, she decided to help him out.

She walked over quickly and asked, "Hey, do you need any help?"

"Eh?" the girl blinked in surprise.

Minato watched the whole thing with a satisfied nod.

Not bad.

Utaha had officially become a proper minion.

As the sky grew darker...

Inside the burger shop, the three of them sat face-to-face.

The table was piled high with burgers and snacks.

Asia stared at the food in front of her, looking torn.

She was so hungry… but walking into a place like this with total strangers still made her nervous.

She wanted to leave, but her stomach strongly disagreed.

"Don't just stare at it—go ahead and eat. It's on me."

Minato couldn't help chuckling at her expression. "Or what, do you think fast food's gross?"

"N-no! Not at all!"

Asia shook her head frantically, then mumbled softly, "Then… thank you very much."

With that, she grabbed a burger and started eating.

At first, she took tiny little bites. But soon she picked up speed, cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk, eyes full of joy.

"So good! It's so good!"

Utaha raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you've never had a burger before?"

"Nope," Asia replied, shaking her head. "We didn't have stuff like this at the church. Just bread."

"..."

Utaha fell silent.

What kind of life had this girl been living?

Was the church that stingy even with their own nuns?

Once Asia finally leaned back, too full to eat another bite, Minato said, "So, Asia… can we talk now?"

"How do you know my name?" Asia's eyes went wide. "Have we met before?"

"This is the first time we've met," Minato replied. "But I do know you. You're probably the only nun out there who can heal demons."

Wait, what?

Wha-wha-wha-WHAT?!

Asia froze for a moment, then began to tremble.

Could it be… these two nice people were actually fallen angels too?

She had just escaped from them…

Her face slowly fell, sorrow clouding her eyes.

This must be punishment from God… for not being devout enough.

What is this girl even thinking about now?

Minato watched the dramatic change in her expression with mild amusement.

"You don't need to be scared. We're not going to hurt you," he said gently. "We're not with the Church, and we're definitely not fallen angels."

Asia blinked. Then her whole face turned bright red.

Asia Argento, what are you even thinking?! How could you suspect the person who just fed you?!

"My Master's right," Utaha added with a devilish smile. "Because we're demons~"

"D-d-demons?!"

Asia's brain short-circuited. Her whole body stiffened like a statue.

"Utaha, stop scaring her," Minato sighed.

"We are demons, yeah," he said to Asia. "But seriously, we're not gonna hurt you."

Looking into Minato's eyes, so full of sincerity, Asia slowly relaxed.

If it's him… maybe it's okay to trust him.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt safe around him.

"Hmph. Why weren't you this gentle when you first met me, Master?" Utaha said with a pout.

So the guy can talk like a decent person. Then why was he such a perv with me?

"Oh? I thought you liked that kind of interaction," Minato smirked.

"Pervert Master, do you even know what 'like' means?!"

"Didn't hear you complain when I was helping you recharge your mana."

Utaha's face turned bright red. She was speechless.

All those memories flashed through her mind, uninvited.

Minato gave her a curious glance.

Huh… her sharp tongue's not as deadly today. Weird.

But for now, Asia was the priority.

Minato turned back to her and said, "You don't have anywhere to stay right now, right? If you don't mind, I've got a spare room at my place."

"Really?" Asia's eyes widened in surprise, joy sparkling in them.

Ever since the Church cast her out, she'd had nowhere to go.

That offer hit her hard—in the best way.

"Of course!" Minato said with a warm smile.

At Minato's house.

After asking her a few things, Asia had gone to bed and was now sleeping soundly.

Utaha sat on the couch in the living room, staring at Minato in surprise.

"I gotta say… I didn't expect my pervy Master to actually not do anything."

"What did you think I'd do?"

"Well, come on—that's a cute girl, right? At the very least, I thought you'd force her to become your minion."

Minato pulled some juice from the fridge, took a sip, and replied, "Her faith in God runs deep. It's not that simple."

Thinking about Asia's past, Minato's expression turned complicated.

He never claimed to be a good person…

But even he had some standards.

And forcing someone to become his servant? That was pointless if it wasn't voluntary.

Utaha looked at him like she was seeing him for the first time.

Her Master… really was more complicated than he looked.

And maybe that made him even more interesting.

"Well, it's getting late. You should rest," Minato said, stretching as he walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Utaha asked instinctively.

"Oh, nothing much. This is my hometown, remember?" Minato said with a grin. "And now that we know what the fallen angels are up to… I think it's time I paid them a little visit."

"....."