Meow meow.jpg
"Meow…"
Along with a moaning sound from Koneko that almost resembled a sensual gasp, a pair of white cat ears appeared on top of her head, twitching constantly.
Then, from the area of her tailbone, a small white tail suddenly extended and began swaying back and forth.
"Calm down…"
Placing a hand gently on Koneko's delicate little face, Vitan activated the magic within his body, causing a rather strange fragrance to emanate from him.
Yes—strange.
Because the moment Rias caught the scent, she suddenly had an inexplicable urge to rip off her own clothes and throw herself at the man before her.
Akeno managed a bit better, but a clear, abnormal blush had still spread across her cheeks.
"What did you just do?!"
Biting the tip of her tongue to clear the lustful thoughts clouding her mind, Rias immediately returned to her senses and demanded an explanation from Vitan.
Even Akeno's expression wasn't looking great—after all, the sensation of one's thoughts being influenced was never pleasant.
"Rias, now's not the time to question me. Shouldn't you be checking on your distressed servant first?"
Having finished what he was doing, Vitan simply sat by the bedside and motioned with his chin for the two girls to look at the kitten.
Only then did the two, who had been a little irritated, recall their original purpose and turned their gaze toward the girl lying on the bed.
"She really has no symptoms now…"
Akeno covered her mouth in surprise.
Koneko lying on the bed now breathed evenly, and the blush on her delicate face had faded, returning to a normal, fair complexion.
Aside from the newly sprouted cat ears and tail, she looked just like her usual self.
"What happened?"
Rias's face was visibly filled with joy. Only she knew how deeply worried she had been just moments ago.
At the same time, she was once again thankful for having come to the right place.
This knowledgeable man truly had a way to fix things.
"You do know that this servant of yours is a Youkai—a Nekomata—and even more, a once-in-a-million natural-born talent, a true Nekoshou, right?"
Rias and Akeno both nodded.
Although Koneko had never displayed her Youkai traits in front of them, Sirzechs had already told them everything about her race and situation when entrusting her to Rias back when she was still in prison.
"Then the explanation is quite simple. Youkai, although intelligent and rational like other sentient beings, haven't entirely escaped the instincts of beasts in certain areas. And the most important of these instincts is reproduction—periodic heat cycles to mate and continue the survival of their species.
Even the Nekoshous aren't exempt from this."
With that, the mystery was solved.
Rias and Akeno instantly understood the reason behind the kitten's condition.
"So how did you calm her down?"
Rias, after all, was no fool. Hearing about the Nekomata heat cycles reminded her of what her childhood tutor had once taught her about Youkai breeding seasons.
Suppressing Youkai instincts wasn't exactly an easy task.
"For most people, this would be a very troublesome situation. But for me, it's quite a simple matter."
Suddenly, Vitan seemed to notice something and stared out the window for a few seconds.
"Hey, say something already," Rias urged impatiently.
They'd already crossed certain lines together, so her tone was more natural now—no longer concerned with the usual formalities.
"The true bloodline of Asmodeus carries the power of lust. Surely you haven't forgotten that? Stimulating lust is practically my specialty as an heir to the Asmodeus bloodline. I just almost never use such a silly skill."
"Wait a second! If what we just experienced was any clue, you used the power to induce lust, didn't you?"
…Censorship ensues…(T/N: I think he absorbs the lust from Koneko and disperses or share it to the three of them.)
"Anyway, go wash your hands and help change the kitten into clean clothes. Take her back to rest."
Rias gave Akeno a sideways glare.
She knew her Queen had a bit of a sadistic side, but based on recent behavior, she was starting to suspect Akeno might have some... deviant tendencies as well.
"Actually, I think it's better if you leave Koneko here for the time being. The technique I just used didn't completely resolve her heat cycle. It only gave her a temporary release. And right now, she happens to be entering the peak of her heat period. When she wakes up, she'll probably be just like before again."
Akeno suddenly froze mid-action, and Rias's brows furrowed once more. "Isn't there a way to completely solve this?"
"Things can't keep going on like this, right?"
Rias, who had already let go of her worries, found her heart rising with concern again.
But perhaps this is simply a characteristic of the Gremory family—their deep emotional attachments. Other devils wouldn't go so far for just a servant.
"In the end, it's because she resists the power of the senjutsu within her. If she could fully master them, she'd be able to control her heat cycle with ease.
Still, I think I can find someone who can help her with her current condition.
You two don't need to worry too much. Go back to class."